This paper is an examination of justice, one of the principles of living outlined by the Bible. Although many religious leaders speak of "the seven principles," the Bible actually does not specify seven distinct standards by which an individual should live. Instead, its writings give examples of a right way of living, and one of the examples that recurs throughout is that of the just life, lived according to the guidelines of the saints, prophets, and disciples of the Old Testament and the New Testament. In contemporary society, two very different individuals embody the principle of justice, one a writer who has dedicated his life to seeing that justice is done, by continually reminding his readers of one of the greatest injustices in history, the other a Forest Service employee, who has put her career on the line in order to do the job she believes she came to accomplish. Both Elie Wiesel and Mary Dalton personify the Biblical principle of justice.
In his inauguration speech, Jimmy Carter quoted the prophet Micah, "What does the Lord require of you but to do justly. to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Mic. 6:8). In this book, justice is one of the most important qualities an individual can live by. Yet the Bible draws a careful distinction between the justice of human laws and governments and the justice of God. The 82nd Psalm, for instance, urges, "Defend the poor and the fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; free them from the hand of the wicked" (Ps. 82:3-4), advice that might put its follower at odds with the particular laws of a certain place and time, but which would be carrying out the Biblical concept.
In fact, while earthly justice is not necessarily equivalent to righteousness, Biblical justice usually includes the sense of restoring balance and reasserting the right as an essential element. For example, Jesus tells his followers, "Unless your righteo...