TRUE JUSTICE HAS ITS ORIGIN IN ALMIGHTY GOD

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

TRUE JUSTICE HAS ITS ORIGIN IN ALMIGHTY GOD

"For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to
establish their own righteousness, have NOT submitted to the
righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness to everyone who believes" [Romans 10:3-4].

God’s justice and righteousness is perfect! On worldly justice Saint Isaac the Syrian explains, "justice is equality on the even scale, for it gives to each as he deserves…" However, worldly or earthly justice enlivened by goodness beauty and goodness, devoid of retaliation, retribution and vengeance can attract mankind to the Divine. Saint Maximus the Confessor tells us: "Earth in the world of the senses corresponds in the world of the mind to justice…a state that begets all the inner principles of created things according to their kind, that in spirit shares out the gifts of life to each thing in an equitable way, and that is by its own free choice rooted and established in beauty and goodness." [Philokalia II].

Saint Maximus the Confessor states: "He who is living the life in Christ has gone beyond the righteousness of both the law and nature. This Saint Paul indicated when he said, ‘For in Christ Jesus there is neither circumcision nor uncircumcision" [Galatians 5:6]. By circumcision he meant righteousness according to the law; by uncircumcision he referred to natural justice or equity." [Philokalia II].

"The Almighty God’s justice is also one of the Divine energies. God is just and is continuously working in His creation in order to bring about and preserve this state of justice. Therefore, for a person or community to live in a way that is in keeping with the justice of the Triune God is to participate in His operation within creation." However, humanity has been plagued with injustice throughout mankind’s history. No matter which continent we examine we see people oppressed, exploited, murdered, properties confiscated by their own governments, human rights violations, imprisonment without any representation, and they cannot find justice from anyone. Citizens are worried and afraid, frustrated, pressured, vulnerable and insecure even in their own countries. No matter what country, indigent people never receive justice. They suffer from severe poverty and see clearly that there is no future for their children. Their only hope is only our heavenly Father whose justice is perfect, compassionate and merciful.

In Romans 10:3 Saint Paul wishes nothing but good for the people of Israel. But their zeal is without insight into God’s righteousness in Christ. By rejecting the Gospel and adhering to the law, they seek to establish "their own righteousness." Their ignorance of God’s righteousness, a rejection of Christ Himself is willful and self-imposed. Christ has always been the way of salvation in both Testaments. Christ puts an end to the law as a way for people to try to gain righteousness without Him. Thus, He terminates the Old Testament without nullifying its law as useless. For He fulfills the law. His RIGHTEOUSNESS IS SUPERIOR TO THAT OF THE LAW. "Everyone who believes" in Christ participates in His incomparable and Divine Righteousness.

On the Cross of Christ, God’s justice is revealed, and that it operates in a manner which infinitely transcends its merely human counterpart. What is human justice? There is ‘justice’ to the selfishness of ‘might is right.’ This is justice which expresses in the most flagrant manner the essence of sin, egotism; that sick state which is identical to being possessed. There is also the justice that demands equality, that everyone be the same. This is justice which insidiously promotes injustice, because not everyone has the same needs. There is also, justice which, indeed, imposes equality in accordance equality in accordance with the needs of each person, and this is actually the best version of human justice. But the trouble here, too, is the word ‘imposes’ because in Christian term, anything that is not done freely and out of love has no moral value.

"There is the justice that is within us, which demands that we give each according to his due; and although we do not attain to this exactly, nevertheless, if we act with a righteous disposition we do not depart far from our aim", says Saint Basil the Great. "And there is justice that reaches us from the Heavens from the Righteous Judge– a justice that now corrects, rewards us, in which there is much that is unfathomable to us because of the heights of determination contained in it." "His Righteousness abides unto ages of ages" [Psalm 111:8], as the Prophet David hymns.

The opponent of justice is injustice. We, as Christians, witness the greatest injustice committed in the history of mankind, that of charging the Son of God with blasphemy and sentencing Him to die on the Cross. "Then Pilate said to them, ‘You take Him and judge Him according to your law." Therefore, the Jews said to him. ‘It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death’" [John 18:31]. "Pilate said to them, I FIND NO FAULT IN HIM AT ALL" [John 18:38]. "But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?’ Then they all cried out again, saying, ‘Not this Man, but Barabbas!’ [John 18:3940]. "Then Pilate said to Him, ‘Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have the power to crucify You, and ‘power to release You?’ Jesus answered, ‘You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above" [John 19:10-11]. "When Pilate heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the JUDGMENT SEAT in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew. Gabbatha…And he said to the Jews, ‘Behold your King!’ But they cried out, ‘Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!’ [John 19:13-15]. "Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So, they took Jesus and led Him away" [John 19:16].

The Orthodox path of the Christian is "the path of the cross and the struggle." In other words, it is the path of patience, of the bearing of sorrows, persecutions for the name of Christ, and dangers from the enemies of Christ; of despising the goods of the world for the sake of Christ; of battling against one’s passions and lusts. All believers are called to struggle according to their strength. The Cross is the banner of the Church. From the day when the Savior bore the Cross on His shoulders to Golgotha and was crucified on the material Cross, the Cross became the visible sign and banner of Christianity, of the Church, of everyone who believes in Christ.

"Having always before oneself the image of the Cross, making on oneself the sign of the Cross, the Christian first of all brings to his mind that he is called to follow the steps of Christ, bearing in the name of Christ sorrows and deprivations for his faith. Secondly, he is strengthened by the powr of the Cross of Christ for battle against the evil in himself and in the world. And thirdly, he confesses that he awaits the manifestation of the glory of Christ, the Second Coming of the Lord, which itself will be preceded by the manifestation in heaven of the "sign of the Son of Man," according to the Divine words of the Lord Himself [Matthew 24:30]. This Sign, according to the unanimous understanding of the Holy Fathers of the Church, will be magnificent manifestation of the Cross in the sky."

The Church hymns the power of the Cross: "O invincible and incomprehensible and Divine power of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, forsake not us sinners." [Source: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology]

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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George