Justice That Begins with Love

Micah 6:8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Summary: God never asks us to choose between justice and love because God's justice has always been an expression of God's love.

Dear Beloved,

There are moments when I hear Christians speak with deep anger as they defend God. They believe they are standing for righteousness. I understand that desire. We all want to be faithful. But I wonder if we sometimes become so focused on being right that we forget the heart of the One we are trying to defend.

I occasionally hear people say that the God of the Old Testament is a God of justice, while the God of the New Testament is a God of love. Scripture simply does not support that idea. God does not change. The same God who liberated Israel from slavery is the God revealed in Jesus Christ. The same God who calls us to love our neighbors is the God who repeatedly defended the widow, the orphan, the stranger, and everyone pushed to the margins.

When I read the Hebrew Scriptures carefully, I see that God's justice is never separate from God's love. God's justice is not fueled by revenge or a desire to punish for punishment's sake. Instead, it confronts the abuse of power, protects those who are vulnerable, and restores what violence has broken. God's justice always has a loving purpose.

That matters because it challenges my own heart. It is possible for me to desire justice because I want someone to lose. It is possible for me to confuse outrage with holiness. But God's justice is different. God's desire is always to heal, restore, protect, and bring life.

When Jesus teaches us to love our enemies, forgive those who hurt us, and pray for those who persecute us, he is not introducing a new kind of God. He is revealing the heart that has been present from the very beginning.

The next time I am tempted to ask, "What is the righteous response?" I hope I ask a better question first. "What would a loving God do here?" I suspect that question will still call me toward justice. It will simply remind me that justice without love is not God's way.

May you know both God's justice and God's love,

Pastor Anny+

Prayer Loving God, shape my heart so that my desire for justice is always guided by your compassion. Help me to protect the vulnerable, seek what is right, and reflect your love in all I do. Amen.