Hearts Like His: Hearts for Justice

This month we have been looking at what it means to be made in the image of God. This truth determines who we are and affects how we see ourselves and others. Today, we consider how justice is imprinted on our hearts because we are made in the image of God.

Years ago, my heart ached to better understand one of my children. When wronged, they struggled to move on until it was made right. Any opportunity for sharing was fraught with anxiety over whether it would work out fairly. I initially attributed this to self-centeredness, but as I asked the Lord to reveal what my child needed, the He showed me that their heart was particularly sensitive to justice. While immature, it was neither one-sided nor necessarily selfish. When my little one received a small treat at school, they went to great lengths to share with three siblings who had neither noticed nor asked. With that little bit of insight as a mother,  many pieces fell into place.

Imprinted with Justice

The next time my child was distressed over an apparent injustice, I pulled the 5-year-old onto my lap and said, “You see, God made you in His image. He made you like Him in so many ways, and one of the things He put in your heart is a desire for justice. You want to see that people always do what is right, that wrong is always labeled wrong, and that there are consequences when someone does wrong.  You want to see that everyone gets a share of the good things we receive. Your heart aches and says ‘This isn’t right!’ when those things don’t happen.” The child lit up with the relief of recognition. It is my prayer that as this little one grows, their heart for justice grows and matures alongside grace and mercy.

The Source of Justice

You and I were also created in God’s image. Our hearts ache for justice because we bear the image of our Creator, the very standard of justice.

In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis explains that the moral standards we find common across cultures reflect the existence of a just God, the standard against Whom all else is judged. “My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?”

Justice is integral to the nature of God.

But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
    he has established his throne for justice,
and he judges the world with righteousness;
    he judges the peoples with uprightness. (Psalm 9:7-8)

For I the Lord love justice;
    I hate robbery and wrong;
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
    and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. (Isaiah 61:8)

The descriptions of God’s justice in the Bible include both retributive justice, consequences for sin, and restorative justice, restoring the oppressed to wholeness and well-being. These concepts are intertwined, as an act of judgement against an oppressor begins to lift up the oppressed.

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.  (Deuteronomy 10:17-19)

Hearts like His

We, created in the Image of God, have that standard of justice imprinted within us. Though marred by sin and pride, our sense of justice is restored as we are made into the likeness of Christ (Romans 6:8, 2 Corinthians 3:18). He is making our hearts more and more like His.

When we see our neighbors through God’s justice, we see that each one bears the image of God. This is foundational to justice and is why each person is to be treated with dignity — not because of what they have done but because of who they are as a person bearing the image of God.

It is for this reason that Christ taught that our actions towards neighbors and strangers hold eternal weight.

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ … Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25:35-36, 40b).

To Do Justice

One thing I have experienced in recent  months is a deeper understanding of injustice and oppression in my nation and my community, both historically and presently. Injustice is a big deal to God, and it grieves Him deeply. In fact, God tells us through the prophet Habakkuk that persistent injustice in Judah resulted in Judah’s exile to Babylon (Habakkuk 1:4).

It is my prayer this morning that the Lord would continue to open my eyes to see when the persons who bear His divine image are not treated with the dignity due each of us. And then, may I act, with prayer and wisdom, towards the restoration of justice.

He has told you, O man, 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? (Micah 6:8)