God’s Justice, Government, and the Better Blood of Christ

 

When Cain murdered his brother Abel, he may have thought the deed was finished. Abel was dead, the crime had been committed, and perhaps Cain imagined that no one had witnessed what he had done. But God confronted him with these words: “What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.” Abel could no longer speak with his own voice, but his innocent blood spoke before God. It cried for justice, vindication, and righteous judgment.

There is a truth here that we must never forget: God is not indifferent to innocent blood. Men may conceal murder. Governments may legalize wicked acts. Courts may pronounce unjust judgments. History may even forget the names of those who suffered. But God sees. God remembers. And when blood is shed unrighteously, that blood cries unto Him.

Innocent Blood Has a Voice

Genesis 4 teaches us several important principles.

First, blood that cries from the ground is blood that has been shed. Someone has died, and someone bears responsibility. Cain could hide what he had done from men, but he could not hide it from God.

Second, innocent blood cries for justice. Abel did not deserve to die. His murder was an unrighteous act, and therefore his blood stood as a witness against Cain.

Third, that cry reaches God. Human ears cannot hear the voices of the dead, but the Judge of all the earth does not require audible testimony in order to know what has happened. Nothing escapes His knowledge.

Finally, God Himself undertakes to judge. He does not surrender justice merely because human institutions fail to provide it. God remains the final Judge.

This principle appears repeatedly throughout Scripture.

God Remembered the Blood Shed Under Manasseh

Second Kings tells us that King Manasseh filled Jerusalem with innocent blood. He was a ruler, but his political office did not place him above the law of God.

That principle deserves our attention.

A king does not cease to be accountable for murder simply because he wears a crown. A government does not turn wickedness into righteousness merely by authorizing it. No legislature, judge, monarch, president, parliament, congress, or other human authority possesses the ability to repeal the moral law of God.

God judged Manasseh’s reign for the innocent blood that was shed.

The responsibility extended beyond the ruler as well. A society that participates in, approves of, or refuses to confront the shedding of innocent blood must take seriously its own accountability before God.

We should therefore never imagine that moral responsibility belongs only to people in high office. Rulers are responsible for their commands, but people remain responsible for what they approve, support, and participate in.

The Martyrs Cry for Justice

The same truth appears in Revelation 6.

John sees the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of God and for their testimony. They cry, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood?”

These believers were not criminals deserving execution. Their supposed “crime” was faithfulness to Christ.

Yet they had been put to death.

Their cry demonstrates that asking God for justice is not contrary to holiness. We may forgive personally. We may refuse private vengeance. But that does not mean evil suddenly becomes good or injustice ceases to matter.

There is a difference between personal vengeance and divine justice.

The Christian does not have to avenge himself because he knows that God judges righteously.

Legal Does Not Always Mean Lawful

One of the clearest illustrations of this principle is found in First Kings 21 in the account of Naboth’s vineyard.

King Ahab wanted Naboth’s vineyard, but Naboth refused to surrender the inheritance that had come from his fathers. Jezebel then devised a plan. False witnesses were arranged. Charges were brought. Procedures were followed. Naboth was condemned and stoned.

From an outward standpoint, there was a trial.

There were witnesses.

There was an accusation.

There was a judgment.

Yet Naboth had been murdered.

The appearance of legal procedure did not transform injustice into righteousness.

This distinction is essential. Something may be legal according to the procedures established by men while still being unlawful according to the higher standard of justice.

Jezebel used legal machinery to accomplish murder.

Ahab then attempted to enjoy the benefits of that murder by taking possession of Naboth’s vineyard.

But God sent Elijah to confront him.

“Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession?”

God did not say, “The proper procedure was followed, so there is nothing to discuss.” He held Ahab and Jezebel personally accountable.

Human law cannot wash away guilt when human law is used against divine justice.

Government Is Also Under God’s Law

We must understand that the moral law applies to individuals and institutions alike.

If an individual steals, it is theft.

If someone commits murder, it is murder.

The same moral principles do not suddenly disappear when the person committing the act possesses political authority.

Civil government does have legitimate authority. Scripture recognizes the power of government to punish evildoers and administer justice. But legitimate authority is not unlimited authority.

When government protects life, punishes genuine criminals, and administers justice, it fulfills a proper function.

When government uses its power to destroy the innocent, confiscate unjustly, bear false witness, or commit aggression without righteous cause, it cannot escape responsibility merely by calling its actions official policy.

God remains sovereign over the state.

Government is not God.

God Takes One Unsolved Murder Seriously

Deuteronomy 21 reveals just how seriously God regarded innocent blood.

If a murdered man was discovered and the murderer was unknown, the elders of the nearest city were required to perform a solemn ceremony. They publicly declared that they had not shed the man’s blood and had not knowingly concealed the murderer. They sought the Lord concerning the guilt of innocent blood.

Think about what that teaches us.

One unknown murder mattered to God.

One body lying in a field mattered.

One victim whose murderer had escaped human detection was not insignificant in the sight of heaven.

If God cared that deeply about one innocent life, we have no reason to believe He becomes less concerned when innocent blood is shed on a massive scale.

Whether blood is shed by an individual, an army, or a government, God knows the circumstances in which it was shed.

We Must Judge War by Justice

This brings us inevitably to the subject of war.

Not every war is morally identical. The Christian tradition has long wrestled with the distinction between just and unjust warfare. A war should have a just cause. It should not be motivated merely by vengeance, economic gain, territorial ambition, or the desire to dominate others. It should be undertaken by legitimate authority, treated as a grave last resort, and conducted within moral restraints.

That should cause us to examine war far more seriously than we often do.

Patriotism does not require us to pretend that every action taken by our government must be righteous. Neither should political disagreement cause us to assume that everything our government does is wicked.

The standard must be justice.

When studying any war—including the American conflict of 1861–1865—we should ask serious questions about political authority, coercion, self-government, military aggression, the treatment of civilians, slavery, secession, constitutional arguments, and the actions of leaders on every side. Historical interpretations differ sharply, and those differences should be examined carefully rather than reduced to slogans.

But one biblical principle remains unchanged regardless of our conclusions about a particular conflict: those who deliberately shed innocent blood are accountable to God.

The uniform does not remove accountability.

The flag does not remove accountability.

Political office does not remove accountability.

God judges righteous judgment.

We Are Responsible for What We Support

There is another uncomfortable aspect of this truth. Scripture does not always place guilt solely upon rulers.

People may support wicked rulers.

They may encourage unjust policies.

They may demand aggression.

They may celebrate what should cause mourning.

They may excuse wrongdoing because it benefits their own side.

We should therefore be cautious about limiting our examination to politicians, generals, kings, and presidents. We must examine ourselves.

Do we care about justice only when injustice harms people with whom we agree?

Do we condemn the shedding of innocent blood by our enemies while excusing it when committed by our friends?

God does not possess our partisan loyalties.

He judges according to truth.

The Christian must therefore value righteousness above political tribe, national pride, or historical sentiment.

The Blood of Abel Cries for Justice

Abel’s blood cried against Cain.

Naboth’s blood cried against those who murdered him.

The blood of the martyrs cries for God to judge and avenge.

Throughout history, multitudes have been killed unjustly through persecution, tyranny, genocide, political violence, terrorism, unjust warfare, and ordinary murder.

Some perpetrators have faced human courts.

Others died peacefully in their beds.

Some injustices have been remembered for centuries.

Others have been forgotten almost completely.

But no innocent blood has ever escaped the knowledge of God.

That should comfort the oppressed and terrify the oppressor.

The Judge of all the earth shall do right.

The Blood of Christ Speaks Better Things

Yet Scripture does not leave us with Abel.

Hebrews 12:24 directs our attention to “Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.”

Here is the glory of the gospel.

Abel’s blood cried for justice against the guilty.

Christ’s blood speaks of justice satisfied for the guilty.

The cross does not teach us that God ceased caring about justice. It teaches the exact opposite. God is so righteous that sin could not simply be ignored. Christ stood in the place of His people, and divine justice fell upon our Substitute.

But the blood shed at Calvary also speaks mercy.

It speaks forgiveness.

It speaks reconciliation.

It speaks peace with God.

It speaks of sinners being justified through the work of Jesus Christ.

The blood of Christ speaks a better word because the One who was perfectly innocent willingly gave Himself for the guilty. Through Him, men who deserve judgment may receive mercy without God compromising His righteousness.

That is our ultimate hope.

We should care deeply about justice in this world. We should oppose the shedding of innocent blood. We should hold rulers accountable to righteous standards. We should study history carefully and refuse to excuse wickedness merely because it was committed under legal authority.

But even the best human justice cannot cleanse the sinful heart.

For that we need the blood of Christ.

Abel’s blood cries from the ground, and God hears it. The blood of every innocent victim is known to Him, and in His time He will judge perfectly.

But above every other voice stands the blood of Jesus Christ, speaking better things—justice satisfied, mercy extended, sinners forgiven, and enemies reconciled to God.

May we stand for justice, defend the innocent, fear God rather than men, and above all flee to Jesus Christ, whose blood alone can cleanse us from all sin.