It seems that non-Christian monotheists (Jews, Muslims) have a strong sense of justice on the micro level but not the macro level. This is a bit perplexing.
Retaliation and vengeance to make things right have long traditions in these faith communities; but even with this collective sense of justice, the need to properly make things right is not recognized for the big picture. Let’s go beneath the surface.
To summarize, justice is goodness and is necessary for peace and happiness, in this life and the next. Injustice causes disorder and division, and must be redressed in order to restore goodness. On the macro level, the injustice of sin against the infinite majesty of God has caused deep division between God and man, resulting in a broken relationship with the source of life. Restoring justice and union with Him, however, is not magic: The offense must be properly redressed by the offender for things to be made right.
Tit-for-tat wars over centuries in the Middle-East illustrate the desire for justice, albeit imperfectly. Animal sacrifices of past eras pointed to a primordial acknowlegement of the need for atonement. But the presumption now seems to be that on the cosmic level God can wave His proverbial hand at man’s transgressions and all will be right. This contradicts reason.
It’s true that God can do anything, but He cannot contradict Himself and His nature, which is infinite truth and love. Justice must be atoned for by the offender or one vicariously representing him in his stead for restoration to occur. And this atonement must fit the offense. Since sin is an infinite offense against the infinite Goodness of God, restitution must be made by an act of love that is at least equal in power to the offense. And there lies the dilemma: Mankind is the offender but does not have the power to fix what he broke. Everlasting misery, therefore, is His just reward. For redemption to be possible and right-relationship with God restored, an act of infinite value must be performed on man’s behalf — and such an atonement can only be accomplished by someone who shares the offender’s humanity but also possesses the power of divinity. Only a sacrificial act of a God-man can possibly restore things to justice, rightness, i.e., proper balance, after humanity’s transgression and subsequent fall from grace. Only an act of a God-man can save humanity from everlasting alienation from God, which is the misery of Hell. As the old saying goes, “Jesus paid a debt He didn’t owe because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay.”
This fundamental truth undergirds all religion (religion comes from the Latin ‘religare‘, meaning to bind together [with God]) in the context of being redeemed from sin. Jews and Muslims in general hold some beautiful portions of the faith and seem to have a keen sense of justice. Nonetheless, it’s fascinating that so many fail to recognize the inconsistency of being mindful of the necessity of justice on the micro level while ignoring it on the macro.