Justice – A Christian Perspective
by Brianna McClean
Here at Jericho Road we talk a lot about seeking justice. But, why do we think this is important? Largely, because we get our values from the Bible. We are a Christian organisation and that drives everything we do. Today, we explore what our faith has to do with justice.
The World the Way it was Meant to Be
The Bible tells us that when God created the world, it was perfect. In the book of Genesis, God says that he looked at the world he had created and declared it ‘very good’. That means there was no injustice. The world is supposed to be a place where love reigns. It is supposed to be a place where every child is given the chance to live full and meaningful lives. It is supposed to be a place with no death and suffering.
The Bible then tells us that it was humans that caused all the chaos that is so obvious around us today. We are the reason that there is injustice. Christians understand that the world was never meant to be this way and so we seek to see things the way they were intended.
A God of Justice
We also follow a God of justice. The God of the Bible cares about justice. He cares about the weak, the vulnerable and those in need. He cares about children and those unable to defend themselves. That’s why he doesn’t just leave us in the mess we have created. The great news in the Bible is that God has a rescue plan! He sent his own son, Jesus, to earth. Jesus lived the perfect life that we should live but can’t. He didn’t make the mistakes that we all make, he didn’t turn his back on God. Even though he was the only person who doesn’t deserve God’s punishment, he was the person who took that punishment on our behalf. He came and died so that we could be forgiven. Our mess was dealt with – now that’s justice!
The God of the Bible has lots of things to say about justice. It tells us that as Christians seeking justice is one of our primary aims of this life. Micah 6:8 says this, ‘What does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God’. We can only do this because God shows us what it is like to show justice. Psalm 33:5 says this about God, ‘The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love’.
One Day Perfection!
The other amazing promise of the Bible is that Jesus is coming back to judge the earth and bring justice. Jesus is the perfect judge, he is always fair. When he comes back everyone who puts their trust in him will be in a world where there is no more crying, no more sadness and no more pain. There will be no more injustice because our King, Jesus, is the ultimate defender of justice. Because we look forward to this day, we act it out in the way we live now. That means that our lives now are to reflect the goodness of our God and his love of justice. We are asked to defend those who cannot defend themselves. That means we are to love everyone in the way that God has showed us his love, through his rescue plan.
Justice is at the core of who we are at Jericho Road. We seek to see justice done – because as a Christian organisation we follow a God who is just. He showed us this when he sent Jesus to die on our behalf – allowing us to be a in a relationship with him. Now, as we celebrate what Jesus has done, we live as his followers – pursuing the same justice that he does.