The Way of Jesus

Part 3: The Way of Justice

In week three of our series, The Way of Jesus, Freddy preached about Biblical justice. Oftentimes when thinking of justice, we say things like, “justice was served.” In other words, someone got what they deserved. But this isn’t the type of justice we read about in scripture. Biblical justice is focused on restoring all things back to the beauty of their original design in God’s kingdom. Jesus cares deeply about justice. He declared in Luke 4:18 that he came “to proclaim good news to the poor… freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.” Most of his ministry focused on serving those overlooked and set aside in society. This is the ministry he passes on to us who follow him. Micah 6:8 gives us a recipe for justice: act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly. If we seek justice without mercy and humility, we are missing the heart of God for what justice looks like. The justice God desires to bring out in our world is rooted in love, not self-seeking. Therefore we can’t act justly without first loving mercy. When we have experienced God’s mercy, we are forever changed. His mercy gives us a new lens to see the world through, one that knows we are saved by grace and not our own works. Mercy is rooted in humility. Justice is about not looking to your own interests but looking to the interests of others (Philippians 2:3-4). This type of humility is found in depending on Jesus, not our own strength. When we put these three things together, justice, mercy, and humility, we can pursue justice the way Jesus did.