There is a wrestle in a
believer’s life regarding what true justice looks like. What does it
mean to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God?[1]
How do we wrestle through the purpose and impact of our lives
personally and in society? How do we navigate our own propensity to try
and bring justice through our human means instead of through God’s
means? What does the justice of God look like? How does our personal
salvation translate into social concern with Christ Jesus as the
cornerstone? How does fasting, prayer, reading the Word, intercession,
intimacy with God, and personal holiness connect with touching the poor
and releasing God’s justice?
True justice is found when creation functions the way Creator God intended His creation to function.[2]
Mankind was created to have a personal, intimate relationship with God
and with one another. When Adam and Eve sinned, the relationship that
they enjoyed with God was severed. However, God promised that He would
provide a way for the relationship to be restored – Jesus’ death,
resurrection and ascension.[3] The core of true justice is right standing with God through faith in Jesus.[4]
True justice begins God’s way – reconciliation with the Father through
the atoning work of the Son and transformation of the heart by the power
of His Holy Spirit. Justice begins with the depraved heart being made
whole and holy by faith in Jesus Christ. Without faith in Jesus by the
grace of God, we cannot be justified, act justly nor be ambassadors of
God’s justice.
Jesus said that we are
to keep our hearts with all diligence because from it flows the issues
of life and that out of the abundance of our heart flow our words,
beliefs, attitudes and actions.[5]
What we believe in the secret place about God, others and ourselves
will ultimately flow out of our hearts and personal lives and into
society and the culture around us. Our personal holiness affects our
ability to love justice and act justly. So how do we diligently keep our
hearts? We allow the Holy Spirit to transform us by the renewing of our
minds, conforming us into the image of Jesus Christ, the Just One. By
believing in Jesus, loving His word, knowing His truth, communing with
His indwelling Spirit, praying and talking to God and loving what God
loves and hating what God hates.[6]
If our hearts are not being transformed by and conformed to God’s
standards of righteousness and justice, we are incapable of
understanding and living true lives of justice. The fruit of our
personal justification through salvation spreads into our relationships
with others and influences are responses to the injustices that have
been done to us, both personally and corporately. Societies are changed
when individuals, who have been justified by faith and transformed by
the power of the Holy Spirit, express that inward holiness into all
spheres of their lives.
Because justice begins
with justification of our Spirit through reconciliation with the Father
by the power of the blood of Jesus, we must start our journey into
joy-filled justice with Jesus. Jesus is the beginning and the end of
justice.
[6] Psalm 119:9-16; John 8:32; 2 Corinthians 3:17, NKJV
[7] Greaves, Stuart. "2." False Justice: Unveiling the Truth about Social Justice. 39. Print.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment