Justice Vs. Vengeance
God, in the Bible, makes it very clear that we’re not to pursue vengeance on people who harm us. However, at the same time, He makes it very clear that there must be Justice. The line between Justice and Vengeance can seem very thin sometimes, so let us take a look at it.
First, let’s look at what the words mean. Vengeance means “Revenge or reprisal or retaliation taken for an insult, injury, or other wrong”. On the other hand, Justice means “Judgment and punishment of a party who has wronged another”. Just from looking at the definitions, there are definite differences between the two.
The first major difference is that justice involves a group of people passing judgment. It’s not supposed to be an emotional reaction. It takes the laws of the land into consideration. The punishment that it hands out are consistent and reasonable to the crime in question. With vengeance, it’s one person reacting with strong emotions, with no thoughts to the process of the law or right and wrong. It’s an emotional reaction to a situation.
Vengeance is different in another way. It’s a direct retaliation for something done wrong to the individual. There’s not an impartial body dealing the punishment, but rather the victim taking the law into his own hands for his own satisfaction. Justice isn’t retaliation; instead, it’s a punishment for something done wrong.
Justice is impartial; the victim doesn’t decide who is guilty or not, nor does he carry out whatever punishment is decided on the wrong.
It’s hard sometimes letting the system of Justice work, especially when we or someone we love is harmed, but we must let the system work. Not only is it the Biblical way to handle things, but it makes the world safer. If everyone just lashed out and took matters into their own hands, the world would be filled with chaos and anarchy. People sometimes feel like the system doesn’t work, and yes, there are times that the guilty get away, but the Bible makes it clear that Vengeance is God’s and He’ll deal with them in the end.
