July 18, 2026 | Essay
On Ideal Justice
"He shall bring forth judgment unto truth" (Isaiah 42:3). Some people say this passage means that God will faithfully judge. I believe this interpretation is true. Yet, I also believe more substance exists within this passage. Starting with ideal justice is a beneficial starting point when we discuss this passage. Many people can judge faithfully. But it seems that few people can render ideal or perfect justice. Ideal justice evokes concepts such as miracles, spirituality, perfection, and the supernatural. Therefore, since this passage is not talking about a normal human being, but God, I believe we should start interpreting this verse by looking at what ideal justice means.
I could insert my own opinion here. For instance, I could say that ideal justice will, or at least should, fit into my perception of fairness, equality, equity, inclusivity, or impartiality. And continuing this line of reasoning, I would produce scenarios (actual or imagined) that support my perception of what ideal justice is. My examples, scenarios, and perceptions might not differ drastically from the perspectives of other people about ideal justice. My view might even be the popular view on ideal justice. However, this reasonable and agreeable opinion about ideal justice may not automatically align with what ideal justice is according to God. If I and a million other people think they know what ideal justice is, but God disagrees, that makes all of us wrong.
So, the ideal sense of justice must come from God. So, we need to look at Scripture to gain a clearer understanding of ideal justice. In another passage, the prophet Isaiah indicates that the judgment of God differs from the judgment of the world. Isaiah says, "The Lord will not judge after the sight of the eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears" (Isaiah 11:3). In other words, God does not judge based on what things appear to be or by what people say. "Appearance," here can represent physical observation, logic, probability, or the physical world. "Hearing," here can represent testimonial "evidence," hearsay, declarations, or second-hand knowledge. Regardless of what appearance and hearing mean, we can scratch out all of these possibilities as the basis of the judgment of God. God judges perfectly based on something else.
Ideal justice, according to Scripture, saves those who are afflicted and destroys the oppressor. We can think of this action as liberation.
One aspect of ideal justice is removing evil and rescuing those subject to such evil forces. Scripture says, "He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor" (Psalm 72:2-4). This passage provides us with a clearer picture of ideal justice. Ideal justice, according to Scripture, saves those who are afflicted and destroys the oppressor. We can think of this action as liberation. Liberation can be physical, such as one who was enslaved being set free. And liberation can be spiritual, such as one enslaved by sin being set free to live a righteous and eternal life. Both forms of liberation are examples of justice. The passage also mentions God judging the poor. We can understand this part of the passage to mean that God is going to, has done, and will vindicate the people that the world has treated as inferior or having less value. In other words, God restores (through his ideal justice) the value that may have been taken away by the evil forces of society and culture. This restoration may require the punishment and destruction of evil forces.
Now, some might think that the punishment and destruction of evil forces refers to the observable forces of evil on Earth. And in some sense, this interpretation can be true. We know that God hates evil. Thus, initiatives to destroy and prevent evil from happening on earth can follow the plan of God. However, a lot of variables exist that make rendering ideal justice on Earth problematic. First, to get rid of evil ideally, there must be an ideal judge. That is, one must be able to decide without error what is good or evil. Initially, this might seem like an achievable task. Yet, if we look at history and see how concepts of good and evil have been changed, corrected, and flat-out wrong, we see how we are probably not the best candidates to be ideal judges over good and evil. This is not to say that we are incapable of making good decisions concerning good and evil. Nevertheless, we are not the best candidates to make the best decisions about good and evil. The best judge of good and evil is righteous and perfect. We do not fit this description and, thus, cannot render the best rewards or punishments for good and evil actions respectfully. I believe only God renders the best rewards or punishments for good and evil actions. This belief runs alongside the point that the evidence we usually base judgment on is the very thing that God does not base his judgments on: sight and hearing. The world judges things by what it sees and hears. The U.S. court system attests to this point; evidence for legal matters relies heavily on physical and testimonial evidence. So, though we may see good examples of justice on Earth, we should not say that such instances are examples of ideal justice.
Another aspect of ideal justice is that it must relate to and reflect Jesus. We cannot separate ideal justice from the personhood of Jesus. As the book of Psalms says, "He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth" (Psalm 96:13). Earlier, I suggested that ideal justice does not rely on sight and hearing. One might say, then, that ideal justice must, therefore, be spiritual. But being "spiritual" is not the only requirement of ideal justice.
Another aspect of ideal justice is that it must relate to and reflect Jesus. We cannot separate ideal justice from the personhood of Jesus.
Ideal justice must relate to Jesus because Jesus is the Truth. Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). In other words, no one is righteous according to God, unless they are made righteous by Jesus. This means that Jesus is the lawyer of our souls. He is the one who defends us. As Jesus says, "Whosoever will acknowledge me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father, which is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32). This means that Jesus testifies on our behalf and clears us of charges when we are on trial in front of God. We are all guilty in front of God because we have all sinned (Romans 3:23). But we are justified through faith in Jesus Christ, who will clear us of all charges against us.
Equity is another aspect of ideal justice. And Jesus is the only one who can be completely equitable. But if we think about it, such straightness and balanced judgment does not come from weighing our sins against our good deeds. Though some may think they have done more good than bad in their life, they might be surprised that they are still worthy of death. Death is the consequence of sin. Of course, in the world we live in, judicial systems have outlined "degrees of evil" by categorizing greater and lesser crimes. But with God, evil is evil; sin is sin. Scripture states, "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" (James 2:10). And the "wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Therefore, since we have all sinned, we are all worthy of death. Jesus is equitable because he is the only one who can offset our sinful nature and our innocence. The Bible says, Jesus "is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2). If our good actions could outweigh our evil actions, there would be no need for the sacrifice of Jesus. Therefore, Jesus not only provides equitable judgment by being fair, equal, and impartial, but Jesus is equity.
Ideal justice, therefore, differs from the common and wordly concept of justice because, according to God, justice includes forgiveness.
Forgiveness is an aspect of ideal justice that people may overlook frequently. Today, "getting what is due to them" typifies most ideations of justice. "He got what he deserved," or "That was a terrible thing to do. I hope justice is served" are common thoughts of this world. However, we should be careful to remember forgiveness plays a crucial part in justice. The prophet Micah writes, "I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness" (Micah 7:9). Here, Micah acknowledges that he sinned. He also states he will endure the rage of God because of his sin. Nevertheless, Micah also expresses hope in spite of his sin. Micah is hopeful that the Lord will plead his cause. Now, one might think, "Why should a guilty person hope for someone to plead his cause?" Well, Micah hopes the Lord will plead his cause because he knows the Lord can clear his sin. In this passage, I believe Micah prophesied about the propitiation of Jesus. Jesus is not a normal person. And as mentioned before, Jesus Christ clears the charges made against us. And like the Lord who Micah prophesied about, Jesus Christ also forgives the sins we have committed. Ideal justice, therefore, differs from the common and wordly understanding of justice because, according to God, justice includes forgiveness.
Seeking the will of God is a crucial element in ideal justice. Sometimes, we get caught up in our emotions and think justice must align with our desires. We might also think that justice must align with our morals. People might think, "If this or that does not happen to that person because of what they did, then justice has not been served." However, this thought relies entirely on the will and desire of the person judging the matter, not on the will of God. Ideal justice should always ask, "What is the will of God in this matter?" As mentioned before. Forgiveness is a part of ideal justice regarding God. And a particular judgment might require forgiveness instead of punishment if one checks with God first. This makes me ask, "What would judicial systems look like if they pursued the will of God on every matter? How might people view justice differently if this happened? Seeking the will of God in justice is the only way one can be sure a person gets what they truly deserve.
June 2026 | Poem
A Morning Thought of Love
I woke up this morning with a thought of love. / A specific woman of style I had in mind: / My wife of almost 14 years, delivered and signed / From a blessing of a covenant from above / That descended so lightly upon me as a dove.
Under the tree, we find our safety strong. / On the rock, we establish our song. / With the dissolve of time, we redeem our years. / Any sadness will turn into joyful tears.
July 2026 | Poem
Barriers
What is the purpose of trials and tribulations? / What is suffering to me? / Why do I act like I have nothing in me worth weeding, purging, burning, pricking, threshing, pruning— / in order to obtain? / What is my withholding my mind, / My Flesh, / My Soul from cleansing, / From refreshing? / Oh, what a barrier the flesh is to redemption! / Oh, what a barrier the mind is to salvation! / What a condition I deem so dear: / my skin. / What a condition I pride: / the limits of the fortitude or mind.
July 2026 | Poem
Fruit
As I speak, I witness the fruit of my lips. / I see the outpouring of my heart. / Naked are my intentions and integrity. / My words conceal my ignorance and blindness— / my lack. / Of course, by the wayside, I shun the things that I hate, / My desires bearing witness to what I abhor. / Nonetheless, the things I do not desire, / Those very things which compromise my future and prosperity, / I take note of how to smother them.
July 2026 | Poem
The Day My Life Changed
The day my life changed. / How I met her at Starbucks. / A band in her short hair, / A flower, / And her smile. / Her eyes were bright as the summer sun. / Dang! / They still are. / Her sound, / Her voice moves mountains, / Yet is soft and quiet. / Her words flow out like waters, / Not out of Meribah, / But from the wells of life. / Does she not move with an elegant swiftness? / A strength as vulnerable as a delicate, intertwined rope. / Her knowledge outweighs her years. / Her wealth is with her. / She magnifies God and defies falsehood. / Still, / She wants me. / She sees me. / As we talk, we feel the future. / We frolic in the music of God.
June 2026 | Essay
On Words That Build People Up
"The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked" (Proverbs 10:11).
Initially, it seems that this passage is talking only about the person who is using her or his mouth because the passage does not mention another person. So it may seem that the well of life or the concealed violence pertains only to the person who is doing the speaking. But the second part of this passage hints at something else. When we translate the second part of the passage correctly, it is the mouth that conceals violence, not violence that conceals the mouth. Thus, we can imagine a wicked person saying something in a manner to cover up violence that may be going on unnoticed. This wicked person would not be hiding something from himself or herself. And since the author contrasts the righteous man and the wicked man directly, we can safely assume that the effect of words in both cases is the same. Therefore, I believe this passage emphasizes the power of our words on others. This "power" is not magical in any way. Yet, the power of the words this passage talks about is real and something we have probably all experienced. Now, it may surprise some people that our words can affect people as much as this passage suggests. People might think words cannot nurture life for others or be violent against others. But most people know how it feels when other people hurt them with insults, rumors, or unkind words. This hurt is an example of violence. People also know how they feel when someone else compliments them. Such compliments can encourage someone to keep on doing what they are doing or do better in life. This response is an example of someone, so to speak, drinking from a fountain or well of life. We may not study the lasting effects of such words. We might have to take time to consider just how compliments or insults can affect someone over a period of time. Still, it should be reasonable to see how constant reinforcement of a positive or negative word to the enrichment or detriment of someone else can affect the outcome of their life. To be sure, everyone has a choice and power in how much they let the words of others affect them. But we should also not be in denial of how much positive or negative words affect us and others.
The apostle Paul writes in a letter to the Ephesians that we should, "let no corrupt communication proceed out of our mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace unto the hearers" (Ephesians 4:29). Here, Paul emphasizes the effect of our words on others. Paul calls what I call "others" as hearers. In this passage, Paul links the responsibility of our speech to our connected obligation to those who hear us. These hearers are not the speakers of life or violence, but the hearers of it. I believe the passage in Proverbs has a similar emphasis to the passage in Ephesians because both stress the effect of our words on other people. In the Ephesians passage, Paul goes on to say, "Let all bitterness, and wrath and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:31-32). In this passage, Paul clarifies that our words serve to build up (edify) other people. But he also suggests our words can have the opposite effect if we speak with hate, anger, wrath, unforgiveness, and bitterness. These emotions, especially in this passage, refer to affections toward others and not ourselves.
Today people seem to focus mostly on how their own words can affect their own future because we live in a very selfish culture. Many things in our culture, from advertisements, entertainment, and products, are geared toward self-satisfaction. When was the last time you heard an advertisement from a fast-food restaurant or just a regular restaurant mention feeding the poor or mention something you can do to support them feeding someone other than yourself? Thinking about the well-being of others is not common in our culture today. But I believe strongly that God wants us to focus more on how our words can have a positive or negative effect on others. I believe this because of the emphasis given through the previous scriptures. Of course, we must be careful what we say regarding ourselves. We should not be careless and speak words of death or negativity over our own lives. Yet, it is equally, if not more, important to be mindful of how our words affect others. So, if we believe God cares about how our words can affect our future or trajectory in life, we should also believe that God cares even more about how we understand how our words can affect others' future and trajectory in life. We should not be so selfish to think the power of our words pertains only to ourselves and disregard the positive and negative impact we can have on other people. Again, I do not claim our words hold magical powers. Still, our words are powerful, existing in the real world, containing a force to change the world we live in.
July 2026 | Poem
In the Sea
Keep me away from evil and its hurt. / Though I am not perfect, I am perfect in Jesus. / Yes. / I call his name as one who calls out in the middle of the sea, / Who cannot swim, / Neither has arms nor legs to tread the water. / My only hope of life is in Jesus my Savior / Amongst the waves of death and wickedness.
July 2026 | Poem
A Sound of Love
The drums pitter and patter. / The ride cymbal crashes. / Coltrane pours out sound. / The bass splashes. / I can see the sunset over the expanse. / Each note played fervently, leaving nothing to chance. / The sound is now caught in lives' dashes, / Between the years, reviving the ashes. / I stare into the open vision, / Not a glance. / The drums pitter and patter.
June 2026 | Poem
Repay
How can I repay her? / She has loved me through the thick and thin. / She received my ring made out of tin / And fashioned it into gold that smells like myrhh. / An artist, she is—a breed of connoisseur /
As her dad. A love felt, / Prevalent presence vast as the veldt. / Rest in my arms—these fleshy branches / As my joy avalanches.
June 2026 | Poem
Likeness
I never thought I was good / enough to be blessed with a son / and wife. For what have I done? / Has not the Lord given me more than He should? / Have I not done less than I could? /
Look at his eyes. / Like his momma's. It's no surprise / His smile melts my worries / And his laughter quells my furies.
June 2026 | Poem
His Righteousness
The Lord has always been there. / Never has e left me confused, / my crying pleas for forgiveness not refused. / He handles my prayers and soul with the utmost care— / His judgments and tests: always fair. /
Though I do not understand always, / My soul testifies His truth while my mind betrays. / His goodness is forever the fruit I partake, / And only because of His righteousness' sake.