READ | SERMON NOTES
Summary l MERCY at the heart of justice is God’s way. God commends us to endure unjust suffering that brings about good. Christ suffered as our example who “committed no sin” yet died to redeem us from our sins.
How should Christians deal with injustice when mistreated or unjustly accused? Peter, who experienced Jesus’ restorative mercy after he had denied Him three times, wrote to believers who faced daily injustice in a harsh paganistic environment with different social morals. There is no tit for tat when it comes to loving others the way of Christ.
1. Secular Response to Injustice – Rampant and highly personal, unjust treatment that violates one’s rights – racism, deceptive marketing, wage and wealth disparity, corrupt profiting, unreasonable behaviour, cheating scams… will naturally evoke a widespread emotional outburst, “It’s not fair!” Although the concept of fairness is innately human, different expectations and social backgrounds make the definition of personal rights subjective, even questionable.
2. The Biblical View of Justice – The Hebrew word for injustice “a-wel” refers to faulty actions and behaviour that incur sin, guilt and punishment because they contradict God’s holy benchmark. The Bible records many examples of injustice – false accusations (Joseph & Potiphar’s wife, Genesis 39), dishonesty (Samuel’s sons Joel and Abijah, 1 Samuel 8:1-3), pain inflicted on the innocent (Matthew 2), oppression of the poor, needy and helpless (the defenceless least, last and lost for whom Jesus came), unjust church leaders who led the people astray for whom materialism and wealth were master. (Micah 3:1-3,5)
i. God hates injustice – His just nature abhors the SIN of injustice. “Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent.” (Deuteronomy 16:19) Detestable to God are “haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.” (Proverbs 6:16-19)
ii. How will He settle injustice? God will “pay back trouble” to those who cause trouble and “give relief to those who are troubled…when the Lord Jesus returns “in blazing fire with His powerful angels.” (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7) To the thirsty who inherit Living Water, God will be their God and they will be His children. But the cowardly, unbelieving, vile, sexually immoral; murderers, sorcerers, idolaters and all liars will suffer second death in a fiery lake of burning sulphur. (Revelation 21:6-8)
3. How Christians Should Respond – Insisting on our rights instead of God’s goodness and mercy leads to unjust behaviour that stumbles others from believing. “Though unjustly hurt or mistreated, I will not be bitter, retaliate, criticise or slander; I will return good for evil and bless rather than curse.” (Author and preacher John Stott) Just as God used MERCY on the cross to deal with injustice, being “conscious of God” (v19) makes us “follow in Christ’s steps” who neither retaliated nor made any threats but instead entrusted Himself to God the Father who judges justly. (v23) “The church needs to demonstrate itself to be the family where all (who are hurting) can be accepted.” (Scot McKnight, author, NIV Application Commentary)
Suffering for good shows a very different kind of justice – one that is mercy-applied. By being merciful, Christians can win the world for Christ!
(Sermon notes by Marjorie Tan)
PONDER | REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- What is Injustice? Look up different dictionaries for some definitions. When it comes to one’s rights – why is it challenging sometimes to define justice/injustice? Can you think of a situation that happened to you would consider unjust but difficult to receive justice? How did you handle it?
- What are some examples of Injustice in the bible? (eg: Gen 39, 1 Sam 8, Matthew 2, Micah 3)
- How does Scripture define Injustice (from sermon)? Reading from how does God view/settle injustice from these passages (Deut 16:19, 2 Thess 1:6-7, Rev 21:6-8), why do you think God hates injustice so much? What are your thoughts personally about Prov 6:16-19?
- Read 1 Peter 2:19-20 – What are your thoughts about such an instruction from Peter to us?
- Peter being impacted through the mercy of Jesus, recounted Jesus’ mercy on the cross (1 Peter 2:21-24). How could one do that? (v23). What are your thoughts about trusting God to act out His justice? Share any convictions you have on v21.
