Statistics say there is over 45 million people who are held in the bondage of literal slavery today. 

The physical needs of justice are as real today as they were in the days of Israel. Bethany Hoang from International Justice Mission speaks to the reality of injustice in our world caused by human sin.

“There are chains to be broken and they are the actual, literal chains of slavery of human beings being owned and exploited by other human beings. They lord power over them, dominate, and use their bodies and then discard them when they’re done.”

“There’s just a vile, horrific reality to injustice in our world. When we look deeply into the scriptures and we start to consider what God means by bringing justice, and setting things back to right, there’s so much richness to be found as we start to uncover that we serve a God who loves justice; who loves the right use of power, the life-giving use of power.”

God has a heart for justice. Bethany encourages the body of Christ to discover what the Bible says about justice.

“The justice of God is something that we find over and over throughout scripture, but in a way it’s something that we have all too easily missed over the years.”

She shares from her personal experience of searching the scriptures.

“I remember when I first was looking at scriptures like Isaiah 58 when I was in college, it talks about breaking the chains of injustice, rescuing the oppressed, and caring for those who are in need. I actually interpreted those scriptures to really be more about my own spiritual life.”

“I’m not saying that there isn’t a way to interpret the scriptures related to our own spiritual poverty, and the chains that need to be broken of our own sin, but the reason I was interpreting the scriptures that way was because I just didn’t realize, at that time in my life, how real the needs of justice are in the very literal, physical sense in our world.”

We serve a God who loves justice, and He has called us to work alongside Him in bringing justice to His people.

“He’s the God who made us and calls us to join that with Him, not to abdicate our power, but to actually receive the power He gives us and work with Him to bring rescue, to bring flourishing to those who have been treated and left destitute.”


Bethany Hoang is an author and speaker with a driving passion to help others live the connection between justice and following Jesus. Bethany has served for more than a decade as Advisor and Founding Director for IJM’s Institute for Biblical Justice.

On a mission for justice
Also on this edition of Neil Stavem
Leith Anderson on church and culture