I hear many saying, what?! You mean to say you do not want justice in the world? Please do not misunderstand me. As a Christian I should not neglect justice and I do my best not to. However, the greater problem in the church seems to be the lack of seeking God and obedience to Him, not the lack of justice.
See, the lack of justice is simply one of the results of the lack of seeking God. The lack of love for one another is another. I only wish that the speaker got to the heart of the problem; not having the right relationship with Jesus and focused on the redeeming work that Christ did for us. Anyone who has read my post I Confess knows that I am not perfect in this area, which is precisely why I come at it from this perspective. If I am inconsistent with my relationship with the Lord, then I will be more likely to be inconsistent in giving justice and as a peacemaker. If any Christian does not understand the importance of justice, it is because they fail to understand the importance of having a proper relationship with our Lord and therefore justice the way the Lord sees it. And so, they do nothing, at all.
But, there is another problem. There are many Christians who focus too much on justice, and by implication do not spend enough time focusing on or with the Lord. This too, comes from an improper relationship with the Lord. I believe this is far more dangerous than the former (where one does nothing). When, one focuses so much on seeking justice, but neglects the Lord, one becomes a hindrance to the work of God. To be truly effective in seeking justice you have to be in the right relationship with God. Which includes prayer. Oswald Chambers calls prayer “the greater work,” not justice. This is because we cannot on our own make a difference that matters eternally, which is the only kind that truly matters. We need God to do the work for us.
I used to fall under both categories. I knew the Lord had told us not to neglect justice and to help the needy. So, I felt like I had to give everything to others and be a part of many different clubs and programs. However, I didn’t join very many because I had the other problem too. This was until I realized the only person we are to give everything to is our Lord and Savior. Oswald Chambers talks about being overwhelmed by the needs of the people and forgetting the reason we are called. I am afraid that this is what many of us do.
First, we must have the right relationship to Jesus and then we are to be obedient to him. The closer you get to him, the harder you will find it to be disobedient, especially in something so great as giving justice. We must remember who has called us and why. Helping the needy is not what being a Christian is about. Being a Christian is about becoming like Christ in every way, shape, and form and glorifying Him; which includes helping the needy.