Lifetime Justice

In our world, with its media, its globalisation, its wealth, its extremes, we hear a huge amount about Justice. The last 150 years have seen massive changes. Massive issues of injustice - racism, sexism, homophobia, etc - have all been corrected and the attitudes of whole countries changed. In the church we have seen the fruit - good and bad - of this essentially human quest for justice. I'm grateful to be learning more about Justice (in a practical, world sense) from books like Tim Keller's "Generous Justice", "Thinking. Loving. Doing.", Gary Haugen's "Good News about Injustice", John Stott's "The Radical Disciple", and many others. Learning about Justice, and integrating a heart for it into ones lifestyle, is at the heart of being a follower of Jesus. Harder still is then making that heart, or that mind-full, a reality. A practical, actual part of living. Its one of the reasons I love being part of Trent Vineyard in Nottingham - with its radical commitment to Justice for individuals, as shown by its Arches Ministry, which you can read about here. That is just one example of just one part of the Body of Christ, the Church, seeking Justice for all by demonstrating Gods love.

For the Church, for followers of Jesus, Justice is a prime concern. It is part of the Gospel - central, in many ways - and something Jesus continually taught his followers to do. The practical, vital work of seeking Justice amongst the issues and sadness of this broken world is a crucial part of following Jesus. I was struck by part of John Stott's foreword to Haugen's book;

"we are confronted in Scripture by the true and living God, who loves Justice and hates injustice, whose anger is roused by evil and rests on evildoers, and who is moved with compassion toward all those who suffer"

The question of Justice is one that, for Christians and non-Christians alike, goes right to the heart of any discussion or questions about God. Carl Henry is remembered as talking about "the God of Justice and of Justification" - but how often is it the case that in the church we only really hear about one or the other?

I've written before about how big the Gospel is - by asking the question, "Is Your Gospel Big Enough?". About how big God really is. About how some modern God-talk could do with some 'good ol-time religion'. Justice is often left out of our understanding of the Gospel. And Justice, in Gospel terms, is a double edged sword. On the one hand, we have the call to Justice that following Jesus must represent. The lifestyle of Justice that a full, rather than selective, reading of Scripture strongly suggests is one that echoes Gods Heart. On the other, we have God's Grace, even as he is the perfect Judge, in sending Jesus to pay for our sins, and bringing him back to life to demonstrate the reality of the life he has for those that follow him. Being a Christian means being Truly Alive. Living in the Power of the Resurrection (which, by the way, was a historical event).

And this is the heart of the issue. Why I called this post 'Lifetime Justice'. Because Jesus came to bring life - life to the full - to anyone and everyone who would follow him. And this life is not some exclusive offer, some magic card we carry: but a life meant to be lived in a way that others recieve something of that life, and are told of the author of life, God himself. And this is the core of Justice, I believe. Life itself is a gift of God, a holy created thing. Life - real life - is what Christians are saved for. It is easy to be distracted by terms like 'pro-choice' and 'pro-life', in some of the more controversial debates of the day. Ultimately, we should be looking beyond these to real life with Jesus. That life is the foundation of Justice. 

The Bible speaks, in 2nd Timothy 4:1, of the Judge of everything, the author and creator of Justice; "In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead...". Justice is at the heart of Jesus, who he is, what he has done, what he is doing and what he will do. And what Jesus does is turn broken human beings - every one of them made in the image of God - into his joint-heirs. Which is why Justice is vital. Because abuse, torture, rape and poverty are all dehumanizing: and thus insulting to the creator God whose image we all bear. Jesus knows each and every human being - living and dead - who has ever lived and will live. He has been put on earth by God to show real life, to challenge others to follow him into real life, and to break the power of death. Injustice is one of many things that can have power - but one of many things that Jesus destroyed on the Cross. 

The Christian calling to Justice is often poorly lived out by followers of Jesus - especially myself. We are often concerned with minutiae in place of real issues. On the flip side, sometimes we are accused of minutiae when we are upholding biblical standards. Regardless, Justice should be one of the concerns of every follower of Jesus. And Justice may be one of the things that draws you to Jesus - that basic desire for Justice is something that Jesus has imprinted on the human heart. In following Jesus, I'm learning that Justice and life go hand in hand. I want to follow Jesus into a lifetime of Justice - because I believe Jesus is the Son of God, the God of Justice and Justification, who calls his followers into being people driven by spreading the news of both. Because God is bigger than we think, the Gospel is more glorious and radical than any of us have ever been taught, and because Life with Jesus is the most radical, secure, real Life there is.

_________

Thanks for reading, I hope I made some sense in this rather long post. If you liked it, I'd be grateful for a share, a RT, a comment or whatever. If you didn't, as always I value your feedback. If I've made any glaring errors - very possible - please do flag me up. Thanks again!