Personal Vengeance vs. Societal Justice

You have heard that it was said, "Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth." But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. (Matthew 5:38,39)

For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. (Romans 13:3,4)

I have been focusing on the issue of integration for some time by providing examples of aspects of life that we have tended to treat in exclusive categories, but actually need to be intimately integrated in order for us to live life according to God's design. Similarly there are other aspects of life where our failure to integrate God's truth properly has led us to misapply the teachings of Scripture. One such example is regarding how the Lord's directive that we avoid taking personal vengeance relates to justice issues in society.

There are many good-hearted people who, while rightly understanding the priority of love, have wrongly applied that priority to every situation in life. As I showed in my previous post, mercy should be our heart's desire in all situations, but the conflicts of life at times necessitate difficult and sometime harsh solutions.

When Yeshua taught on not retaliating when we are abused, he was providing a general approach to how we are to personally relate to others. He was saying that our general posture towards those who oppress us should be one of love, not vengeance. We need to entrust ourselves to God, and demonstrate to others God's love and forgiveness through our example.

But do we think that we should apply Yeshua's teaching to situations such as the teenage girl who is abused by a relative? Do we really think that she should offer her body again and again, because the Lord said to turn the other cheek? Do we really think that if someone comes and kidnaps one of our children, that we should offer him another one? This is absurd! We are called to protect the vulnerable of society. How we deal with these things is one thing, but to apply the Lord's words to these situations is ridiculous.

It is the same with international situations. The need to avoid personal vengeance might temper how we deal with these things. I believe giving the most vile of criminals a fair trial and appropriate sentencing is in keeping with godliness. But insisting that others must endure evil when we can prevent it is not love and has nothing to do with the Lord's teaching on personal vengeance.

Those who over-emphasize and misapply our call to love also tend to ignore the God-given role of the state in the our lives. According to the verses from Romans above, God has given government leaders the responsibility to ensure peace and order. It is wrong to insist that governments should conduct their affairs by principles that are to apply to individuals. Again, referring to my previous post, God's call to "love mercy" should temper how justice is worked out. At the same time, our governments must do their God-given duty to protect their people, using force when necessary.

I am grateful for those commentators who call for restraint in time of conflict, for those who love mercy, while seeking justice. We need people who are gifted in diplomacy and strategy to help our leaders come to effective resolutions to the difficult problems of our day. But simplistic solutions that call for love and mercy while ignoring the need for just resolutions only prolong the suffering of innocents.

Coming back to the personal level. Our tendency to misapply the Lord's teaching on love and the avoidance of vengeance is also why many people of faith have been dysfunctional in the personal, business, and congregational relationships. Our misguiding understanding of love has allowed evil to flourish and our relationships to fall apart, because we have avoided honestly and effectively dealing with problems as they arise.