Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. — Isaiah 1:17
The story of the gospel makes sense of moral obligation and our belief in the reality of justice, so Christians do restorative and redistributive justice wherever they can. The story of the gospel makes sense of our indelible religiousness, so Christians do evangelism, pointing the way to forgiveness and reconciliation with God through Jesus. The gospel makes sense of our profoundly relational character, so Christians work sacrificially to strengthen human communities around them as well as the Christian community, the church. The gospel story also makes sense of our delight in the presence of beauty, so Christians become stewards of the material world, from those who cultivate the natural creation through science and gardening to those who give themselves to artistic endeavors, all knowing why these things are necessary for human flourishing.
The skies and trees “sing” of the glory of God, and by caring for them and celebrating them we free their voices to praise Him and delight us. In short,
the Christian life means not only building up the Christian community through encouraging people to faith in Christ, but building up the human community through deeds of justice and service.
Christians, then, are the true “revolutionaries” who work for justice and truth, and we labor in expectation of a perfect world in which:
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. — Revelation 21:4
-The Reason for God
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Grace Makes Us Servants
“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.” — Mark 10:43-44
Jesus conducts a major critique of religion. His famous Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7) does not criticize irreligious people, but rather religious ones.
In His famous discourse the people He criticizes pray, give to the poor, and seek to live according to the Bible, but they do so in order to get acclaim and power for themselves. They believe they will get leverage over others and even over God because of their spiritual performance (“They think they will be heard because of their many words” — Matthew 6:7). This makes them judgmental and condemning, quick to give criticism, and unwilling to take it. They are fanatics.
[. . .] The God of Jesus and the prophets, however, saves completely by grace. He cannot be manipulated by religious and moral performance — He can only be reached through repentance, through the giving up of power. If we are saved by sheer grace we can only become grateful, willing servants of God and of everyone around us.-The Reason for God
Excerpted with permission from Go Forward in Love by Timothy Keller, copyright Timothy Keller.
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Your Turn
Deeds of justice and truth, deeds of selfless service will mark the life of the believer. Who can we serve today? Where do we need to advocate for justice? Where do we need to speak truth? ~ Devotionals Daily