The Bishop of the Diocese of Lagos West, Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev. James Odedeji, has urged judges and lawyers to uphold justice and integrity, warning against allowing wealth, influence, status or personal interests to interfere with the administration of justice.
Bishop Odedeji gave the warning on Monday while delivering a sermon titled “Faithfulness” at the 2026/2027 New Legal Year Special Service of the Lagos State Judiciary, held at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, Lagos.
Speaking on the responsibilities of members of the legal profession, the bishop cited Leviticus 19:15 and urged judges and lawyers to avoid oppressing the poor or showing favour to the wealthy.
He stressed that justice should be administered fairly and must remain accessible to all, regardless of social or financial status.
“Justice must not be sold. Justice must not be distorted. Justice must not depend on status. Justice must not become available unto those who can afford it, the highest bidders,” he said.
Bishop Odedeji added that the poor should not be despised while wealthy and influential individuals should not receive preferential treatment because of their position or connections.
Drawing from 1 Corinthians 4:2, which states that “it is required in stewards that one be found faithful,” the bishop said the beginning of a new legal year provided an opportunity for members of the judiciary and the Bar to reflect on the responsibilities attached to their offices.
He reminded judges and lawyers that their positions were a trust and that their decisions could have serious consequences for the liberty, property, reputation and lives of others.
“We are stewards and not owners. Whatever position the Lord has given to us is borrowed,” he said.
The bishop also referenced John 3:27 and Hebrews 5:4 to emphasise that positions of authority and honour were entrusted to individuals and should therefore be handled responsibly.
He described judicial office, legal briefs and clients’ confidence as trusts that required faithfulness, stressing that greater positions came with greater responsibilities.
“A judicial office is a trust. A brief entrusted to a lawyer is a trust. The confidence of a client is a trust,” he said.
Odedeji warned that professional achievements without integrity could amount to failure, noting that a lawyer could win a case while losing his or her conscience.
“A person may win a case and still lose his integrity. A person may obtain judgment in his favour and still stand condemned in his own conscience,” he said.
He therefore urged lawyers to combine professional competence with good character, warning that legal expertise without conscience could turn the law into an instrument of oppression.
“Therefore, let your competence be impressive, but let your character be unquestionable as you start a new legal year,” he said.
The bishop also cautioned judicial officers against using their authority to intimidate, dominate or humiliate others.
He reminded them that holding a position of power did not make them superior to those appearing before them, stressing that everyone in authority remained accountable to God.
“There is a judge above every judge, there’s an authority above every authority, there is a court from which no appeal is possible,” he said.
According to him, divine judgment could not be influenced by wealth, intimidation, eloquence or legal technicalities because God sees beyond what is presented publicly.
“God sees beyond evidence. He sees the motives, He sees the intention, He sees what happened behind closed doors,” Bishop Odedeji said.
He urged members of the legal profession not to measure success solely by the positions they attain, but by how faithfully they discharge their responsibilities.
“The world we belong to often measures success by position. But scripture measures success by faithfulness,” he said.
Bishop Odedeji noted that while offices and positions were temporary, decisions taken in those positions could have lasting consequences.
He therefore urged judges and lawyers to remain committed to justice, mercy and humility throughout the new legal year.
“Your office, my office is a trust, your authority is an assignment, your position is temporary, your decisions have consequences, your character matters, your conscience matters, and your ultimate accountability is to God,” he said.
He concluded by urging members of the legal profession to remain conscious of their ultimate accountability and to ensure that their pursuit of justice was guided by integrity.
“May you never become so familiar with the law that you lose your reverence for justice. And may you never become occupied with judging others that you forget that one day, all of us will equally be judged,” he said.
