Uche Aligwekwe Definition
“…the crime or act of wilfully interfering with the process of justice and law…”
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
“interference with the orderly administration of law and justice”
Black’s Law Dictionary
A similar term to this that is used in some countries is, perverting the course of justice.
God is a God of Justice! In God’s judicial process, God Himself is the Judge and His Word is the Law. His Holy Spirit and the conviction that He brings constitutes the arresting officers and police. He also has angels to help Him carry out the sentence once His judgement is pronounced. These ministers of His obey His every Word.
Retaliation and revenge of any sort are sins; they are punishable crimes in God’s order of justice.
In God’s kingdom, just like in any other civilized nation where the rule of law prevails, no citizen is permitted to take the law into their own hands; no one is permitted to take justice into their own hands. No one is allowed to obstruct or pervert the course of justice. There is due legal process. Only the law itself can prosecute and execute justice. Only the law has the right to convict and to administer justice. No one is permitted to interfere with or obstruct that process.
So, this is exactly what God means when He warns us that,
Repay no one evil for evil…
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
Romans 12:17, 19 (NKJV)
Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.
1 Peter 3:9 (NLT)
God is saying, justice is mine, justice belongs to the law. Punishment is mine. To prosecute and execute belongs to me! Don’t interfere with the process. Don’t obstruct my justice!
When we refuse to forgive people who wrong us or we retaliate in any way, we are attempting to take the law into our own hands, and we’ll get into trouble with the very same law which was meant to protect us and defend us!
It’s exactly as if someone committed a crime against us and instead of reporting it to the police and leaving it in their hands, we went round to the person’s home or workplace with a cricket bat or a shotgun and executed our own personal brand of ‘justice’ against the person. Or perhaps they were caught committing the crime and were arrested and incarcerated by the police yet before justice could run its course where they are prosecuted in court, convicted and sentenced; or perhaps after they’d even been sentenced and were serving jail time; somewhere, anywhere along this course of justice playing out, we became lost our patience and obstructed the course of justice by taking matters into our own hands and visiting them with that cricket bat or shotgun.
This is exactly what we’ve done whenever we’ve failed to forgive or when we’ve retaliated against those who have offended or wronged us. We have obstructed the course of justice.
This makes us guilty of a crime!
Unforgiveness is a crime; unforgiveness is a sin. Retaliation and revenge of any sort are sins; they are punishable crimes in God’s order of justice. There are consequences for sin, for crimes! Two wrongs don’t make a right!
The law is there to protect us; leave it to the law! Leave it to God! Stay clean! Stay guiltless! Stay innocent! Forgive! Don’t retaliate! Stay on the God’s side! Stay on the side of the law and follow its rules and the law will stay on your side!
This is exactly what Jesus did when He was wronged.
He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.
1 Peter 2:23 (NLT)
Jesus left His (court) case in the hands of God who judges…! God is a judge! God is a God of justice!
Forgiveness is God’s Masterkey; it unlocks every door. It holds the answer to our healing and to our authority to heal others!
The faith for healing is the faith for forgiveness! You can’t have great faith for healing, unless you have great faith for forgiveness! Conversely, if you have great faith for forgiving, your health and healing will spring forth without difficulty and so will your grace and authority to heal others who are sick or wounded.
Taking the law into your own hands is hard work. It’s work that only God has the power, the endurance, the wisdom and the justice to complete. Avenging yourself is hard work. It is much easier to leave it to God and His justice! He is all powerful and His judgement is just. We know in part, but He is all knowing.
Justice has a course to run. Forgive those who offend you and allow God’s justice to run its course!
So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you. 1 Peter 4:19(NLT)