God Knows the Vindication You Seek: A 5-Day Reading PlanНамуна

DAY 5: Guidelines for Biblical Justice Seeking

Things are happening in our lives that we don’t like the looks of. I struggle with these same things. While we pause, pray, ponder, and trust in God’s perfect omniscience, the Bible gives us guidelines for being active participants in His will for the world.

Biblical justice-seeking is, at its core, ambassadorship. (2 Corinthians 5:10). Ambassadors are commissioned for a specific assignment, represent the sender, and exercise the authority of the sender. In seeking godly justice as God’s ambassador, we represent Him for a special assignment. We advocate for a kingdom cause under His authority.

Such advocacy is compelled by a love for Christ. It shouldn’t be hard to recognize. There will be love, even in the boldness. There will be peace, even in the assertiveness. There will be joy, even in the difficulty. There will be truth in the midst of confusion and steadiness amid turmoil.

Effective ambassadors ask three questions: Does someone need an advocate? Is someone facing personal harm or lack? And will taking up their cause strengthen the body of Christ and promote unity in the church?

Effective ambassadors recognize nuance and pray for guidance. Not every issue is cut-and-dried. Reject the idea that justice-seeking in itself causes disunity (this claim can be a manipulative tactic). Godly unity is brought on by truth and repentance.

Effective ambassadors take a scriptural approach. Remember that seeking justice is not seeking to take matters into your own hands by reckless vigilantism.

If it’s true that God knows everything, we have a solution to the soul distress we feel when we release both the world’s travesties and our personal desires for vindication over to God. We can trust Him with our worries and whys. And because of that, we can be comforted and relieved from our self-interested methods of trying to control, manage, change, and help them.

Respond

Have you been called to correct a certain injustice in the world? Using these guidelines, begin to seek godly counsel for how you can take biblical action while avoiding the traps of revenge.