Something that is a concern in our country is whether our judicial system is trustworthy. There are many political perspectives, but I don’t want to consider any of them today. Instead, I would like us to consider why any judicial system must be accountable to God to be effective and accepted.
Let me state right up front that there is only one law that is required for a safe, peaceful, and just society: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Mark 12:31 Every disagreement can be resolved by this law. That doesn’t mean that we don’t need rules – speed limits, tax levies, building codes – but all laws, codes, and ordinances should be under (ruled by) love your neighbor as yourself.
Insulated From the Flaws of Humanity
When it comes to upholding the law, credibility is key. Every judicial system requires the trust of the people it serves to function effectively. Anything that chips away at this trust erodes the system’s legitimacy in the eyes of those it’s supposed to protect. For a judicial system to be credible, it must be insulated from humanity’s flaws. This seems impossible, but God solved this problem for the Israelites and set the example for every judicial system ever created.
16 If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, 17 then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. 18 The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, 19 then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother.
Deuteronomy 19:16–19
The Solution
Here is the solution for removing human flaws from a judicial system: Accept God as the head over the judges and all those that serve in the judiciary as well as all people that are accountable to the laws of the land. Notice what God established in Deuteronomy 19:16–19. The defendant, the accuser, and the judges all are beneath a mediator between God and man. For the Israelites, priests fulfilled the role of mediator.
No judicial system can ever hope to serve justice if its laws and the legal system are made by people, implemented by people, and enforced by people. Why? Because people are fundamentally flawed. I heard an attorney say that our legal system had nothing to do with justice. The sole responsibility of our system was to enforce the laws. There should be no consideration as to what is construed as “fair” or “just” because our legal system is charged with the enforcement of statutes conceived by legislators and codified by bureaucrats
What We Need
In America, courts used to require anyone that spoke to the judge or jury to take a vow of truth (swear to God). This put the court, and everyone involved in the judicial system “under God,” just like our money.
When we talk of mediators, as Christians, we may be tempted to claim that we are accountable only to Jesus as our high priest and mediator but concerning civil matters, He said, render to Caeser what is Caeser’s. (Mark 12:17) If we desire justice, then we must bring God back into our judicial system. The same is true for our school system and legislators. If we bar God from our institutions, we can have no expectation of justice.
You may like: More Than the Leper Asked