Lesson 6

Justice Revealing the redemptive heart of Jesus 

PRAYER

Justice and prayer go hand in hand. As we pray, the Holy Spirit will develop within us a greater desire to partner with God to see a just and redeemed world that reflects his will. That His will be done on earth as in heaven. 

STUDY

JUSTICE  

Micah 6:8 NIV

He has shown you, O mortal, 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.

In the beginning, God created a world that was described as good. It was a world marked by abundant provision; imbued with harmonious cooperation and synergy amongst its inhabitants. God set up creation to be a place where humanity would thrive, partnering with God as His reflective image bearers, perpetuating His goodness throughout all of creation.

The Genesis account of creation, when compared to other ancient origin traditions, stands out in many ways. One of which is that the God of the Bible places the utmost value on every single human being; without exception. While many ancient near eastern belief systems described the king, ruler, or pharaoh as the image bearing representative of God, the Bible clearly declares that all humanity, men and women alike, are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27, 9:6).

There is not a greater, more dignified description than to be made in the image of God. God equally values all people by creating them all in His image and likeness. We are created to be like and live like God, reflecting His goodness in all of creation. That is the basis for righteousness and justice, synonymous terms in the Bible. 

Justice seeks to honor, preserve, and restore the image of God. In a world since marked by sin and injustice, we are called to reflect Jesus by partnering with him in justice to redeem and restore that good image in ourselves and others. 

Justice is a call to REVEAL THE REDEMPTIVE HEART OF JESUS.  

ADAM AND EVE 

The first humans chose to turn from the goodness of God in search of their own standard of goodness. The reason God reacts so strongly to the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden is that He knows when humans begin to define life by their own rules, their own good and bad, they will descend toward injustice, tip the scales in their own favor at the expense of their neighbor, exploit the weaknesses of others, even those closest to them, and  hoard creation’s provision for themselves, leaving others without. God couldn’t imaging a world forever left to the destructive ways of the sinful human heart, so he mercifully expelled Adam and Even from the garden, with the hope to redeem and restore them by grace. 

NOAH 

God cares deeply about justice. In Genesis 6 the earth is filled with violence and injustice, so that the “thoughts of humanity are filled with wickedness and injustice all the time”. Again, God will not allow creation to be overcome with injustice. God sends the flood to save a remnant of humanity that is set apart for the purpose of living out the goodness and justice of God. 

BABEL

However, it does not take long to see the pride and selfishness of the human heart quickly leading again to wicked and oppressive systems, built up in defiance of God’s vision for justice and mercy in this world. In Genesis 11 we see a picture and humanity again living by their own rules and creating systems that oppress and dehumanize others, neglecting the image and glory of God. 

THE ISRAELITES IN EGYPT 

Egypt represents one the cruelest and most oppressive regimes of the time. And there, God’s people found themselves enslaved. And there, God demonstrates His purpose and mission in this world, to redeem and restore His children to the glory of fully reflecting His image. God delivers His people and sets them up to be a community of justice, instructing them in how to live out justice toward God and toward one another. God shows them how to humbly cooperate in order to lovingly sustain all people in their community.

EXILE 

Much of the law code of the ancient Israelites contains laws of justice; attitudes and actions toward those who are weak, oppressed, misfortunate, and marginalized. However, the people neglect God’s just design and they are punished with exile from their homeland. They had rejected their relationship with God and they had seriously neglected the needs of the poor and weak among them. Ironically, as the rich and influential of Judah are carried off to Babylon in exile, it is the poor that are allowed to stay behind and inherit the land (2 Kings 24:14).  

PROPHETS

The projects of old saw and longed for a restored time of justice in the world. Much of their warnings and hopes are set on it. In their writings, there is a cry for God to come and live among them to establish and restore justice in their world (Amos 5:24). 

JESUS

Jesus at times clashed with people, and most of the time it was because of the unjust way they treated others (Matthew 23:23). Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, to restore people to God and to one another. He came to restore justice in our hearts and in our world (Luke 19:10). Jesus, in becoming a sin sacrifice for the injustice of the world, becomes the pathway for us, with renewed hearts to follow the way of justice and see the redemptive heart of Jesus revealed. In dealing with sin, bearing it, and rising from the dead, Jesus conquers injustice. Therefore, we are justified by faith in him.  And as children of God, we now inherited the just glory of God, that is, we resume that vision of partnership God has always desired with humanity.

THE CHURCH

The church is meant to be a community centered on the gospel. That as it draws us to the heart of Jesus, we are then sent out in the power of the Holy Spirit to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. The early church was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Supernatural signs followed, miracles happened, the word was preached in power, and the result was not just a statement of faith, or church service, or religious rituals, the result was a community of people that stood for justice, that would take the shirt off their back for one another, that would not be able to sleep at night if their neighbor was without proper food and shelter, that ran to orphan and widow, that gave their resources to provide for those in need, that included the outcast and the burdened, that showed hospitality to strangers, that considered no one a foreigner - offering the life and love of Jesus to all people (Acts 2:42-47, 4:32-35). 

NEW CREATION 

This new people, the Church, points toward and reflects heaven, the new creation. When God brings final judgement, justice will be complete, and every tear will be wiped away and every hurt will be healed. There will be a day where all injustice will be swallowed up in victory (Revelation 21:4). 

DO JUSTICE

James wrote that faith without deeds is useless or dead” and that “true religion is to care for the orphan and the widow.” (James 2:14-16, James 1:27). The church shouldn’t choose between evangelism or compassion, belief or action. We should do all of the above. We should believe and act, preach the message and meet the physical and systemic needs of justice. We must pray, “for we wrestle not against flesh and blood”, yet we must also live out God’s answer to our prayers for justice by doing justice along with praying for justice. 

Additionally, we must allow God to define justice. Many times when we attempt to define justice on our own terms, we actually end up perpetuating injustice. That’s why we need to always center justice on the gospel. The good news is the gospel isn’t just about our future life in heaven, but how to bring heaven to earth now, as well. The gospel is the most powerful message in the world when it comes to redeeming and restoring the dignity and value of all people.

HOW CAN WE DO JUSTICE?

The first step is to examine your own heart and life. Jesus challenged people to “take the speck out of their own eye first.” How are you treating your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and strangers? Are you harboring prejudice and dishonor toward certain people or groups? We should also be in prayer and in the Word, along with our brothers and sisters in Christ, seeking to find clarity and sense the heart of God for our community and world. Co-labor with others, you can get more done and you keep yourself grounded when you are in community. 

RESPECT and HONOR are themes Christians are called to in the New Testament. We are called to honor others, created in the image of God. 

HOW?

Respect and show agape love to all people, whether we agree with them or not.

Lead the way against hatred such as racism and sexism. 

Care for life from conception to final breath. 

REDEEM + RESTORE

To redeem literally means to purchase out of slavery. Jesus did that for us. Jesus purchased us out of sin and all its affects on us. As Jesus followers, we are called to partner in redeeming others by His grace. We join God in the renewal of all things. We partner with him to put everything back together the way it should be, standing for the image of God in humanity.

HOW?

Share the gospel, Share your resources,  Share your gifts / knowledge

Support and help others out of oppression and abuse

Support those who are suffering, lonely, or sick 

Support those you are vulnerable like children, elderly, physically or mentally disadvantaged

Support just laws 

Support just systems 

Support just causes

Support sustainable and equitable stewardship of the earth and its resources 

REFLECT

(Based on your study and reflection, journal about the following concepts in your own words, these questions will form the basis for your upcoming Community Group discussion, be prepared to share some of your journal entries to these questions.)

What are three personal takeaways from this lesson?

Name more ways to show respect to others?

Name more ways to redeem + restore others?

Serve CHALLENGE: Do unto others

Jesus told his followers to do unto others as you would have to do unto you (Luke 6:31). This week, serve someone in a vulnerable population: the elderly, the homeless, someone with special needs, etc. Do justice, reflect on it, and write about it. 

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