Journey to Justice Part 1: Justice at the heart of God

Justice and righteousness are the same concept in the Bible- there isn't the kind of division between public justice and private righteousness that we have in western culture today.

If we want to become holy as God is holy, we have to have a passion for justice. We can't just be focused on our own personal holiness without a wider vision for the poor, needy and the voiceless in our society. Here's just a selection of some key Scriptures that focus on this issue:

The Law of Moses

'Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.' (Exodus 23:6)

'Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favouritism to the great, but judge your neighbour fairly.' (Leviticus 19:15)

“Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.” (Deuteronomy 27:19)

Wisdom literature

'Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right?' (Job 8:3)

'The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.' (Job 37:23)

'The Lord is known by His acts of justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.' (Psalm 9:16)

'For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face.' (Psalm 11:7)

'The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.' (Psalm 33:5)

'Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a sceptre of justice will be the sceptre of your kingdom.' (Psalm 45:6)

'And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice.' (Psalm 50:6)

'Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.' (Psalm 89:14)

'I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.' (Psalm 140:12)

'The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.' (Proverbs 29:7)

The Prophets

'Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.' (Isaiah 1:17)

'But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice, and the holy God will be proved holy by his righteous acts.' (Isaiah 5:16)

'Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.' (Isaiah 9:7)

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations... A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope.” (Isaiah 42:1-4)

The Gospels

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former." (Matthew 23:23)

"And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:7-8)

New Testament Writings

"For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”(Acts 17:31)

'I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.' (Revelation 19:11)

That God is a God of justice is absolutely foundational to His character and the whole testimony of Scripture. But that doesn't mean His justice is always clear or easy to understand. One thing I'm sure of: as humans we find it easy to cast ourselves as victims. Whenever anything hard happens, we feel it is undeserved. When we encounter sudden loss or grief, we question why God thought it best to take that person away who we loved so much. When we see news reports of war, conflict and disaster, starving children, trafficked women and children, our sense of justice feels outraged and we just can't comprehend how God is just and yet He doesn't intervene to bring all these things to an end... Yet. It's a matter of trusting the Bible's promises, that God is more just than we can imagine or handle. In fact, if His justice was turned on us, there is no way we could stand. (Ps 130:3) The portrayal in the Bible of the coming of God's justice in final judgement are earth shattering and terrifying (eg. Joel 2).

Whenever I'm tempted to think that I care more about justice than God, I remember the cross. The fact is that my concern for justice is all too often self centred and localized. I don't care anywhere near enough about my Christian brothers and sisters in labour camps in North Korea, or refugee families from Syria, or even the poor and needy in my own community. My prayer needs to be: "Lord make me care more about justice", rather than feeling I'm in any position to demand it on my terms.