This quote far outdates Dr. King. Its source is the prophet Amos. This one who was charged with speaking the very words of God to His people was given a message and it was exactly the message they needed to hear. We see it today; every time we get in trouble we love to scream “Justice!” Amos was very clear in saying this may not be the best option.

Biblical justice for every person alive is Hell. There is no one who deserves Heaven, and for that matter, no one who deserves (no one who has earned) the blessing of God. All of us are born into sin and we all know what we are due for that. We exhibit the effects of it every day. The justice Israel was asking for was not the justice they wanted. They felt like God had abandoned them. They weren’t reaping the fruit of His presence like their ancestors had. What was wrong?

God tells them. They were enslaving each other; their greed for money outweighed their respect for humanity. They were ignoring the poor; their pride caused them to be blind to the needs of those nearest to them. Their sexual ethics were all messed up; their lust was stronger than their love. They were worshipping every god who appeared on the scene; in the name of justice, they cried out to a bunch of statues and forgot the only One who could rescue them. In their rush for justice, they got it and it soured them.

God says “I gave you what you deserved and you hate it.” (My paraphrase.) They didn’t want justice. They wanted permission to live however they chose and still get the benefits God provides. They wanted grace without faith. It doesn’t work like that. It never has.

Dr. King knew this full well. In his letter from the Birmingham jail, he outlines his reasons for the demonstration in Birmingham. The grievances are explicit. What is most destructive in the whole scenario is Birmingham wasn’t the only place these acts were present. It was just the one that stood out at that time. Most southern cities were overrun with blatant expressions of hatred and separation. There was very little unity and there was certainly very little equality present. I praise God for people like Dr. King who had the unbelievable courage and even audacity to challenge the system. I praise God for the victories these challenges have wrought. I also praise God for His justice.

For those who don’t know Jesus and the covering of His blood, justice simply means punishment. No good judge would look at the wrong we’ve done and say “Well, I see a lot of good, too. I’m just going to ignore the wrong and let you go free.” We wouldn’t say that’s a good judge. We wouldn’t say that is justice. But for the person who’s put his faith in Jesus, the Lord acts according to the cross, not the sin. For the flippant, the cry for justice means “I want to get my way.” For the faithful, the cry for justice means “I want God to have His way with me and I want Him to use me for His glory.” That I what I hear in Dr. King’s letter. That’s what I hear in Amos’ words. That’s what I mean when I say “let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” I want to see God’s glory poured out over all the earth. I want the world to recognize His awesomeness and the open invitation He has given for every breathing human to come back into a relationship with Him. This isn’t perfection. It’s faithful life. Heaven is perfection and that only comes when we die.

The cry for justice must never leave our lips if our goal is simply to get our way. That’s just selfishness and is probably the biggest problem we have in front of us today. Much like Israel, our sin is very evident. We put ourselves first in almost every arena. Our goal is nearly always to get ahead. While the law has progressed enough and prevents us from doing that at the expense of race, we still face the attitude that says “I’m better than you and don’t mind stepping on you if it puts me in a better place…or if it just makes me feel better…if if I just want to. I’ll step on you in a heartbeat.” That attitude is still very prevalent, on all sides. The Church MUST not exhibit that and if it does it MUST be willing to lay it on the chopping block. We are the sacrificial. We are the ones who willingly choose the back of the line so our enemies can get in front. We are the ones who offer to carry the luggage of those who persecute us and to pray for those who hurt us. We have been crucified and still live, yet not us but Christ in us. Remember?

So, let justice come, but let it come in God’s way and in His timing, and may we never stand in the way of its coming. I pray we’d all be colored by its current and cleansed by its flow. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.