“Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
– Psalm 82:3-4
Often the heart and will of God has been oversimplified to a single overriding concern for the spiritual salvation of human beings. God is certainly deeply concerned about that. Indeed, He sacrificed His own Son to accomplish it. However, to reduce His (or our) concern for humans to just salvation radically minimizes the heart and nature of God.
The Lord is a God of justice, mercy, compassion, and love for all whom He created in His image. He isn’t only concerned with the spiritual wellbeing and eternal destination of all people. He is also concerned for their well-being on earth. From beginning to end, the Bible (particularly the Old Testament prophets) reveals God’s concern for justice toward the most vulnerable populations among us. He commands those in authority and those blessed with much to speak for, work for, battle for, and practice justice and mercy.
Some Christians today view justice as a political issue, a matter of right vs. left, liberal vs. conservative, Republican vs. Democrat. It isn’t a political issue. It’s a matter of God’s heart, God’s nature, God’s will, and our obedience to God. Every Christian needs to be concerned about injustice and abuse within the society in which they are placed. Every Christian needs to be looking after those around them who are at greater risk and who are more vulnerable.
Again, this isn’t a political issue, it’s a theological issue! It’s a part of our calling and responsibility as people who follow Jesus to put down our politics and take up our biblical mandate to pursue justice and mercy.