“Justice is any act of reconciliation that restores any part of God’s creation back to its original intent, purpose or image. When I think about justice that way, it doesn’t surprise me at all that God loves it. It includes both the acts of social justice and the restorative justice found on the cross.” 

— John M. Perkins, Dream with Me

Justice can be uncomfortable. It often requires change, which is difficult for us all. Pursuing justice can be especially challenging when it requires us to change for the sake of an injustice someone else is experiencing.

But it is clear throughout the Scriptures that the pursuit of justice is vital for all who seek to follow him—especially leaders. 

In Proverbs, those who love God are told to “speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed” (Proverbs 31:8). Through the prophets, God over and calls his people to justice (see Micah 6:8, Amos 5:24, Hosea 12:6, Isaiah 1:17, etc.). Jesus, over and over again, spoke out for and helped the oppressed around him and commanded us to do the same (see Matthew 25:40, Luke 4:18–19, Luke 11:41, etc.).

Yet even the early church leaders struggled with operating justly. In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, we learn about an incident involving the Apostle Peter (called Cephas in the passage), where Paul had to call him to account for acting unjustly. Paul writes,

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned. For he regularly ate with the Gentiles before certain men came from James. However, when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision party. (Galatians 2:11–12)

Peter, a pillar of the early church, gave into the pressures of a group who came from James—probably a reference to the brother of Jesus who lived in Jerusalem. By treating the Gentiles as second-class Christians, Peter was standing against the very gospel he had agreed Paul should preach to the Gentiles (see verse 9). Not only so, but Paul tells us that Peter’s unjust actions led other Jews to act similarly (see verse 13). 

This is why, as leaders, it is so important that we speak the truth in love and allow others the space to do the same for us. Not only was Paul—a Jew himself—speaking out on behalf of the Gentile Christians he had been shepherding, but he rebuked Peter publicly (see verse 14) for the sake of those being led astray by Peter.

Peter was falling into the same trap so many other Jewish Christians did at that time—believing that to be justified “by faith in Christ” was not enough and that one must also be justified by “the works of the [Jewish religious] law” (see verse 16). As a result, Peter—the rock of the church—was effectively leading others away from faith in Christ, even if he did not realize it.

So when Paul rebuked Peter in front of the group, it wasn’t out of some self-righteousness place. Paul understood the stakes of the moment, even if Peter did not. Paul acted in courageous leadership, rebuking his friend and mentor for the sake of everyone around and for Peter himself. 

Ultimately, Paul acted out of love to bring justice in that moment.

I find that I often avoid telling a friend or fellow leader what they need to hear, using love and lack of judgment as an excuse. I have seen others use brutally communicated truth coming from a place of judgment and anger to shame others whom they may not even know. Neither of these responses are what God has in mind when he calls for justice.

Instead, he desires for us to walk in step with his love as we seek to enact his justice—a justice that calls persistently for transformation but is never-ending in mercy and grace. What might it look like for us to imitate Paul, as he also imitates Christ (see 1 Corinthians 11:1)?

To Consider: 

1. How have you experienced injustice in your life? Where in your immediate sphere have you noticed injustice impacting someone else in ways both big and small?

2. When was a time that someone communicated to you the truth in love? What was positive about that interaction? What was difficult about that interaction?

3. Where might God be calling you to seek justice on behalf of someone else? What could that look like? Spend some time in prayer talking to God about it.

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