Four people were on the planet when the first unjust murder happened. As soon as the first parents (Adam and Eve) produced two humans (Cain and Abel), hatred was in one of those humans for the other one. We are told in the New Testament what the reason was. It’s a terrible reason, but it’s the reason nonetheless.
Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.
1 John 3:12
“God always makes a way for us to turn to Him and be reconciled.”
They were brothers from the same parents, yet hatred and jealousy filled Cain when God accepted Abel’s sacrifice and not his. God told Cain if he would do right, he would be accepted also. God always makes a way for us to turn to Him and be reconciled. Cain didn’t want correction, he wanted to be right on his own terms.
He wanted to put Abel’s light out so it wouldn’t expose his own darkness.
The part of this that’s hard for us to swallow is that God knew what was coming and didn’t stop it. Why would He allow injustice? Why do people get away with horrible things like this and go on with life? Cain was allowed to live and have a family when Abel’s was stone cold dead in the ground. It’s not fair.
The foundation of God’s throne is justice and righteousness (that means right and fair). If the foundation of anything crumbles, it can’t stand. Since things are so out of control here, has God lost His handle on things?
“The reason injustice bothers us on the level it does is because the One whose image we bear is one hundred percent just.”
The reason injustice bothers us on the level it does is because the One whose image we bear is one hundred percent just. We were created with invisible “scales of justice” deep inside of us. When the scales aren’t balanced, we can’t function properly. That’s why if someone punches us, we want to punch them back. Revenge sets the scales back to their proper alignment.
In the Old Testament God said,
“Anyone who injures their neighbor is to be injured in the same manner: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury.”
Leviticus 24:19-20
Yet in the New Testament God said,
“Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.”
1 Peter 3:9
Has God changed? No way! In the Old Testament, there was a great deficiency in mankind. People were not filled with The Holy Spirit. They could not function without justice and God didn’t ask them to. They were allowed to pay people back. Now, since Jesus’ death on the cross, we have God living inside of us.
Let that sink in… God lives inside us.
“If we lived up to what Jesus died to give us, the world would experience revival from being in our presence. Our love would be utterly shocking.”
Spirit filled people should walk like Jesus, talk like Jesus, and love like Jesus. He paid the highest price in the universe to give us that privilege. If we lived up to what Jesus died to give us, the world would experience revival from being in our presence. Our love would be utterly shocking.
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:35
“God’s love doesn’t need to be reciprocated to be poured out on others. It flows unhindered in a human vessel given over to God.”
God’s love doesn’t need to be reciprocated to be poured out on others. It flows unhindered in a human vessel given over to God. Nothing can stop this love from filling up every place this person steps their foot.
The reason we don’t see this love in action on a huge level is our own unbelief.
Jesus plainly said only one thing is needed to do the works down here that God requires of us.
“Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”
John 6:29
If we believed that the Creator of heaven and earth was not only inside of us, but surrounding us at all times, what would our lives look like?
There’s a story of Elisha the prophet that blows me away every time I read it. The Aramean king sends a huge army against Elisha and his servant. The servant is terrified and Elisha calmly says, “Don’t be afraid, those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:16-17)
“Reality is what the Bible says, not what we see happening all around us.”
Reality is what the Bible says, not what we see happening all around us. We need to believe what God has written over every other thing happening.
“Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD.”
Romans 12:19
God is not indifferent to what is going on. The injustice on the earth makes Him angry.
“People may “get by” with stuff in this vapor of a life but no one will escape the day we stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ.”
God would never tell us to ignore what happens to us or others, He has told us that He will take care of every wrong thing in this world. We have to understand that all of us will give an account for every single thing we do… in the end. People may “get by” with stuff in this vapor of a life but no one will escape the day we stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ.
“Those of us who have trusted Him won’t pay for our sins. God poured out His wrath on Jesus for our sakes. People who do not come to Him for forgiveness will experience God’s wrath for eternity. That’s why we can be kind to them.”
Not one single, solitary sin will be left unpunished… in the end. Thank goodness Jesus said, “It is finished.” Those of us who have trusted Him won’t pay for our sins. God poured out His wrath on Jesus for our sakes. People who do not come to Him for forgiveness will experience God’s wrath for eternity. That’s why we can be kind to them. Earth is the only heaven they will ever experience. If any of us could get a peek into hell, we would have no trouble being kind to people headed there.
God’s righteous scales of justice will balance perfectly. If they didn’t, He could not remain a righteous God. His throne would crumble because the foundation failed.
“The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all.”
Psalm 103:19
Abel was murdered unjustly. Did Cain get away with it? Cain lived his complete life on the earth but his soul belonged to the evil one. He is in hell today while Abel is with God living His best life. Abel won that day, not Cain.
“By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.”
Hebrews 11:4
“We can’t punish anyone more thoroughly than God can and will. We may not live to see justice but we need never doubt it will be done.”
Abel was silenced by a senseless murder, yet he still speaks because of his righteous life. His name is listed in Hebrews 11 along with the greatest people of God who ever lived. He was not forgotten and God’s wrath is being poured out on the murderer. We can’t punish anyone more thoroughly than God can and will. We may not live to see justice but we need never doubt it will be done.
“Being a Christian is not living in some kind of false reality. It is believing in ultimate Reality (what God says).”
Being a Christian is not living in some kind of false reality. It is believing in ultimate Reality (what God says). We can be kind to our enemies because we don’t have to punish anyone ourselves. It’s not our job, it’s God. If God said He will pay someone back, He will… period.
Of course I’m not saying anarchy should rule. We need laws, courts and jails while on this earth, but a child of God should never doubt God will take care of him or her… even when He doesn’t.
A hero of mine, Watchman Nee, was unjustly imprisoned because of His faith in Christ. He stayed in that prison for twenty years and died there, alone. A guard found a crumpled piece of paper under his pillow when he died. He gave it to Watchman’s niece when she picked up his ashes. It read, “Christ is the Son of God who died for the redemption of sinners and resurrected after three days. This is the greatest truth in the universe. I die because of my belief in Christ.”— Watchman Nee
A wicked and unfair world never dimmed the greatest truth in the universe for him. If we could ask him today, “Was it worth it?” I believe he would say those twenty years were absolutely nothing compared to the life he is experiencing in glory now.
Paul said something amazing and I quote,
“I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.”
Phillipians 1:23-24
“When we fall in love with our God, we don’t focus on this dying world.”
When we fall in love with our God, we don’t focus on this dying world. Our focus changes to staying here only long enough to love our fellow man and help him find God. We can be about our Father’s business and have peace inside because we know God will take care of us… even when He doesn’t.
