Who Is A Just Man?

A talk delivered on FATHER’S DAY to Catholic Men Organization of Nigeria (CMON)

of Good Shepherd Catholic Church, Asoro, Benin City, on Sunday, 21^st June, 2026.

By

Prof. Sylvester Idemudia Odia, KSP

INTRODUCTION:

            From a scriptural point of view, a just man is a righteous man. He is a person who does what is right in accordance with God’s teachings in the scriptures and who is pleasing to God. The following people are examples of just or righteous men mentioned in the bible: Noah who “was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God” (Gen. 6:9); John the Baptist – “For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man” (Mark 6:20); Simeon at the Presentation of Jesus in the temple – “and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” (Lk. 2:25); Joseph the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus Christ – “and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly.” (Matt. 1:19); Nathaniel (Bartholomew) – “Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!’” (Jn. 1:47); Joseph of Arimathea – “Now there was a man named Joseph from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their purpose and deed, and he was looking for the kingdom of God” (Lk. 23: 50 – 51).

            Furthermore, Psalm 15 gives a summary of some of the qualities of a just man:

“O LORD, who shall sojourn in thy tent? Who shall dwell on thy holy hill? He who works blamelessly, and does what is right, and speak truth from his heart; who does not slander with his tongue, and does no evil to his friend, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbour; in whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honours those who fear the Lord; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; who does not put out his money as interest, and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.”

Looking at the principles of some of the just and righteous men mentioned in the bible, and some of the qualities of a just man in Psalm 15, let us practically answer the question: “Who is a just man?”

NINE (9) PRINCIPLES OF A JUST MAN

A just man has the following nine (9) principles:

• A just man knows what is right and does it: The just man has knowledge of axiology which is the study of that which is good (ethics and morality) and beautiful (aesthetics) according to the scriptures, and he practically carries them out in his life according to his purpose in life. You cannot do what you don’t know, just as you cannot give what you don’t have. Like Noah, John the Baptist, Simeon at the temple, Joseph of Arimathea, Nathaniel, Joseph the husband of Mary and foster father of Jesus Christ, let us prayerfully discern our purpose in life and fulfil it.

• He speaks the truth from his heart to the extent he knows it from the scriptures, and does not slander with his tongue: In Nathaniel, there is no guile. Joseph of Arimathea rationally did not support the scheming and deceit of the council. John the Baptist spoke the truth to Herod without fear or favour. Joseph the husband of Mary accepted the truth about the conception of Jesus Christ and accepted Mary as his wife. Joseph had revelations in the form of dreams. Simeon’s recognition of the infant Jesus as the Messiah was also from revelation in the form of intrusion via intuition. Thus, a just man seeks knowledge of both the conscious mind (senses, reason, authority) and the subconscious mind (intuitions, intrusions/revelations, dreams/visions/trance, feelings and telepathy).

• He does no evil to his friends, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbour: Joseph to whom Mary was betrothed was planning to disengage from Mary quietly without any form of embarrassment or disgrace because he does not want to do evil to her. As he was planning to do this, he had a dream that clarified everything to him. Joseph of Arimathea who was aware of the evil done to Jesus by the members of the council he belonged to obtained permission from Pilate to bring down the body of Jesus from the cross and provided a tomb for Him. The just man repays the evil done by others with good according to his capacity.

• In his eyes a reprobate is despised: A reprobate is an immoral, depraved and unprincipled person. A just man does not keep the company of such persons because such persons do not keep God’s words and they can corrupt good people. Noah was wise enough not to keep the company of reprobates. By so doing he remained righteous before God. John the Baptist may have learned from the mistakes of Samson and decided to stay in the desert or wilderness living on locusts and wild honey (Mark 1: 6) so that he may not be tempted to “drink wine nor strong drink” (Luke 1: 15).

• He honours those who fear the Lord: Mary’s “Yes!” to angel Gabriel was a big risk she made in faith out of a reverential fear of God. Joseph, her husband, completed the rights of marriage to honour Mary whose reverential fear of God led to her total submission to the will of God. Thus, the just man has respect and honour for persons who fear God to the extent of practically doing God’s will even to the point of risking their own lives for God.

• He swears to his own hurt and does not change: The just man keeps his words. He is very committed to the love of God and neighbour. In spite of the challenges they faced, John the Baptist and Joseph the husband of Mary persevered to the end. Also, Noah was not deterred by the laughter of the reprobates of his time, and Joseph of Arimathea followed his heart to give Jesus a tomb without minding the possible consequences as a member of the council.

• He does not put out his money as interest: The just man does good without exploiting others. He loans out money to those in need without demanding for an interest. However, when he does business with his money through financial institutions or through buying and selling, he gets interest legitimately. Joseph the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus Christ was a carpenter. He provided for his family through the mastery of the skill or talent of carpentry without exploiting anyone. Thus, the just man keeps to the tenets of the Parable of the Talents (Matt. 25: 14 – 30).

• He does not take a bribe against the innocent:  The scriptures did not tell us anything about the political ambition of Joseph of Arimathea who was a member of the council. But he refused to take part in the unjust judgment against Jesus Christ, and he further assisted in the burial of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist did not speak kindly to the different categories of persons who came to him to receive the Baptism of Repentance, nor did he speak kindly to Herod the king over Herod’s taking of another man’s wife. The just man cannot be bribed to do wrong and he does not demand for a bribe to carryout his duties and responsibilities.

• He works blamelessly before the Lord: Every work of thoughts (thinking), words and practical actions of a just man are tailored after the word of God. Thus, the just man seeks first God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness so that God’s blessings can be upon him, his family, and the works of his hands. Being human with some human limitations, the just man looks for every opportunity to forgive, to give, to assist, and to help others. He believes strongly in God keeping His words:

• “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matt. 5: 7).
• “And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us” (Matt. 6: 12).
• “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” (Luke 6: 37 – 38).

Thus, the just man constantly forgives and does what is right before God, and constantly enjoys God’s forgiveness also (and becomes blameless before the Lord).

CONCLUSION:

Like the just men mentioned in the scriptures, each and every one of us can become a just man by doing the following:

1. Know who you are in the Blessed Trinity, believe it and proclaim it daily. You are the “image and likeness of God” (Gen. 1:26); you are the “breath of God” (Gen. 2:7)
2. Prayerfully discern your purpose in life to help you determine accurately what you want to be. Answer the question: “Why did God create me and brought me into the world at this point in time in human history?” Manifest the answer to the question daily by practically living out your purpose in life.
3. Live or manifest a purpose driven life each day in line with the principles of the just man, and believing and trusting God to keep His words. Indeed, everything thing material and spiritual you ask the Blessed Trinity will be given onto you, or will be attracted to you.

May the just men in the scriptures, especially St. Joseph the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus Christ, intercede for us on this Father’s Day and always. Amen!