Biblical Justice- There’s Always Something We Can Do
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
God above all else wants justice because it is Who He is. The essence of His nature is truth, love, justice and mercy. Looking closely at the word justice, what does it mean, more specifically what does the term “Biblical Justice” mean? I like Dr. Tony Evan’s definition:
Biblical justice seeks to protect individual liberty while promoting personal responsibility. It is the equitable and impartial application of the rule of God’s moral law in society. There is no clear and right definition of justice that excludes God. So, to grasp justice, we must go to God’s Word. The Bible condemns injustice because God is just. As the ultimate lawgiver, He strongly opposes injustice. His laws are righteous and must be applied without partiality because justice identifies the moral standard by which God measures human conduct.
Sadly, because the world is broken and not everyone wants to live according to God’s standards, there won’t always be justice for injustice. There are nations, governments, companies, religious institutions, and individuals who are unjust. And their corporate injustice in how they run their operations affects the lives of others, leaving more people suffering, pain and bitterness in the world.
But, I am a firm believer that in the midst of unjust people and intuitions, there is always something that can be done, whether that be prayer, calling on someone of a higher power to challenge said unjust person/company, bringing the media’s attention to the issue- there is something that can be done.
And, in order to outraged by injustice, you have to really hate it and resolve that you’re going to be an individual who will do what they can to combat injustice. With the armor of God (Ephesians 6) we can go to battle and slay any Goliath that God is calling us to stand up to.
I love the book of James. Back in 2015 I dedicated two weeks of my Christmas holiday to diving into this book. Quite simply, the Book of James is the book in the Bible that challenges and reminds Christians what a real Christian should look like. James, the biological brother of our Savior doesn’t mince his words as he tells us to get it together and look like Jesus.
In chapter 1, James writes, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world (verse 27).”
And King Solomon wrote: “The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.” (Proverbs 29:7, NIV) And, he also wrote: “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.” (Proverbs 3:27, NIV)
In the midst of injustice, there is always something we can do against the injustice of another because God has shown us in His Word what Biblical Justice looks like. If an opportunity comes your way this weekend, or next week, or this year to stand up to injustice, ask God if He is wanting you to participate in some way to be His hands and His feet in the situation. Don’t let excuses be the first thing that you resort to. Have a mindset that where there’s a will there’s a way. And that might look like prayer, fasting, making a call, confronting in love, calling the news to make some noise, or calling upon a higher body to hold injustice to account. No matter our age or status, there is always something we can do to help each other.