Let Justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

As Christians we serve a God who is Just and calls His people to do justice (Micah 6:8).  Justice matters. It is in our human bloodstream. Yes, every human being is made in God’s image and therefore has individual rights. Injustice is expressed when these rights are violated, God’s will is violated.

Nicholas Wolterstorff, a Reformed philosopher has written a masterful book, Justice: Rights and Wrongs in which he shows plainly that Scripture is concerned with individual rights. Contrary to the prevailing philosophy justice is not just some right ordering of society so that actions which bring the most good to society as a whole are to be desired. If individual rights are suppressed or denied in the process, it is not the justice God calls humanity to, not the justice he called Israel to, not the justice he calls the church to.  In his book Wolterstorff includes exegesis of passages in the prophets which point out that justice must not be denied to a poor person, or to the poor. In that notion we see the principle of individual rights. Of course individual rights as trumped by the world are at best a dim, and more often skewed image of this. Though there is a certain kind of tolerance which goes with living now, in the age of grace, when we are at best all recovering sinners. We tolerate others by receiving them as Jesus received everyone; as friends to whom he shared the message and love of God and God’s kingdom.

The passion for justice is an aspect of love. The first and greatest commandment is to love God with all our being and doing, and the second like it is to love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus taught that all of God’s word hangs on those two commandments. James complained about believers who might shun a poor person, while favoring the rich in their assembly, and made it clear that this is not to be tolerated.

To stand up for justice means to not only speak out, but also to do what we can to help those who are treated unjustly. We are one humanity created by the same God, joined together through the new creation in Jesus.  We must follow the way of Jesus and defend the rights of all who are violated.

The passage from Amos (5:24) makes a fierce indictment against God's People. In it, God condemns our worship if doesn't serve justice. God says: "I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. . . Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream!

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