The God of Justice..

Hello 👋😁 & Welcome!

The Lord has impressed upon my heart a word of Strength as He is “The God of Justice.” And he wants to overturn your situation because our scars are proof that God brings healing and restoration.

Psalm 89:14

“Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.”

God is just. It is part of His character, which means He is always just. He cannot be unjust, and He defines and sets the standard for justice. As followers of Christ, the answer is simple. Our sense of justice is imparted to us by our Creator God. He is loving, kind, merciful and He is also righteous, holy, and just.

Deuteronomy 32:4

“He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.”

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne, steadfast love and faithfulness go before you as God is just. It is part of His character, which means He is always just. He cannot be unjust, and He defines and sets the standard for justice.

We hear that God is love and God is holy more often than we hear that God is just. And we may readily agree that God sets the standard for love and holiness, but do we understand that He also sets the standard for justice? Pursuing biblical justice means we follow God’s way to make right that which is wrong, and we look to Scripture to define what is “right.” ⚖️

We do not have to look far to see that Jesus is our standard of righteousness. Jesus Christ lived a perfect, sinless life, died a sacrificial death and rose again to make right that which was wrong. It is because of Jesus and His work on the Cross that we can be justified and made right with God.

And Jesus also demonstrates a beautiful example for us to follow in the New Testament as one who cared for the outcast and reached out with compassion to help those most often overlooked.

Jesus pursued justice. He physically and spiritually rescued those in need. Healing the leper in Matthew chapter 8, and caring for the woman who was caught in the very act of adultery in John chapter 8, as these are just a few examples we can glean from.

As we look at the life of Jesus and the mandate given throughout Scripture, it is clear that Christ-followers are called to “do justice”. We are called to take action and confront evil, to care for the vulnerable, and to make right that which is wrong. This mandate is not new. It is not a cultural fad or something that is simply a trend in today’s society. Throughout the Old and New Testament, our call to do justice is clear.

Psalm 82:3

“Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.”

Isaiah 1:17

“Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.”

Micah 6:8

“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

Luke 11:42

“But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”

Social justice is a common term used today. A brief online search will uncover varying definitions of what it means. One definition says social justice is “Promoting a just society by challenging injustice and valuing diversity.” On one hand that sounds fine, but looking deeper, it is rather vague and can lead to many different conclusions about what justice really looks like. In contrast to social justice, which focuses on a temporal view of addressing injustices in society, biblical justice starts with the eternal in mind. It starts by seeing people as God sees them, recognizing that we are all created in the image of God. And it is incumbent upon Christ-followers to pursue physical and spiritual freedom for the oppressed so others can also become what God created them to be. If we have experienced freedom, how can we not pursue freedom on behalf of others? As the Church, we may partner with those doing the work of social justice in our communities, but let us not be confused about our ultimate mission. Our mission is not about picking up another cause because it sounds appealing and makes us look good. Our mission is about fully embracing the cause of Christ. The end goal of biblical justice is seeing lives reconciled to God and eternally transformed.

One day, there will be perfect justice, carried out by a perfectly holy and just God. In the mean-time, evil is pervasive throughout our world. Children are sold into sex slavery. The poor are beaten and forced to work without pay. Human trafficking or modern day slavery continues in every country, city, and community. There are more than 35 million slaves in the world today, more than at any other time in history.

Can we, the Church, lead the way and pursue justice on behalf of the oppressed, the widow, the orphan, and the enslaved? If we know the One who is completely just, should we not lead the charge? YES! Fueled by the compassion of Christ, we engage in issues of injustice, protecting the vulnerable, fighting for those held in oppression, walking alongside the wounded and pointing them to the One who heals, restores and redeems. Pursuing justice starts and continues with a foundation of prayer, because we know it is His battle not our own. It involves time and sacrifice. It means stepping out of our comfort zone and persevering with patience. It means walking in wisdom and not jumping in haphazardly or foolishly. Our just God leads and we follow as He empowers us through the Holy Spirit. So, let’s go. Let’s engage in the fight for biblical justice. Prayer is the key that unlocks the door towards biblical justice.

Let us pray:

“Dear gracious Heavenly Father, our hearts are heavy and broken. Please give us eyes to see and ears to hear where Your Spirit is working. Help us to see every person the way that You see them. Break our hearts for what breaks Yours, God. Let us not merely say that we love each other. Give us strength to mourn with those who mourn, to weep with those who weep. Let Your justice roll like waters. Let your righteousness and love flow from us like rivers of living water. Purify our hearts, Lord, and fill us with genuine hunger for justice, for mercy, and for true peace. Heavenly Father, let justice and mercy start with me.” Amen! 🙌🏻

II Corinthians 12:9

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

A Plea for Mercy:

Psalm 7

“O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me: Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver. O LORD my God, if I have done this: if there be iniquity in my hands; If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (Yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy:) Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah. Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgement that thou hast commanded. So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high. The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me. Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins. My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart. God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready. He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors. Behold, he travails the with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought fourth falsehood. He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate. I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.”

In His Grip,

Pastor Wendy Schenkel