Daily Direction Reading PlanSample

When and how people of faith should use the courts to seek justice is a complex issue. The Bible teaches that before a Christian takes a fellow Christian to court in noncriminal cases, they should make every effort to resolve the issue between themselves—if necessary, even to take wrong. Then there is the example of the Apostle Paul. In his day, the religious leaders accused him of violating their laws. They tried to take justice into their own hands. The Roman authorities rescued Paul. We learn from Acts 25 that he came before Festus at Caesarea. The religious leaders presented their accusations to the governor and Paul denied them. He said he was not guilty of any crime against Jewish law, the temple, or the government. The leaders then asked Festus to transfer Paul to Jerusalem where they intended to kill him. The king asked Paul if he was willing to stand trial in Jerusalem. Paul's answer was emphatic: "No! This is the official Roman court, so I ought to be tried here. If I have done something worthy of death, I don't refuse to die. But if I am innocent, no one has a right to kill me. I appeal to Caesar!" Felix replied, "To Caesar you will go!" Paul used his citizenship rights. So in some cases, when others violate our rights, rather than taking justice into our own hands, we might, like Paul, use the courts to redress the wrong.