“Righteousness is about how we treat our neighbor.”
Righteousness has as much to do with dirt and poverty as it does with riches and jewelry. It’s a posture of the heart – a horizontal outworking of our vertical love for God.
Bethany Hoang of International Justice Mission shares the importance of justice and righteousness.
“When God refers to those who are poor as righteous, what it often means throughout Scriptures is that they are the ones who are not being treated rightly. He is assigning this identity to them as the ones who should be treated rightly, who should be given more attention from those of us who follow God.”
We should be be seeking to treat those who are mistreated with love and dignity because we love the God who is righteousness.
“Justice is this setting right all that is going wrong. It is the use of power to love others well.”
What does that love look like practically?
It looks like standing in the gap between someone who’s being abused and their abuser, it is restraining the arm of an oppressor. This love means stepping into a violent situation to be a peacemaker.
“God equates caring for others – those who are mistreated, those who are marginalized – with worship of Him. He links those two together and says ‘You’re actually offending Me or affronting Me when you mistreat them.’”
Acting on behalf of others is the foundation of biblical love. This is exactly what Jesus did for us – He stood between us and our abuser. He stepped into a violent situation to take away our abuse. He became a peacemaker by shedding His blood.
Key Scriptures: Romans 8:22-27; Isaiah 1:17-18
Featured Songs: On Our Side by Lincoln Brewster; Here I Am by Jeremy Camp; Oceans by Hillsong
