In his essay "Why care about justice?" Nicholas Wolterstroff asks if the doing of justice and the struggle to undo injustice belong to Christian Piety. The answer to his query resonates across Scripture with a loud 'Yes'.
We find evidence of God's heart for justice all through the Bible. Isaiah 59: 14-16a says: "So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The LORD looked displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene."
Jeremiah 22:3 reiterates this by stating, "This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place."
These are but few examples of God revealing His heart for justice in the Bible. Our God is a God of Justice and calls us to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly before Him. (Micah 6: 8)
According to Gary A. Haugen's book "Good news about Injustice" (Intervarsity Press), the onus to carry out this great and awesome task is on the Body of Christ. Living and working among the poor, the marginalised, the minorities and the isolated peoples of our world, it will be the frontline workers, such as missionaries, development and relief workers, who will bear the burden.
But one may wonder how this translates for members of the Body of Christ into daily living. As we equip ourselves with the areas of legal intervention, government and social policies, we will find that, often, even secular law is a useful tool in the establishment of God's kingdom. For, the absence of an operational legal system or violation of the rule of law permits terrible injustices to be visited upon the weakest and most vulnerable members of the society. Rights under the Indian Constitution, laws protecting the rights of the schedule caste, schedule tribe, labour classes, women, children and other groups need to be shared among those we minister.
And to quote Justice Sujata V. Manohar: .....It is not easy to eradicate deep seated cultural values or to alter traditions that perpetuate discrimination. It is fashionable to denigrate the role of law reform in bringing about social change. Obviously law, by itself, may not be enough. Law is only an instrument. It must be effectively used. And this effective use depends as much on a supportive judiciary as on the social will to change. An active social reform movement, if accompanied by legal reform, properly enforced, can transform society. And an effective social reform movement does need the help of law and a sympathetic judiciary to achieve its objectives.
Editorial
Equality and Social Justice
By: Tehmina Arora
Thursday, 8 October 2009, 18:24 (IST)
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