Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
GOD IS INTO JUSTICE
He loves Justice
Psalm 33:5
He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
He Commands it
Jer. 22:3
Thus says the Lord: “Execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.
The Prayer for Justice Deeply Impacts Him
1 Kings 3:9-12
Therefore, give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” 10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.
It’s a form of knowing Him
Jer. 22:16
He judged the cause of the poor and needy; Then it was well. Was not this knowing Me?” says the Lord.
Apathy towards the Oppressed can Hinder our Prayers
Isaiah 1:15-17
When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. 16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, 17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.
INJUSTICE AGAINST GOD IS A FACTOR
The ultimate injustice is against God
Romans 1:18-22
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
Ultimate Justice is being reconciled to God
Romans 3:23-26
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS ARE TWINS
The word ‘justice’ occurs 115 times in rsv OT, usually for mišpāṭ, ‘judgment’, the rule that should guide *judges. In the av, however, it represents mišpāṭ only once (Jb. 36:17); elsewhere it translates ṣeḏeq or ṣeḏāqâ. The more frequent rendering of these latter nouns is ‘righteousness’; but when mišpāṭ and ṣeḏāqâ appear together av translates the whole phrase as ‘judgment and justice’
The word “justice” does not occur in the NT, and in most cases where we find “just” in AV it is changed to “righteous” in ARV. The idea of justice or righteousness (remembering that these are essentially the same) becomes more spiritual and ethical in the NT. It is a matter of character, and God’s own spirit is the standard
They are foundational
Psalm 89:14
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face.
He repays for injustice and unrighteousness
Ezek. 16:49-50
Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 50 And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.
It’s pure religion
James 1:27
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
JESUS AND JUSTICE
He started His Public Ministry with a Justice Declaration
Luke 4:18
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed
Jesus is the perfect Judge
Isaiah 11:3-4
His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; 4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth
The Second Coming is all About Justice
Isaiah 41:1-4
“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. 2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. 4 He will not fail nor be discouraged, Till He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”
Isaiah 11:1-5
There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. 3 His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; 4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist.
THE STARTING POINT OF JUSTICE IS THE DIVINE IMAGE OF GOD IN ALL HUMANITY
Gen 1:26-28
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…
Psalm 8:4
What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? 5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,
WE MUST BE CAREFUL THAT WE STAND FOR TRUE JUSTICE
****GOD IS DEALING WITH INJUSTICE…
We must stand for righteousness judgment
John 7:24
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
Difference in Justice and Some Social Justice
Justice pursues what is right according to an absolute, impartial standard.
Justice is driven by what is morally acceptable, or what God says is right.
Some Social justice is sometimes driven by what is socially acceptable, or what certain people say is right.
Justice is objective.
Social justice can be subjective.
Justice involves matters that can potentially impact anyone.
Social justice involves matters that are believed to only impact specific groups.
Equality is not necessarily justice
AS BELIEVER’S JUSTICE IS NOT OPTIONAL
Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
Prov. 31:8 NLT
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. 9 Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.
MY PARTIAL JUSTICE BURDEN
Persecuted Believers
Poverty
Deut 15:7
7 “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother
Prov 14:31
He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.
Gal 2:1-10
Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. 2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain. 3 Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. 4 And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), 5 to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. 6 But from those who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me. 7 But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter 8 (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles), 9 and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.
Economic Issues
Fatherlessness and Widows
Deut. 24:17-21
17 “You shall not pervert justice due the stranger or the fatherless, nor take a widow’s garment as a pledge. 18 But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this thing. 19 “When you reap your harvest in your field, and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. 21 When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not glean it afterward; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.
Sex Trafficking
Criminal Justice Reform
Matthew 25:36
I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
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