Romans 12:19 - A Desire for Justice

Romans 12:19 “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”

On Wednesday, September 10th, Charlie Kirk was assassinated. My wife told me immediately after he was shot, and we constantly refreshed the news between our prayers, hoping for a miracle, but ultimately Charlie died. Charlie was a firm believer in Jesus, and the fruits of his life prove his belief, and he is surely residing with the Lord in Heaven now. Charlie’s senseless and hateful killing brings me anger, anger at what our country is coming to, anger at the murderer, and a desire for revenge. But his death, along with the deaths of others, such as Stephen the martyr, John the Baptist, Uriah the Hittite and Abel, all have something in common: the lingering taste of injustice in our mouths. These men were all killed for no wrongdoing of their own, and were killed out of hatred, envy, or sin.

This leads me to Jesus: the ultimate unjust death. The only one who committed no sin, and therefore had no charge against him. The torture and killing of Jesus was the worst perversion of justice in the history of mankind. Proverbs 6:16-17 says that “...the LORD hates… hands that shed innocent blood.” Jesus was entirely and completely innocent. The mockery of a trial could find him no guilt, and many false witnesses came forward, yet still “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:22-23)

Think of the injustice the disciples and followers of Jesus perceived on Good Friday. The injustice at the stoning of Stephen, the injustice of John the Baptist's beheading, the injustice of Uriah the Hittite being killed for David’s lust over Bathsheba, and the injustice in Cain’s murder of Abel. The thirst for justice is palpable in America today after the murder of Charlie Kirk. What should we do as Christians? How do we respond? Do we repay violence with violence? Do we lose hope?

We have a God who is a just judge. God’s justice is final, complete… eternal. We can trust in knowing that any action taken by man on this earth will never satisfy our desire for justice. God’s judgement is the only justice that is satisfactory. In Psalm 50, Asaph wrote:

“Our God comes; he does not keep silence;

before him is a devouring fire,

around him a mighty tempest.

He calls to the heavens above

and to the earth, that he may judge his people:

‘Gather to me my faithful ones,

who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!’

The heavens declare his righteousness,

for God himself is judge!”

In light of God’s perfect judgement, what should we do? Should we seek to avenge Charlie or other martyrs? Will our anger solve our thirst for justice? Not at all. Moses wrote in Deuteronomy 32:35 that “‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Vengeance and wrath is not ours to pour out. We need to trust and be patient, for God’s perfect judgement will find everyone. Paul quotes Deuteronomy 32:35 in Romans 12:19. The surrounding verses (17-21) read this:

'Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.' So how do we move forward? This isn't a call to be indifferent to injustice. We need to entrust justice to the hands of the Lord. Our response must be prayer: For the Kirk family, for the Turning Point organisation Charlie founded and ultimately prayer for our nation, that we would see a revival. God is the only cure for the disease sweeping our nation, and God is the only one who can bridge the divide that is being widened every day. As difficult as this is for us as a nation, and myself included, we also need to be praying for the murderer of Charlie Kirk, for his salvation, and for all those who wrong us.

May our grief lead us to greater dependence on God’s promises. May we honor Charlie’s legacy by defending truth with gentleness and compassion. And may our thirst for justice remind us of the day when Christ will return, and every wrong will be made right, when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.