This is the first installment in a four-part series examining what the Bible says about justice. In this installment, we'll look at how justice relates to the character of God.

Justice and God's Character

By Pam Hinrichs

Created by God in God's Image
"So God created man in His own image." (Genesis 1:26-27)
"The earth is the Lord's and everything in it." (Psalms 24:1)

The Bible teaches that the sacredness of God has in some ways been imparted to humanity, so that every human life is sacred, and every human being has dignity. When God put his image upon us, we each became beings of infinite, inestimable value. All humans are equal before God and have the right to be treated with dignity and fairness. There are no gradations in the image of God. As Paul wrote, "'For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to dogood works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10).

What is God's Character?

Throughout the Bible, God shows us his character. Through creation, God has revealed attributes of his character to be loving, merciful, kind, righteous, holy, and just. "I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he" (Deuteronomy 32:3-4). "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you" (Psalm 89:14-15).

Justice is fundamental to God's character. His passion for justice is reflected throughout Scripture. Especially convicting is the strong language he uses when talking about justice. He leaves no doubt about what he thinks. God is slow to anger but loudly vents his anger in the face of injustice. "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love" (Psalm 103:8). "I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight" (Jeremiah 9:23-24). "For I, the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity" (Isaiah 61:8). "The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates.  On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot. For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice" (Psalm 11:5-7). "This is what the Lord says: 'Administer justice every morning; rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done. . ." (Jeremiah 21:12). "The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice… He was appalled that there was no one to intervene" (Isaiah 59:15-16). When the people refused to do justice, ". . . the Lord Almighty was very angry" (Zechariah 7:8-12).

God's tender loving heart, especially for the marginalized, is emphasized when scripture talks about justice. He repeatedly points out the disadvantaged, those who are ignored and oppressed by powerful people and systems, and he calls out for justice for them, for equitable treatment and opportunity. When God introduces himself, he says he is father to the fatherless, a defender of widows. "He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing" (Deuteronomy 10:18, Psalm 68:5). "I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy" (Psalm 140:12). "Who is like you, O Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them" (Psalm 35:10, Psalms 146:7-9). "The Lord God upholds justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry, and sets the prisoner free. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down but he thwarts the way of the wicked" (Leviticus 24:22). "You are to have the same law for the immigrant as for the native born" (Leviticus 19:15). "Do not pervert justice or show partiality" (Deuteronomy 16:19). "Don't deprive a foreigner or the fatherless of justice" (Deuteronomy 24:17).

Many Mosaic laws in the Old Testament, reflecting God's passion for justice, worked toward diminishing the great gap that tends to grow between those with power and those without it. For example, in Leviticus 25, recognizing our fallen world and sin, God sets out a blueprint for economic justice here on earth that he instructed his people to implement. He called for a year of Jubilee to take place every 50 years. In the Jubilee year, slaves were freed, debts were canceled, and ancestral property was returned to the original family. He instructed that the destitute not be exploited through interest or the desire for profit. He reminds us that the land is his, not ours, and that we are merely his tenants. In Leviticus 25:17, God says, "Do not take advantage of each other but fear your God. I am the Lord your God." Through the year of Jubilee, God calls us to right our relationships with each other and with him.

God so identifies with the marginalized that when he came to us, when he became human, Jesus was born to a humble family, in a stable, not on a throne. And Jesus, God in the flesh, was unjustly prosecuted, sentenced, tortured, and crucified. Injustice is personal to him. God understands and deeply identifies with those who suffer injustice and oppression.  

We hope you'll spend some time reflecting on these verses about how justice is part of the character of God. In the next part, we'll look at God's requirement to do justice.