- You know, it
doesn't take much living
00:00:01.06\00:00:02.06
to recognize there's something
00:00:02.06\00:00:03.67
really wrong with this place.
00:00:03.67\00:00:06.03
And it really leaves you
wondering if there's any hope
00:00:06.03\00:00:08.54
that somebody's ever
going to set the universe right.
00:00:08.54\00:00:11.84
[heartfelt music]
00:00:11.84\00:00:14.68
They say that life is short,
00:00:32.83\00:00:34.46
and the more I find myself
inching toward the finish line,
00:00:34.46\00:00:37.13
the more I tend to
agree with that sentiment.
00:00:37.13\00:00:40.40
In fact, from
where I sit right now,
00:00:40.40\00:00:42.64
the finish line
seems painfully close,
00:00:42.64\00:00:45.54
even though it feels
like I was a little kid
00:00:45.54\00:00:47.68
just a few days ago.
00:00:47.68\00:00:49.04
In fact, I remember
my kindergarten career,
00:00:49.04\00:00:51.61
like it was yesterday.
00:00:51.61\00:00:53.11
I was living in a tiny
northern British Columbia town,
00:00:53.11\00:00:55.88
tucked away behind
the Alaska panhandle,
00:00:55.88\00:00:58.49
a tiny community that
had a considerable number
00:00:58.49\00:01:00.92
of Dutch immigrants.
00:01:00.92\00:01:02.46
And I went to kindergarten
at Walnut Park Elementary.
00:01:02.46\00:01:05.86
I was the only boy in my
carpool, and back in those days,
00:01:05.86\00:01:08.93
the boys and girls would line up
00:01:08.93\00:01:10.43
at different school
entrances every morning,
00:01:10.43\00:01:13.27
waiting to be let inside.
00:01:13.27\00:01:15.44
Now, given that I was shy,
00:01:15.44\00:01:16.94
I didn't know any of the boys,
00:01:16.94\00:01:18.17
during that first
week of kindergarten,
00:01:18.17\00:01:20.24
I lined up with the
kids I actually knew,
00:01:20.24\00:01:22.44
the girls from my carpool,
00:01:22.44\00:01:24.41
until the
teachers found me there
00:01:24.41\00:01:25.95
and sent me around to the
other side of the building
00:01:25.95\00:01:27.82
to go and stand with
the rest of the boys.
00:01:27.82\00:01:30.82
But you know, maybe the
most vivid memory I have
00:01:32.02\00:01:34.69
is the day that my teacher
confiscated my comic book.
00:01:34.69\00:01:38.76
It was a special
Robin Hood Digest,
00:01:38.76\00:01:41.03
the Disney
version of Robin Hood,
00:01:41.03\00:01:42.76
where the
characters were all animals.
00:01:42.76\00:01:45.00
Robin Hood was a fox,
and Little John was a bear.
00:01:45.00\00:01:48.24
And I guess one day my
class assignment was so boring,
00:01:48.24\00:01:51.74
I pulled this comic book
out, and I started to read,
00:01:51.74\00:01:54.78
and that's when the
teacher confiscated it,
00:01:54.78\00:01:57.78
and I never got it back.
00:01:57.78\00:02:00.08
And I've gotta tell you,
00:02:00.08\00:02:01.62
that little incident bothered
me for the next five decades.
00:02:01.62\00:02:05.32
I know it seems like a small
thing, a 50 cent comic book,
00:02:05.32\00:02:08.16
but it felt like a
grave miscarriage of justice.
00:02:08.16\00:02:12.36
Now, I realize I
probably had it coming.
00:02:12.36\00:02:14.56
I mean, I was that kid who
was always busy doing something
00:02:14.56\00:02:18.57
other than what
you were told to do,
00:02:18.57\00:02:20.44
you know, not doing
what the teacher asked,
00:02:20.44\00:02:22.27
talking to my
neighbor, daydreaming,
00:02:22.27\00:02:24.21
doodling on the
edges of my notebook,
00:02:24.21\00:02:26.14
or just plain being disgruntled
00:02:26.14\00:02:28.64
about spending
the bulk of my day
00:02:28.64\00:02:30.15
the way someone
else thought I should.
00:02:30.15\00:02:32.58
And the problem wasn't that I
wasn't interested in education
00:02:32.58\00:02:35.42
because I was, and I
still am to this day.
00:02:35.42\00:02:38.82
I think for me,
00:02:38.82\00:02:40.26
the problem was having
somebody else set my agenda.
00:02:40.26\00:02:43.29
Now, of course, when we're five,
00:02:44.46\00:02:46.70
most of us need to
be told what to learn
00:02:46.70\00:02:48.90
because we have no
idea what the world is like,
00:02:48.90\00:02:51.10
or what we're going to need
00:02:51.10\00:02:52.60
in order to
become successful adults.
00:02:52.60\00:02:55.37
In fact, I somehow
doubt that most of us
00:02:55.37\00:02:58.01
really know what we need
until well into adulthood
00:02:58.01\00:03:00.94
when we're actually
faced with the reality of life.
00:03:00.94\00:03:03.55
But now back to the comic book,
00:03:04.61\00:03:07.08
having it taken from
me really bothered me
00:03:07.08\00:03:09.88
for the next 50 years.
00:03:09.88\00:03:11.95
And that's when
it occurred to me
00:03:11.95\00:03:13.39
that the world
is a very big place,
00:03:13.39\00:03:15.59
which means that somebody
00:03:15.59\00:03:17.53
probably had a copy of that
same comic for sale on eBay.
00:03:17.53\00:03:21.86
So I hunted for
it, and sure enough,
00:03:21.86\00:03:25.70
for eight bucks I
found it the other day,
00:03:25.70\00:03:27.77
and it came in the mail.
00:03:27.77\00:03:29.20
I was so excited that I
posted a picture of this comic
00:03:29.20\00:03:32.77
in a private online forum
that I have for my friends,
00:03:32.77\00:03:35.71
and that's when my
cousin's wife suddenly says,
00:03:35.71\00:03:38.08
oh man, I understand your pain.
00:03:38.08\00:03:40.25
Back in the first grade,
00:03:40.25\00:03:41.38
I had my lunchbox stolen,
00:03:41.38\00:03:43.25
and I had to brown bag
it from that point forward.
00:03:43.25\00:03:46.59
So I went back to eBay,
and I hunted for her lunchbox,
00:03:46.59\00:03:50.16
and sure enough, it was there.
00:03:50.16\00:03:52.79
And you know, I
should probably ask eBay
00:03:52.79\00:03:54.60
to sponsor this show because
now I'm guessing some of you
00:03:54.60\00:03:57.43
are about to start hunting
00:03:57.43\00:03:58.70
for your missing
childhood treasures.
00:03:58.70\00:04:00.84
So eBay, maybe you
should cough up a little cash,
00:04:00.84\00:04:04.01
because I'm not gonna
endorse you for nothing.
00:04:04.01\00:04:06.61
But again, back
to my comic book,
00:04:07.81\00:04:10.48
because there's an important
reason I'm bringing this up.
00:04:10.48\00:04:13.72
What exactly drives
our sense of justice?
00:04:13.72\00:04:17.09
I know this is
gonna sound silly,
00:04:17.09\00:04:18.75
but the day this comic
book arrived in the mail,
00:04:18.75\00:04:21.26
I felt like a deep
injustice had been made right,
00:04:21.26\00:04:24.89
and that somehow the universe
was back in balance again.
00:04:24.89\00:04:28.60
I know, it's
just a 50 cent item,
00:04:28.60\00:04:31.27
and if I lost it myself,
00:04:31.27\00:04:32.70
it probably
wouldn't have bothered me,
00:04:32.70\00:04:34.77
but it was taken from me
at the tender age of five,
00:04:34.77\00:04:38.11
and this was easily one of
my most prized possessions.
00:04:38.11\00:04:42.58
So why is it
that losing this comic
00:04:42.58\00:04:45.28
bothered me for so many years?
00:04:45.28\00:04:46.85
Why is it after the age of 50
00:04:46.85\00:04:49.32
that I can still
look back to that story,
00:04:49.32\00:04:52.15
and still feel this
raw sense of indignation?
00:04:52.15\00:04:56.62
Where exactly do we get the idea
00:04:56.62\00:04:58.99
that wrongs need to be righted,
00:04:58.99\00:05:00.56
or that people owe us something
00:05:00.56\00:05:02.06
when they transgress
our personal boundaries?
00:05:02.06\00:05:04.90
I mean, where
exactly did I get this idea
00:05:04.90\00:05:07.54
that my teacher
owed me something?
00:05:07.54\00:05:10.11
It's not like we all take a
class when we're three-years-old
00:05:10.11\00:05:12.67
explaining the rules of social
conduct, and social justice.
00:05:12.67\00:05:16.95
We just seem to be
aware of it naturally.
00:05:16.95\00:05:19.95
Of course, our parents do a
lot to help create that instinct
00:05:21.35\00:05:23.99
because the
process of discipline
00:05:23.99\00:05:26.52
begins the moment we're born.
00:05:26.52\00:05:28.32
For example, there comes a
point where a baby realizes
00:05:28.32\00:05:30.99
that if he cries in the night,
he gets held by his mother.
00:05:30.99\00:05:34.46
And at some point the
parents get tired of doing that.
00:05:34.46\00:05:38.27
So the next time
they check on the baby,
00:05:38.27\00:05:40.17
if there's nothing
wrong, no dirty diaper,
00:05:40.17\00:05:42.27
no need to be fed,
they don't pick him up.
00:05:42.27\00:05:45.97
And eventually the baby learns
00:05:45.97\00:05:47.64
that you're not
allowed to manipulate people.
00:05:47.64\00:05:50.55
So there's no doubt
that we begin learning
00:05:50.55\00:05:52.65
the rules of social conduct
at a really, really young age.
00:05:52.65\00:05:57.65
But still,
00:05:58.25\00:05:59.72
most people seem to have
this ingrained sense of justice
00:05:59.72\00:06:02.06
that runs deeper than that.
00:06:02.06\00:06:04.59
Some of it
probably stems from the fact
00:06:04.59\00:06:06.66
that we're wired for survival,
00:06:06.66\00:06:08.53
and the only perspective that
most of us have in this world
00:06:08.53\00:06:11.37
is a selfish perspective.
00:06:11.37\00:06:13.57
We wanna
accumulate enough resources
00:06:13.57\00:06:15.74
to guarantee our
own personal wellbeing.
00:06:15.74\00:06:19.17
And when somebody takes
some of our resources from us,
00:06:19.17\00:06:22.88
it rubs our fur the wrong
way, we feel hard done by.
00:06:22.88\00:06:25.98
But again, I think there's
something deeper than that
00:06:27.45\00:06:29.65
because it also bothers
us when we see somebody else
00:06:29.65\00:06:33.15
being served a large
helping of injustice.
00:06:33.15\00:06:36.66
We read stories about
people who get cheated,
00:06:36.66\00:06:39.13
and it upsets us.
00:06:39.13\00:06:40.80
We hear stories about
people who were murdered,
00:06:40.80\00:06:42.86
or robbed, or
publicly embarrassed,
00:06:42.86\00:06:44.90
and well, it
really gets our goat.
00:06:44.90\00:06:47.64
And of course, social
scientists have expended
00:06:47.64\00:06:49.80
considerable effort
trying to explain that.
00:06:49.80\00:06:52.27
And philosophers
like Thomas Hobbs
00:06:52.27\00:06:55.34
have written massive tones
00:06:55.34\00:06:57.25
about the nature
of social contracts,
00:06:57.25\00:06:59.38
explaining that
we'd probably live
00:06:59.38\00:07:01.48
in a constant state
of war with each other
00:07:01.48\00:07:03.72
if we didn't
create binding rules
00:07:03.72\00:07:05.69
that help us live
together peaceably.
00:07:05.69\00:07:08.52
And all of that makes
sense, it really does,
00:07:08.52\00:07:11.49
but I still think
there's something deeper at play
00:07:11.49\00:07:13.80
when it comes to our
inborn sense of justice.
00:07:13.80\00:07:17.47
You know, lately I've been
reading a lot of ancient history
00:07:17.47\00:07:20.07
about the Northern Germanic
peoples, the so-called Vikings.
00:07:20.07\00:07:23.67
And one of the
things that keeps coming up
00:07:23.67\00:07:25.54
over and over and over
00:07:25.54\00:07:27.28
is the fact that a
lot of their social values
00:07:27.28\00:07:29.78
centered on the
concept of revenge.
00:07:29.78\00:07:33.01
A thousand years ago
or more, the family unit
00:07:33.01\00:07:35.38
was the most important
element of their society,
00:07:35.38\00:07:38.25
and kinship was a really,
really important concept.
00:07:38.25\00:07:42.79
If somebody cheated
one of your family members,
00:07:42.79\00:07:44.89
or killed them, it was up
to you to make that right.
00:07:44.89\00:07:48.13
It wasn't good enough to
just let bygones be bygones,
00:07:48.13\00:07:51.13
you had to make it right.
00:07:51.13\00:07:53.84
And that's a concept you
actually find in the Bible
00:07:53.84\00:07:55.94
where it was assumed
that if you killed somebody,
00:07:55.94\00:07:58.81
you could expect
their family members
00:07:58.81\00:08:00.78
to come and seek revenge.
00:08:00.78\00:08:02.64
But if it was an accident,
00:08:02.64\00:08:04.48
there were several cities
of refuge where you could go,
00:08:04.48\00:08:07.72
and nobody could touch you,
00:08:07.72\00:08:09.35
at least not until
there had been an inquiry
00:08:09.35\00:08:11.72
to determine whether or not
your actions were premeditated.
00:08:11.72\00:08:15.49
So we have this
widespread recognition
00:08:15.49\00:08:17.66
that there's a huge difference
00:08:17.66\00:08:19.26
between deliberately
planning to kill someone,
00:08:19.26\00:08:22.76
and doing it by accident.
00:08:22.76\00:08:24.57
And that still
makes sense to most of us.
00:08:24.57\00:08:27.04
And now I've managed to
accidentally kill enough time
00:08:27.04\00:08:30.51
that we've got to take a break,
00:08:30.51\00:08:32.07
so I'll be
right back after this.
00:08:32.07\00:08:34.41
- [Announcer] Life
can throw a lot at us.
00:08:37.81\00:08:40.22
Sometimes we don't
have all the answers,
00:08:40.22\00:08:43.62
but that's where
the Bible comes in.
00:08:43.62\00:08:46.05
It's our guide to a
more fulfilling life.
00:08:46.05\00:08:49.12
Here at The Voice of Prophecy,
00:08:49.12\00:08:50.69
we've created the
Discover Bible Guides
00:08:50.69\00:08:52.83
to be your guide to the Bible.
00:08:52.83\00:08:54.46
They're designed to
be simple, easy to use,
00:08:54.46\00:08:56.90
and provide answers to many
of life's toughest questions,
00:08:56.90\00:08:59.93
and they're absolutely free.
00:08:59.93\00:09:01.97
So jump online
now or give us a call,
00:09:01.97\00:09:04.24
and start your
journey of discovery.
00:09:04.24\00:09:07.24
- Just before the break,
00:09:07.24\00:09:08.44
I was talking about
our notions of justice,
00:09:08.44\00:09:11.01
and the way the
ancient biblical world
00:09:11.01\00:09:13.35
provided for some nuance.
00:09:13.35\00:09:15.32
And I was talking about
the biblical cities of refuge.
00:09:15.32\00:09:18.59
Here's the actual passage now,
00:09:18.59\00:09:20.26
as it's found in the
book of Exodus, it says,
00:09:20.26\00:09:23.06
"He who strikes a
man so that he dies
00:09:23.06\00:09:25.86
"shall surely be put to death.
00:09:25.86\00:09:27.76
"However, if he
did not lie in wait,
00:09:27.76\00:09:29.56
"but God
delivered him into his hand,
00:09:29.56\00:09:31.90
"then I will appoint for
you a place where he may flee."
00:09:31.90\00:09:35.94
Now, you may not
be of the persuasion
00:09:35.94\00:09:38.77
that capital
punishment is ever right,
00:09:38.77\00:09:41.58
but just put that
aside for one moment,
00:09:41.58\00:09:43.41
and consider
the way this passage
00:09:43.41\00:09:45.45
just differentiates
between various kinds of murder.
00:09:45.45\00:09:49.58
If you killed
somebody on purpose,
00:09:49.58\00:09:51.15
it was considered a
far more serious crime.
00:09:51.15\00:09:53.62
But if it was accidental,
00:09:53.62\00:09:55.09
the Bible provided
for a cooling off period,
00:09:55.09\00:09:57.93
it pushed the pause button
00:09:57.93\00:09:59.49
until the facts
could be examined.
00:09:59.49\00:10:01.90
And really this is
something we still do today.
00:10:01.90\00:10:04.50
Our legal system still
draws a huge difference
00:10:04.50\00:10:07.60
between murder
one and manslaughter.
00:10:07.60\00:10:11.37
You'll notice the penalties
are generally different.
00:10:11.37\00:10:14.68
And there's something about that
00:10:14.68\00:10:16.48
that appeals to our
inborn sense of justice.
00:10:16.48\00:10:19.38
We all seem to know that
intent behind an action matters,
00:10:19.38\00:10:24.39
and this is
something you'll find
00:10:25.42\00:10:26.59
across a huge
number of cultures.
00:10:26.59\00:10:27.79
And of course,
you've gotta wonder why.
00:10:27.79\00:10:30.49
Here in the western
world our notions of justice
00:10:30.49\00:10:32.83
owe a lot to the
Greek philosopher Aristotle,
00:10:32.83\00:10:35.76
who spent a lot
of time considering
00:10:35.76\00:10:37.73
what is considered
to be fair and equal.
00:10:37.73\00:10:40.77
In the Nicomachean Ethics,
00:10:40.77\00:10:42.64
Aristotle divides
the concept of justice
00:10:42.64\00:10:45.01
into distributive justice,
00:10:45.01\00:10:46.84
which deals with how
people get their fair share,
00:10:46.84\00:10:49.28
and rectificatory justice,
00:10:49.28\00:10:51.81
which deals with
making wrong things right.
00:10:51.81\00:10:55.05
And as you read
through his material,
00:10:55.05\00:10:56.85
you quickly
discover that a single
00:10:56.85\00:10:58.85
universal notion of justice
is really hard to define.
00:10:58.85\00:11:03.49
How do you know what's fair?
00:11:03.49\00:11:05.79
How exactly do you determine
00:11:05.79\00:11:07.76
if justice has
been proportional?
00:11:07.76\00:11:10.40
He writes a lot of
pages wrestling with questions
00:11:10.40\00:11:12.87
we still continue to
struggle with to this day.
00:11:12.87\00:11:15.94
And if you've ever spent
any time reading Aristotle,
00:11:15.94\00:11:19.41
you'll know that
he's very concerned
00:11:19.41\00:11:21.34
with things like
categories and definitions,
00:11:21.34\00:11:24.55
and that can make the reading
00:11:24.55\00:11:25.51
more than a little bit tedious.
00:11:25.51\00:11:27.35
And I suppose I'll
leave the finer nuances
00:11:27.35\00:11:29.52
of Aristotle's
arguments to judges and lawyers,
00:11:29.52\00:11:32.89
because what I
actually want to do today
00:11:32.89\00:11:35.26
is drill down
deeper and figure out
00:11:35.26\00:11:37.03
why we care about
justice in the first place.
00:11:37.03\00:11:41.76
And maybe the best place to turn
00:11:41.76\00:11:43.77
is one of the oldest books
in the world, the book of Job.
00:11:43.77\00:11:47.60
What we find in this
book is a righteous man
00:11:47.60\00:11:49.64
who endures an
awful lot of wrong.
00:11:49.64\00:11:51.71
And as the book first opens,
00:11:51.71\00:11:53.61
the reader is the only one
00:11:53.61\00:11:55.78
who knows what's
actually going on.
00:11:55.78\00:11:57.88
There's a controversy in heaven,
00:11:57.88\00:11:59.31
and it spills
over into Job's life.
00:11:59.31\00:12:02.05
Let's just read a little
bit from the opening chapter.
00:12:02.05\00:12:05.49
It says,
00:12:05.49\00:12:06.99
"There was a man in the
land of Uz whose name was Job,
00:12:06.99\00:12:10.06
"and that man was
blameless and upright,
00:12:10.06\00:12:12.23
"and one who feared
God and shunned evil."
00:12:12.23\00:12:15.90
So we're starting with a
blameless and upright man,
00:12:15.90\00:12:18.57
and somehow we
instinctively know
00:12:18.57\00:12:20.44
that if bad things
happen to a guy like this,
00:12:20.44\00:12:23.87
well that's not right.
00:12:23.87\00:12:25.14
It's a miscarriage of justice.
00:12:25.14\00:12:27.51
Somehow we know that good
people don't deserve bad things,
00:12:27.51\00:12:31.98
and thus, the next 40
chapters really bother us
00:12:31.98\00:12:35.45
because Job's life
just begins to fall apart.
00:12:35.45\00:12:38.62
And what happens
behind the scenes is this,
00:12:38.62\00:12:41.99
the devil appears
in a heavenly council,
00:12:41.99\00:12:44.09
and he proudly declares
that this earth belongs to him.
00:12:44.09\00:12:48.06
That's what it means
when the story tells us
00:12:48.06\00:12:50.30
that Satan has been
going to and fro on the earth,
00:12:50.30\00:12:52.67
and walking
back and forth on it.
00:12:52.67\00:12:54.84
He's publicly declaring
ownership of this planet,
00:12:54.84\00:12:58.57
which is theologically accurate
00:12:58.57\00:13:00.68
because according
to the biblical story,
00:13:00.68\00:13:02.94
the human race
actually seeded dominion
00:13:02.94\00:13:05.28
over this planet to him.
00:13:05.28\00:13:08.12
And that's a key concept
00:13:08.12\00:13:09.62
when it comes to the
Bible's sense of justice.
00:13:09.62\00:13:12.15
While you and I
might choose to believe
00:13:12.15\00:13:14.02
that we're all innocent victims,
00:13:14.02\00:13:16.16
the Bible underlines a
corporate sense of guilt for us.
00:13:16.16\00:13:19.16
None of us, no human being
is actually completely innocent.
00:13:19.16\00:13:23.53
And if you look at the
opening verses of this book,
00:13:23.53\00:13:25.77
you'll see that Job
instinctively understands that.
00:13:25.77\00:13:29.17
It says in chapter one,
back in verses four and five,
00:13:29.17\00:13:32.24
"And his sons would go
and feast in their houses
00:13:32.24\00:13:35.04
"each on his appointed day,
00:13:35.04\00:13:36.64
"and would send and
invite their three sisters
00:13:36.64\00:13:38.78
"to eat and drink with them.
00:13:38.78\00:13:40.42
"So it was when the days of
feasting had run their course,
00:13:40.42\00:13:43.52
"that Job would
send and sanctify them,
00:13:43.52\00:13:45.69
"and he would rise
early in the morning,
00:13:45.69\00:13:47.46
"and offer burnt offerings
00:13:47.46\00:13:48.69
"according to the
number of them all.
00:13:48.69\00:13:50.99
"For Job said,
00:13:50.99\00:13:52.19
"'It may be that
my sons have sinned
00:13:52.19\00:13:54.10
"'and cursed God
in their hearts.'
00:13:54.10\00:13:55.56
"Thus Job did regularly."
00:13:55.56\00:13:58.83
So what exactly does Job
instinctively understand?
00:13:58.83\00:14:02.64
He understands that
everybody is sinful.
00:14:02.64\00:14:04.81
Absolutely everybody.
00:14:04.81\00:14:07.04
All of us, according
to the book of Romans,
00:14:07.04\00:14:08.78
have fallen short
of the glory of God.
00:14:08.78\00:14:10.78
We are faulty and imperfect.
00:14:10.78\00:14:13.05
And one of the
biggest problems we have
00:14:13.05\00:14:15.22
is that we appear to
be oblivious to that fact.
00:14:15.22\00:14:18.59
When we look at the
world from our own perspective,
00:14:18.59\00:14:20.82
we can easily point out
the faults of everybody else,
00:14:20.82\00:14:23.99
their injustices
seem really obvious.
00:14:23.99\00:14:27.40
But somehow when it
comes to our own sins,
00:14:27.40\00:14:30.80
well, they just
don't seem that bad.
00:14:30.80\00:14:33.50
So it becomes hard
for most of us to believe
00:14:33.50\00:14:35.67
that we might actually
be part of the problem,
00:14:35.67\00:14:38.07
we are also agents of injustice.
00:14:38.07\00:14:42.38
And I can't begin to tell you
00:14:42.38\00:14:43.98
how many times I've
talked to people from my past,
00:14:43.98\00:14:46.75
and they suddenly
bring up some small incident
00:14:46.75\00:14:49.78
that really didn't make
a a deep impression on me,
00:14:49.78\00:14:52.99
but it certainly made
an impression on them.
00:14:52.99\00:14:55.96
"When you decided
to do such and such,"
00:14:55.96\00:14:57.99
someone once asked me,
00:14:57.99\00:14:59.53
"was that because
of something I did?"
00:14:59.53\00:15:02.16
Now, this was
something that happened
00:15:02.16\00:15:03.53
at least a decade in the past,
00:15:03.53\00:15:05.03
and I had no idea that
someone would misinterpret it.
00:15:05.03\00:15:09.10
And she'd been harboring doubt
and resentment because of me
00:15:09.10\00:15:12.31
for more than a decade.
00:15:12.31\00:15:14.71
Now, of course, in that case,
00:15:14.71\00:15:15.78
it was completely unintentional.
00:15:15.78\00:15:17.35
I had no idea that I'd
contributed to her misery.
00:15:17.35\00:15:21.12
So I think I'll put that
one in the manslaughter column
00:15:21.12\00:15:23.85
because it was accidental.
00:15:23.85\00:15:26.29
But then I think about times
00:15:27.49\00:15:28.79
where I put my
own interests first
00:15:28.79\00:15:30.59
at the expense
of everybody else.
00:15:30.59\00:15:32.76
Now, sometimes
that's actually necessary,
00:15:32.76\00:15:35.10
there's nothing
particularly wrong with it
00:15:35.10\00:15:37.17
because there are
people in this world
00:15:37.17\00:15:39.00
who never seem to actually
take care of themselves,
00:15:39.00\00:15:41.70
and they end up having people
always take advantage of them.
00:15:41.70\00:15:45.21
That's not what
I'm talking about,
00:15:46.37\00:15:47.91
because those people should
learn to assert themselves.
00:15:47.91\00:15:51.01
What I'm talking
about are those moments
00:15:51.01\00:15:53.05
when you didn't even consider
the other people in the room
00:15:53.05\00:15:56.25
and yet pounced on the first
opportunity to advance self,
00:15:56.25\00:16:00.72
and that can absolutely
lead to a lot of injustice,
00:16:00.72\00:16:05.13
and a lot of hard feelings.
00:16:05.13\00:16:07.23
And honestly, you'd
be lying if you told me
00:16:07.23\00:16:10.63
you'd never done
it, because we all have,
00:16:10.63\00:16:12.90
both wittingly and unwittingly.
00:16:12.90\00:16:15.77
So the Bible
underlines this idea
00:16:15.77\00:16:17.67
that there's something
flawed with our human existence,
00:16:17.67\00:16:20.14
and every one
of us is a problem.
00:16:20.14\00:16:23.75
In one of those
little books of John,
00:16:23.75\00:16:25.48
down near the end of
the Bible, it says this,
00:16:25.48\00:16:27.95
"If we say that we have no sin,
00:16:27.95\00:16:29.75
"we deceive ourselves
and the truth is not in us.
00:16:29.75\00:16:32.85
"If we say that
we have not sinned,
00:16:32.85\00:16:34.39
"we make him a liar in
His word is not in us."
00:16:34.39\00:16:39.09
Now, you'll notice I
inserted a few ellipses
00:16:39.09\00:16:41.23
into that passage,
00:16:41.23\00:16:42.16
and in a moment I'll come back,
00:16:42.16\00:16:43.87
and we'll look
at the rest of it.
00:16:43.87\00:16:45.57
But for now, here's
what I want you to notice.
00:16:45.57\00:16:47.94
The Bible says there is no such
thing as an innocent person,
00:16:47.94\00:16:51.97
an instinctively we
kind of all get that,
00:16:51.97\00:16:54.31
because it's easy to see
serious flaws in everybody else.
00:16:54.31\00:16:58.48
Not to drag up
an overused example,
00:16:58.48\00:17:00.55
but somehow we all
know that a man like Hitler
00:17:00.55\00:17:03.55
needs to answer for what he did.
00:17:03.55\00:17:05.89
We wouldn't be happy if we
knew that somehow the universe
00:17:05.89\00:17:08.26
was just gonna let him skate.
00:17:08.26\00:17:09.92
But when it comes to
our own transgressions,
00:17:11.06\00:17:12.53
well, that's a
completely different story
00:17:12.53\00:17:14.86
because you and I
are incredibly gifted
00:17:14.86\00:17:17.43
when it comes to
justifying our own actions.
00:17:17.43\00:17:20.54
So the Bible takes
the time to tell us,
00:17:20.54\00:17:22.04
look, if you think
you're not part of the problem,
00:17:22.04\00:17:25.04
you're lying to yourself.
00:17:25.04\00:17:26.71
Worse than that,
you're calling God a liar
00:17:26.71\00:17:29.08
because from where he
sits, you are clearly guilty.
00:17:29.08\00:17:33.01
You and I are really good
00:17:34.15\00:17:36.02
at defending our
actions to other people,
00:17:36.02\00:17:38.25
but somehow we know
that if the judgment is real,
00:17:38.25\00:17:40.82
and we found ourselves standing
in front of God's throne,
00:17:40.82\00:17:43.93
our excuses would suddenly
melt in the light of truth.
00:17:43.93\00:17:47.73
I'll be right back after this.
00:17:47.73\00:17:49.93
- [Announcer] Here at
The Voice of Prophecy,
00:17:53.30\00:17:54.77
we're committed to
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00:17:54.77\00:17:57.27
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00:17:57.27\00:17:58.74
Like our audio adventure
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00:17:58.74\00:18:01.88
Discovery Mountain
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00:18:01.88\00:18:04.01
for kids of all
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00:18:04.01\00:18:06.35
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00:18:12.29\00:18:14.82
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00:18:14.82\00:18:16.96
there's always a new
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00:18:16.96\00:18:20.13
- We all have this
profound sense of justice,
00:18:23.06\00:18:25.50
and I would argue
that we have that sense
00:18:25.50\00:18:27.77
because the one
who made us is just.
00:18:27.77\00:18:30.41
Our Maker is a
profoundly just God.
00:18:30.41\00:18:34.08
But our
personal sense of justice
00:18:34.08\00:18:36.54
has also been
warped by selfishness,
00:18:36.54\00:18:38.45
which blinds us to
the contributions we make
00:18:38.45\00:18:41.38
to the misery of this world.
00:18:41.38\00:18:43.45
And what we have in
the pages of the Bible
00:18:43.45\00:18:45.59
is a very important corrective,
00:18:45.59\00:18:47.62
a call to relearn the
art of seeing the world
00:18:47.62\00:18:50.53
the way that God sees it.
00:18:50.53\00:18:52.76
The call of the Bible
in Micah 6 runs like this.
00:18:52.76\00:18:55.80
It says, "He has shown
you, o man, what is good,
00:18:55.80\00:18:58.57
"and what does the Lord
require of you but to do justly,
00:18:58.57\00:19:02.07
"to love mercy, and to
walk humbly with your God."
00:19:02.07\00:19:06.47
Now, that's a verse
that makes a lot of sense
00:19:06.47\00:19:09.04
to most people,
00:19:09.04\00:19:10.45
and we
instinctively see that a world,
00:19:10.45\00:19:12.88
that lived by these principles,
00:19:12.88\00:19:14.32
would be a much
nicer place to live.
00:19:14.32\00:19:17.29
But the part we usually miss
00:19:17.29\00:19:18.72
is that little bit
at the end of the verse
00:19:18.72\00:19:20.76
that refers to humility.
00:19:20.76\00:19:23.69
We love the idea of
justice for somebody else,
00:19:23.69\00:19:26.96
and we love the
idea of mercy for us.
00:19:26.96\00:19:30.20
And because very few
people are actually humble,
00:19:30.20\00:19:33.64
we have trouble turning that
formula the other way around.
00:19:33.64\00:19:36.64
We struggle to believe
that we deserve justice
00:19:36.64\00:19:38.87
for our crimes and that
other people deserve mercy.
00:19:38.87\00:19:43.21
And that presents us
with something interesting
00:19:43.21\00:19:45.45
to think about.
00:19:45.45\00:19:46.72
We love the idea
of a just society,
00:19:46.72\00:19:49.72
and we love the idea of mercy,
00:19:49.72\00:19:53.12
but how do you make both
things happen at the same time?
00:19:53.12\00:19:56.76
Well, that mostly escapes us,
00:19:56.76\00:19:58.79
which is one of the reasons I
find the Bible so fascinating,
00:19:58.79\00:20:01.70
because it presents a
God who is perfectly just
00:20:01.70\00:20:05.83
and perfectly merciful
at the very same moment.
00:20:05.83\00:20:10.77
In the 89th Psalm, we
find this description of God.
00:20:10.77\00:20:14.91
It says,
"Righteousness and justice
00:20:14.91\00:20:17.18
"are the
foundation of Your throne,
00:20:17.18\00:20:19.28
"mercy and truth
go before Your face."
00:20:19.28\00:20:22.92
You know, Aristotle
did a pretty good job
00:20:22.92\00:20:25.15
of exploring the
concept of justice,
00:20:25.15\00:20:27.69
but he left an awful
lot of unanswered questions,
00:20:27.69\00:20:30.89
which is why very few people
consider the Nicomachean Ethics
00:20:30.89\00:20:34.20
to be the final
word on this subject.
00:20:34.20\00:20:37.43
That was a useful
contribution to be sure.
00:20:37.43\00:20:39.87
Personally, I like reading it,
00:20:39.87\00:20:42.04
but I find the Bible
to be far more profound,
00:20:42.04\00:20:45.44
because it forces us to
wrestle with the idea of a God
00:20:45.44\00:20:48.71
who is perfectly just
and perfectly merciful
00:20:48.71\00:20:52.15
at the very same moment.
00:20:52.15\00:20:54.22
You know, I have no idea
how many books have been written
00:20:55.72\00:20:57.45
about the cross of Christ,
00:20:57.45\00:20:58.95
but it's got to be in
the hundreds of thousands,
00:20:58.95\00:21:01.02
if not the millions now,
00:21:01.02\00:21:03.29
because there's
something really compelling
00:21:03.29\00:21:06.59
about what happened there.
00:21:06.59\00:21:08.20
I mean, in all honesty,
00:21:08.20\00:21:09.66
Jesus was hardly the only
person who was ever crucified.
00:21:09.66\00:21:13.10
The Romans did that to thousands
upon thousands of people.
00:21:13.10\00:21:16.60
In fact, I know of one occasion
00:21:16.60\00:21:18.81
where the Roman general
Varus crucified 2000 Jews
00:21:18.81\00:21:23.24
right about the
time that Jesus was born.
00:21:23.24\00:21:25.75
And I've also seen
estimates that over the years,
00:21:25.75\00:21:27.82
the Romans crucified more
than a quarter million Jews,
00:21:27.82\00:21:31.75
but still somehow
the crucifixion of Christ
00:21:31.75\00:21:34.82
stands apart from all the rest,
00:21:34.82\00:21:37.23
because the way
we understand it,
00:21:37.23\00:21:39.66
it was the cruel death
of a perfectly innocent man.
00:21:39.66\00:21:43.80
And if you believe the Bible's
account the way that I do,
00:21:43.80\00:21:47.00
and you understand that
this was God in human flesh,
00:21:47.00\00:21:50.71
you quickly comprehend that this
00:21:50.71\00:21:52.51
was the worst
miscarriage of justice
00:21:52.51\00:21:55.08
in the history of the world.
00:21:55.08\00:21:57.15
Nobody was less deserving of
that kind of cruelty than Jesus
00:21:57.15\00:22:01.92
because he was the
only perfectly innocent man
00:22:01.92\00:22:04.29
to ever walk the
face of the earth.
00:22:04.29\00:22:06.45
So what that tells me,
00:22:07.32\00:22:09.12
is that God has not
isolated himself from our pain.
00:22:09.12\00:22:12.33
If you and I have
discovered that this world
00:22:12.33\00:22:14.13
is a profoundly unjust place,
00:22:14.13\00:22:16.83
then that would
hold doubly true for God,
00:22:16.83\00:22:18.63
because come on, you and I
cannot claim perfect innocence,
00:22:18.63\00:22:22.30
not even close.
00:22:22.30\00:22:23.54
And what we find at
the cross of Christ,
00:22:24.74\00:22:26.21
even though it is the
grossest act of injustice
00:22:26.21\00:22:28.68
ever perpetrated,
00:22:28.68\00:22:30.61
is a display of
God's perfect justice,
00:22:30.61\00:22:33.72
and perfect mercy
at the very same time.
00:22:33.72\00:22:37.32
Now, that's not an easy
thing to wrap your mind around,
00:22:37.32\00:22:39.59
which is probably
why so many people
00:22:39.59\00:22:41.16
find the story so irresistible.
00:22:41.16\00:22:44.66
Here's the way that one 19th
Century author described it,
00:22:44.66\00:22:47.40
and this is probably
one of my favorite thoughts
00:22:47.40\00:22:49.70
about the cross.
00:22:49.70\00:22:51.17
Some of you have
actually heard me quote this
00:22:51.17\00:22:52.93
on other programs other weeks.
00:22:52.93\00:22:55.27
She wrote, "Christ
was treated as we deserve,
00:22:55.27\00:22:59.07
"that we might be
treated as He deserves.
00:22:59.07\00:23:01.54
"He was condemned for our
sins in which He had no share,
00:23:01.54\00:23:04.41
"that we might be
justified by His righteousness
00:23:04.41\00:23:07.68
"in which we had no share.
00:23:07.68\00:23:09.78
"He suffered the
death which was ours,
00:23:09.78\00:23:11.69
"that we might receive
the life which was His.
00:23:11.69\00:23:14.89
"With His
stripes we are healed."
00:23:14.89\00:23:17.36
Now, just try to wrap
your head around that idea,
00:23:18.76\00:23:21.76
and I'll be back in a moment
to try and wrap things up.
00:23:21.76\00:23:24.93
[heartfelt music]
00:23:28.80\00:23:30.47
- [Narrator] Are you
searching for answers
00:23:30.47\00:23:31.71
to life's
toughest questions, like,
00:23:31.71\00:23:33.81
where is God when we suffer?
00:23:33.81\00:23:35.61
Can I find real happiness?
00:23:35.61\00:23:37.45
Or, is there any hope
for our chaotic world?
00:23:37.45\00:23:40.58
The Discover Bible Guides
will help you find the answers
00:23:40.58\00:23:43.02
you're looking for.
00:23:43.02\00:23:44.39
Visit us at biblestudies.com,
00:23:44.39\00:23:46.92
or give us a
call at 888-456-7933
00:23:46.92\00:23:51.16
for your free
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There is never a
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Guides are our free gift to you.
00:24:03.04\00:24:06.21
Find answers and guides like,
00:24:06.21\00:24:07.68
does my life
really matter to God?
00:24:07.68\00:24:10.05
And a second chance at life.
00:24:10.05\00:24:11.98
You'll find answers to the
things that matter most to you
00:24:11.98\00:24:14.38
in each of the 26
Discover Bible Guides.
00:24:14.38\00:24:17.05
Visit biblestudies.com
and begin your journey today
00:24:17.05\00:24:21.16
to discover answers to
life's deepest questions.
00:24:21.16\00:24:24.99
- The issue of justice
and what constitutes justice
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is really too big of a
subject to tackle in a show
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that lasts only 28
and a half minutes.
00:24:34.10\00:24:36.64
I mean, look at all
the pages Aristotle devoted
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to that subject,
00:24:39.24\00:24:40.48
and look at the
mountains of books
00:24:40.48\00:24:41.84
that have been
written since his day.
00:24:41.84\00:24:44.41
But you know, what
we have in the Bible
00:24:44.41\00:24:46.78
may be the most
profound treatment
00:24:46.78\00:24:48.85
of this subject ever written,
00:24:48.85\00:24:50.09
because it goes to great lengths
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to explain a number of
really important ideas.
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First of all, it tells us
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why we have an
inborn sense of justice.
00:24:57.33\00:25:00.40
If you and I were just the
product of a cosmic accident,
00:25:00.40\00:25:03.20
you might explain
our sense of justice
00:25:03.20\00:25:05.07
as a mere survival instinct.
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We find anything
that blocks our attempt
00:25:07.80\00:25:09.50
to build a more secure
existence, to be unjust.
00:25:09.50\00:25:13.04
Competition between living
entities for scarce resources
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becomes just for some,
but then unjust for others.
00:25:16.34\00:25:20.55
But you know,
thinking people understand
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there's more to the
subject than just that.
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What the Bible explains
is that the one who made us
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is the very
definition of justice,
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and that's why
our aberrant behavior
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poses such a
problem to the universe.
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Our lives have
actually become a lie
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about who our Creator
is and what he is like.
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Secondly, the Bible tells
us about a God who loves us,
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and can act mercifully
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without compromising
justice one little bit.
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I mean, in this world,
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if a criminal walks
away from his crime,
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his own family might
feel a deep sense of relief,
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because now dad isn't
gonna go to the electric chair.
00:25:55.58\00:25:59.65
But what seems
like mercy to one family
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is going to seem like a
grave injustice to somebody else
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because, well,
the victim's family
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doesn't have the
satisfaction of knowing
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that the magnitude of
the perpetrator's crime
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has even been recognized.
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It feels like the
life of their loved one
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has been trivialized.
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Human beings struggle to
combine mercy and justice,
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and do it successfully,
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but what we have in this book
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is a God that
somehow pulls that off.
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And I'll admit,
this is not an easy read.
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I mean, if you
start to investigate
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what the Bible actually says,
00:26:33.22\00:26:35.46
if you pick this book up
and read it for yourself,
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you're gonna be reading
it for a really long time.
00:26:38.33\00:26:42.56
I mean, the book of Job
continues to explore his
00:26:42.56\00:26:45.90
situation for 40 more
very detailed chapters.
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You could spend an
entire year in that book,
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and not hit the bottom of it.
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So yeah, the Bible
doesn't give us easy answers,
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but of course, easy answers
are never very satisfying.
00:26:56.38\00:27:00.45
And reading the Bible is
somehow deeply satisfying,
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deeply reassuring,
because at the very least,
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it acknowledges the issues
that you and I face every day,
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and it acknowledges
that they are not simple.
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And the longer you study this,
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the more you find
this deep sense of calm,
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because while the world
despairs of finding real justice
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or real mercy,
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you discover that there
is an order to the universe
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that actually makes sense,
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and you discover
a God who promises
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that He knows how
to balance the scales
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and set things right.
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A few moments ago, we
read that passage from 1 John
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that tells us we're all guilty,
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and there's a part
I left out, it's this,
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"If we confess our sins,
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"He is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins,
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"and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness."
00:27:46.46\00:27:50.27
You know, maybe it's
time to just read this book
00:27:50.27\00:27:52.17
for yourself.
00:27:52.17\00:27:53.40
I'd be delighted to
help you get started.
00:27:53.40\00:27:55.50
It turns out God
recognizes your pain,
00:27:55.50\00:27:57.67
and he's going to give
back what was taken from you.
00:27:57.67\00:28:00.38
Just go to bibleschools.com
00:28:00.38\00:28:02.04
where you'll find some
incredible free resources
00:28:02.04\00:28:04.38
as our gift to you.
00:28:04.38\00:28:06.95
I'm Shawn Boonstra, and
this has been, Authentic.
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[heartfelt music]
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