Is Justice Always Void of Love?

Morality, better yet the lack there of, is all around us. Without getting into the politics of this issue, nor any conversation on the matter of Donald Trump's presidency thus far, I wanted to observe this matter from a purely biblical and Christian perspective because it most definitely places the matter of morality in today's world on the table.

By now, I am sure you have either heard or read about the Mexican-US border situation involving the separation of families due to President Trump's strict policy against illegal immigrants coming into the US. The gist of the controversial matter is that there are currently over 2000 minors (children) who have been separated from their parents who have been persecuted and detained in prisons for illegal entrance into the US. The children have been and are being taken into the custody of the US government and being sent to foster homes or are under government care. Both parent and child do not know where the other is, nor do they know how or when they will see each other again. And this is where the human heart screams out that something most indeed is emphatically wrong, no matter the policy in place. The other perspective on this matter is that the parents of these children are actively and willingly risking themselves and their children by breaching this strict policy and attempting illegal entrance into the US. The policy against such entrance is known and in place, and yet these parents could be viewed as irresponsible guardians by still choosing to make this decision. But surely, there must be a way to uphold policy and not separate families, no?

What cannot be ignored in this conversation, no matter your worldview, is that the people being detained are being rightfully detained strictly by policy but what bothers us is not the implementation of policy but the consequence of that implementation. No sane human can tolerate or agree that the separation of parent and child is warranted under any circumstance other than lack of proper parenting. The United States finds itself questioning to what extent justice can and should be upheld? No matter your opinion on President Trump, he did not put this policy in place nor is he maliciously executing this policy with the sole intention of separating Mexican families. With that understanding, how should Christians be reacting to this situation because on one hand our humanity tells us this is wrong but on the other hand justice is so strictly implemented in God's Word with harsh (but rightly deserved) penalties (Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death"). I could not count how many times I have been asked why a loving and good God would punish his creation for some petty wrongs. I emphasize that God defines himself in scripture as a God of justice such as in Exodus 34:6-7, "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation." God is loving, yes, but he is also and equally just. And this is the appropriate nature we would want in a holy, righteous judge. You would not want an emotionally motivated and driven judge for a criminal who killed your loved one for example. Justice must be served with strictness when clear wrong has been done but that does not mean it is void of love. When a parent disciplines their child for a wrongdoing, it is not solely out of judgment but love as well to teach them what is right. And there lies the key to unlocking this mystery for the pondering Christian who is struggling with the balance between love and justice. The problem is that the world that is void of God, is void of a proper moral compass.

Justice in scripture is not void of love, ever. For there is only one just being and only one being that is love itself, that being God. Our idea and sense of what is just is tainted by sin, and in the same way our love is tainted by sin. Hence we find ourselves struggling to grasp how to love anyone and anything, and at the same time we have an impossibly difficult time determining that which is just. For example, we all claim to love our parents but when one is asked to prove this love, what single piece of evidence could be given or demonstrated to prove this love? No gift, no word nor deed could ever fully prove that one loves their parent or child. Also, if we look at humanity's history of judging morality that seems entirely subjective based on era, culture and subjectivity. In fact, morality and the judgment of, is completely societal and a creation of the majority. We see prominent examples found in our modern North American and Western cultures where the sexual revolution is causing a major redefinition of sexual morality. What was once deemed unacceptable, such as homosexuality and sexual impurity before marriage, is now considered acceptable and the norm. This is a clear example of cultural and societal opinion (a subjective term) resulting in a shift in sense of morality. True justice (in regard to determining what is moral or immoral) and true love therefore, cannot be relied upon to be found in the human race. It must be externally found. This is one reason I find the cross to be such an amazing act because on the cross we find both the love and justice of God, staying true to his nature. Christ upholds justice by taking the penalty of sin, that being death, on our behalf and hence satisfying his wrath against sin which he hates. He also upholds love because he died for us, while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8), and stood against him.

I return to the original topic of the Trump administration's policy that is resulting in the separation of families. This is an atrocity both from a Christian and non-Christian perspective. Biblically we can state that the institution of family, which is the first institution that God initiates is a holy institution that is not meant to be broken. God wants family to be in harmony and not broken. Hence, as Christians we can look at this event and deem it ungodly because it is breaking up an institution that is of God on grounds that do not justify that separation. But what about the fact that the parents are actively breaking the law and knowingly doing so? Justice must be upheld and they must be punished because it is an illegal act that is not right. However, their punishment should not extend to the point of potential lifelong separation from their children. This is unacceptable in any worldview and it must be viewed in light of immorality. The administration's excuse that this is simply an unfortunate consequence of a policy that must be upheld is no excuse for the separation of these families. So, as a Christian it is simple; the law should be upheld to protect the legal immigration policies of the United States of America, but families should not be separated. How does one fix this issue? Temporary detention of illegal immigrants, recording family members so that they can find their loved ones later, imprisonment with communication with their children and other solutions are possible. Regardless of the form of solution, this kind of event further opens the discussion of policy and morality. The world is lost in moral confusion and hence runs into problems such as this where a policy that exists for seemingly correct reasons results in immoral consequences. For the Christian, our navigation is God and his Word which is infallible in teaching us that which is right. To Christians, we must remember that morality does not change because that is what morality suggests; that there is a good that is always good. C.S. Lewis himself famously stated, "My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?" Brothers and sisters let us remember in such world events as this that what we are witnessing is a crooked world trying to claim straightness but if the minds that are trying to be straight are crooked themselves, then they too will always produce crooked lines. The church is no different for even the believer is a sinner, but the difference of course is admittance to that sin and willingness to submit to a good authority. The separation of Mexican families is just another example of a broken and fallen human race. Justice without love is problematic as much as love without justice is.