Just Because You Love

Scripture Reading: Exodus 23:1-3

One of the ideals of the United States is equal justice. We like to think that we have a system in which justice is blind. Unfortunately, we often fail to live up to that ideal. As Christians, we should strive to live justly towards others. This is a part of what it means to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Exodus 23 lays out some of the principles that demonstrate what that might look like. To live justly means we don’t gossip. We don’t say things that we know are untrue about others and spread lies. We don’t allow ourselves to be used to testify falsely about another person, even a person we don’t like. We Don’t “fall in with the many.” Meaning we aren’t going to side with the majority when the majority is wrong.

That is just a start. It is a good start.

The underlying principle is the principle of loving others. Loving others means we are going to be fair to them and honest about them. While our system may not always live up to the ideal of equal justice, we can live up to that standard in the way we conduct our lives.