By Pam Hinrichs

This is the second installment in a four-part series examining what the Bible says about justice. In this installment, we'll look at what God asks of us as believers. You can find Part 1 here.

God's Requirement To Do Justice

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:36-40). The first commandment is about our relationship with God and counters our tendency to worship something other than the one true God. The second commandment is about our relationship with each other, each of us being made in the image of God and counters our tendency to 'play God' in the lives of other people, especially when we perpetuate injustice.

What does love of God and neighbor look like? In response to this question, the prophet Micah answers, "He has showed you, O man, 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" (Micah 6: 8).  Jesus reiterates and emphasizes this when he says, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices – mint, dill and cummin. BUT you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness" (Matthew 23:23, Luke 11:42). Justice is fundamental to loving our neighbor.

God is insistent and passionate in his call to us to act justly. He wants it to sink in. "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. . ." (Zechariah 7:8-10). The prophet Isaiah tells us to "Seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow" (Isaiah 1:17). "This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right" (Jeremiah 22:3). "Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death" (Exodus 23: 6-7). "Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow" (Deuteronomy 27:19). "Do not pervert justice or show partiality" (Deuteronomy 16:19). "Maintain justice in the courts" (Amos 5:15). In Amos 5:24, the Lord eloquently calls for the people to "Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!"

It is clear how important justice is to our God. But what does he mean when he says we are required to "act justly"? Phrases used in various Bible translations are: "to do justly" (ASV), "to do justice" (ESV), "to carry out justice" (NET). God is calling us to action, to do something. Justice is more than feelings. Justice is love in action. As the apostle James wrote, "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?" (James 2:14). "Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead" (James 2:15-17). God knows that the powers of darkness, the forces of evil, and our sins can manifest themselves on this earth as real injustice, real oppression. And he calls us to respond to our neighbors' tangible suffering of injustice and oppression with action and tangible remedies. Matthew 25:35-36 gives specific examples: "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."

Job tells us a lot about justice. Job clothed the naked and "broke the fangs of the wicked and made them drop their victims" (Job 29:17). He took action. He not only rescued the victim, but he also dismantled the systems used to perpetrate injustice. We also learn from Job that we should always be on the lookout for injustice. When Job says, "I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and turban" (Job 29:14), he is speaking about an awareness that permeates his daily life as completely as his clothing covered his body. Job goes on to say that he wars against injustice, suggesting that it is always on his mind, he is always looking for ways to do justice. In Jeremiah, the Lord calls us to action and says it is a priority. Doing justice is to be first thing in the morning, every day. "Administer justice every morning …" (Jeremiah 21:12).

We hope you'll spend some time this month reflecting on these verses about God's requirement for Christians to do justice. Next month, we'll look at how we can do justice.