Modern man "has educated himself into imbecility". That quote from Malcolm Muggeridge came to mind years ago in a discussion with a co-worker about a basic legal principle that had been tossed aside by 20th century “reasoning”. Our aversion to pain, and an unbalanced desire to “be fair”, have caused us to reward the wicked and punish the righteous in both civil and criminal law. It is "not fair" to reward someone for their own self-destructive actions by punishing another person for their reasonable actions. Yet that's what our “educated” society is doing - to its own destruction.

That kind of thinking is irrational and, not coincidentally, un-Biblical. A basic principle under the Law of Moses was that judges were to "justify the righteous and condemn the wicked" (Deuteronomy 25:1-3). That meant they should not "respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty" and, as one version translates it "You must be fair when you judge your neighbor." (Leviticus 19:15). Fair means doing what is right. Doing what is right means following the law. Following the law leads to justice. Therefore, justice is “fair”.

None of us really want justice when we've done wrong. Instead we want mercy, and in the pursuit of it have mistaken mercy for fairness. If we really want to understand justice and mercy we should look at God. He is absolutely just, but He is also merciful. In the Cross God's justice and mercy met to bring salvation from our sin (Romans 3:21-26). And our irrational world thinks that's foolish (1 Corinthians 1:23)!