I have a knack for finding politically unpopular middle positions on controversial issues, but I hope that means I’m more biblical than partisan.

For instance, the Department of Justice over the last decade has left me both frustrated and uneasy. On the one hand, I’m frustrated that the right (or wrong) people never seem to go to jail. The architects of the 2008 financial crisis, the USAID grifters, the COVID fraudsters who stole hundreds of billions, the Jeffrey Epstein clients, and more.

At the same time, I’m uneasy about the DOJ’s zealous prosecutions of others, first President Trump in what seemed an obvious, politically motivated hit job. The DOJ released a report this week detailing several more examples of political “revenge justice” carried out by Biden’s DOJ. We now know the DOJ worked to target pro-lifers, Catholics, Christian charities, parents at school board meetings, and more.

But Biden is gone now, thankfully, and we face a choice as the church and conservatives: will we stop the politically motivated prosecutions or join the revenge mob now that it is “our turn?”

Or even when a federal prosecution is justified, as some certainly are, will we keep our hearts pure and let the process play out fairly?

Does James Comey deserve prosecution for a social media post? Or is this a chance to get even? How about Letitia James?

Few understand this temptation like Family Research Council. The Southern Poverty Law Center is facing investigation for allegedly sending millions of dollars to the very hate groups they vowed to oppose. SPLC has long farmed fake racism for millions, raising money by labeling the most upstanding conservative organizations — like FRC and others — as equivalent to the KKK and Nazis. (For those interested, we discussed this in a recent “Outstanding” podcast.)

In 2012 — shortly after the SPLC labeled FRC a “hate group” — a shooter walked through the front doors of FRC, gun in tow, with plans to exterminate its staff. He packed 15 Chick-fil-A sandwiches to stuff in the mouths of his victims, a clear political message.

So when America’s collective jaw dropped at SPLC’s recent scandal, it could have been tempting to celebrate their downfall. But should they? That’s the question.

To be clear, SPLC deserves this investigation. The evidence is real and deserves a day in court. But what is our heart posture as we watch it play out? Do we delight in blind justice or lust for revenge?

It’s a hard question with a clear answer. Even though we delight in God’s righteous judgments, we cannot celebrate the suffering of our enemies — in part because it is forbidden by Scripture and in part because they are not really our enemies at all, but the spirits and forces that animate them. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).

Revenge vs. Justice

Clearly revenge and justice are not the same, but in our modern political moment, we regularly confuse them.

Justice is established when God as the True Judge rules according to His word, His standards, for His purposes that someone must be brought to account for their wrongdoing. Justice benefits everyone. True justice seeks what is best for the polis, the people, by removing evil, creating fear of the Lord, and constantly realigning us with the transcendent standard of right and wrong. Purge the evil from your midst.

On the other hand, revenge seeks what is best for the personal animus of a self-appointed human judge to satisfy the anger and passion craving that another suffer. Revenge requires a human to take God’s place as judge, deciding what is good and evil for ourselves. (Remember the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?) Taken on the position of avenger, we appoint ourselves — if even for a brief moment — the sole arbiter of right and wrong in the universe: judge, jury, and executioner. Anger fuels self-righteousness, and a verdict is rendered. Guilty. Often the sin against us that inspires the vengeance is very real and very painful, and yet we go too far in our punishment of the one who has sinned against us.

In the social media age, everyone is incentivized to make judgements for clicks, likes, engagements, etc. The harsher and more bombastic the condemnation, the more viral it may be. Controversy sells. We are drawn to it online the way a fist fight in the school yard always gathers a crowd. But we must resist the world’s impulse to be defiled declarants of others’ demise. This revenge mob has many victims, always before the evidence is gathered, from a Catholic kid from Covington High School to the police officers defending themselves, usually rightly.

We would also do well to remember the Western foundations upon which we are built. The presumption of innocence is a foundational value of our justice system, one we would certainly like applied to us if, God forbid, the revenge mob comes for us. The Golden Rule might adjure us to give that same leniency to others.

Even worse, the leftists will almost certainly have political power again and the DOJ report showed they have few inhibitions against targeting Christians. To copy their example may be to cede the moral authority to protest when that time comes.

The Church’s Role vs. the Government’s Role

To think through this question, we have to understand jurisdictional authority. The government has the jurisdiction, and even the biblical command, to enact punishment on wrongdoers. “For the one in [earthly governmental] authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer” (Romans 13:4).

But just the chapter before, the same author, the Apostle Paul, gives a clear warning: “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19).

In this letter, Paul is speaking to the church. The church and the law enforcement arm of government have different callings, according to Scripture. One is commanded to put criminals in prison. The other is commanded to visit prisoners and offer them the gospel.

So here we see two things happening simultaneously: God has instituted earthly government, not the church, to exact His justice on criminals AND He prohibits revenge as a motive, an admonition that applies to both the church and the government.

• Leviticus 19:18 – “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge… but love your neighbor as yourself.”
• Proverbs 20:22 – “Do not say, ‘I’ll pay you back for this wrong!’ Wait for the Lord, and he will avenge you.”
• Proverbs 24:29 – “Do not say, ‘I’ll do to them as they have done to me…’”
• Deuteronomy 32:35 – “It is mine to avenge; I will repay.”
• Romans 12:19 – “Do not take revenge… ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”

Heart Check: Forgiven Much, Forgiving Little

Remember the parable of the man who faced bankruptcy and slavery because of his debts? A merciful king forgave him — a picture of the warrantless forgiveness we receive in Christ — and that man leaves the king’s presence free. However, he soon falls into folly:

“But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt” (Matthew 18:29-34).

Those who carry out revenge should repent. Those who execute justice should tremble knowing that they too will be held to the same standard, both in the judgement of human authority and on Judgement Day. “Every knee will bow…”

Justice and Mercy

The church has a biblical command to be ambassadors of mercy. But that doesn’t mean we reject justice and righteousness. On the contrary, we are commanded to be a prophetic voice that calls sinners to repentance. The church is the conscience of the nation, and the Bible makes clear that without holiness no one will see the Lord. On that day, many will say to Him, “Lord, Lord,” but He will say, “I never knew you, you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:22).

Jesus captures this duality. On the cross, He asks that the Father forgive His tormenters, yet when He returns in glory He will with perfect judgment set the earth right, purging it of evil and settling accounts as the new King of the earth. The same Teacher known for “turn the other cheek” made clear that Judgment Day was coming, and you better be ready.

We, forgiven of much, should trust vengeance to God, extend mercy when we can, and support the government’s role to fairly distribute earthly justice.

The church faces a temptation to join the revenge mob while the getting is good, but we would do well to stick with even-handed justice, as tempting as revenge may be, both because God commands us to avoid it but also because leftists may soon be in power who are more organized and thirsty for blood than we can imagine.