A podcast to “help Christians, families, and churches enjoy the rich doctrines of Scripture and pursue our chief end to glorify and enjoy God forever.” The Westminster Shorter Catechism has been used for centuries as an excellent help for adults and children who want to better understand the Reformed faith. Respected Scottish theologian, Sinclair Ferguson, reads each question and answer. Tip: Each episode is brief, so download all 107 of them, and set your podcast player to automatically queue the next. Also available on Apple and other podcast directories.
Liberty and Justice
for AllAre you truly concerned with liberty and justice for all people? Then you can’t divide humanity into segments based on superficial distinctions. Neither should you hypocritically judge people with an arbitrary moral standard that shows favoritism. Such “justice” may accommodate certain political ideologies, but it has no foundation in truth and liberates no one.
Our Creator alone is the standard of righteousness and our just Judge. The natural external differences in the human race are established by God for His purpose in the creation, but He is no respecter of persons when it comes to judgment (Rom. 2:6-11). He has looked into our hearts, has found everyone in every generation guilty of rebellion, and has proclaimed a day of reckoning. Justice will be rightly served from heaven’s throne, which will strip us of any perceived liberty to live as we please with impunity (Gen. 3:4).
Only Jesus Christ the Son of God has lived up to the standard set for us. Only His death on the cross can atone for our sins. Only His perfect life can provide the righteousness we must have to inherit eternal life (Mk. 10:17-27). Friend, in the day of judgment, you will either be found guilty and sentenced to eternal punishment as the sinner you are, or you will be found as one who turned from sin and was united by faith to the only truly righteous Son of God. Christ can be your Judge, or He can be your Savior, but either way, God justly deals with sin through the Lord Jesus (Acts 17:30-31; Rom. 3:26; Phil. 2:9-11). There is no liberty apart from the Son of God (Lk. 4:18; Jn. 15:1-17).
Liberty and justice among people in this world is fickle and fleeting at best, but there is both true liberty and justice for all who turn from sin to Christ.
That’s why liberty and justice for all — as it applies to our need for human government in this world — must take into account God’s eternal moral standard. It’s the God-given duty of any government to make and enforce moral laws reflecting His perfect will for mankind. There can be no earthly liberty and justice among sinners without such divine influence (Lev. 19:15; Rom. 13:1-7). Otherwise, everyone will selfishly do what is “right” in their own eyes at the expense of others (Gen. 6:11-12; Judges 17:6). That’s lawlessness (2 Thess. 2:7; 1 Jn. 3:4), not liberty.
Liberty and justice among people in this world is fickle and fleeting at best, but there is both true liberty and justice for all who turn from sin to Christ.
The apostle Peter admonished first-century Christians living in the Roman Empire to be examples of liberty and justice. Christians today do well to hear the word as we live the Gospel before a watching world: “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” ~ 1 Peter 2:13-17, ESV
I Resolve…
God is sovereign. Therefore, I resolve not to speak evil of the LORD my God by foolishly apologizing to anyone for His unique creation of me as part of the human race, for my ethnicity, or for my place in history, which He has determined for His good purposes; I will bow the knee to none but the LORD (Psalm 47; Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7; Acts 17:24-26; Matthew 4:8-11).
God is holy. Therefore, although an unworthy sinner in need of His mercy, I resolve by His grace to love my neighbor, to do justice, to love kindness, to walk humbly with my God, and to live at peace with all people as much as is possible, for we all must give an account to the Creator who is our just Judge (Mark 12:29-31; Micah 6:8; Romans 12:14-21; 14:10-12; Hebrews 4:12-13; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
God is gracious. Therefore, I resolve to pray for all people and to proclaim the good news of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ His only Son, who came into the world to live the righteous life we all fail to live and to die the death for sin we all deserve, so that those from every language, people, and nation who will turn from sin, believe in Christ, and follow Him will not perish but have eternal life in the Son of God (1 Timothy 2:1-6; John. 3:16-21; Philippians 2:5-11; Revelation 5:9-10).
Sincerely,
Richard (Rick) E. Clayton, Jr.