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Building Radical Hope

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Building Radical Hope

Joke: Q: How do groups of angels greet each other? A: Halo, halo, halo.

What Is Hope?

Let’s start by taking a look at what hope is from both a dictionary definition and a biblical one.

Hope (Dictionary) – The general consensus from all dictionary definitions is that hope is a feeling of expectation, a desire or wish for a certain thing to happen.

Hope (Bible) – A biblical definition of hope takes it one step further. Hope is an expectation with certainty that God will do what he has said.

I hope you can see the difference. One is a wish or desire, the other is a certainty or guarantee.
Let me use a verse from Scripture to illustrate the point.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).

Why do we bring up this verse? You cannot have hope unless it is tied together with faith. In essence, you have hope because you have faith and you have faith because you have hope. However, you don’t just have faith in faith or hope in hope, there is no real value in that. What matters most is the object of your faith and hope – that makes all the difference.

The thing that separates the basic definition of hope and the biblical definition of hope is what I call The God Factor. Your hope should be based on the fact of who God is and nothing else. If God is not the object of your hope then you don’t have true biblical hope because the certainty has been removed. Without that, your hope simply reverts back to a wish.

Why Can You Have Hope?

There is one underlying reason why hope should spring into your heart as a believer. God cannot lie. Consider this Scripture in Hebrews:


“Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:17-19, emphasis added).

If God has said it, you can trust his promise because it is impossible for God to lie. This trust therefore becomes an anchor for the soul. Anchors are designed to keep you steady so that you will not be moved. This anchor that it is impossible for God to lie is the foundation for your certainty and the backbone for your hope. It is the reason why you can have hope today.

We call this type of hope “in spite of.” In spite of what you see; in spite of what is going on; in spite of how dire the situation looks, you can have hope because God cannot lie. Regardless of your situation, find out what God has said about it and let that be the truth you believe about it. This does not guarantee that your situation will change immediately but the beauty of hope is that even if the situation remains, so does your hope. Because of hope you have confidence knowing God will respond and come through on your behalf. If that is what he said you can be certain that is what he will do.

Why Is Hope so Important in the Christian Life?

Having a better understanding of what hope is leads to another question. Why is it so important? Here is the answer – hope is what motivates you as a believer. Can you imagine if we had no hope? Paul himself said:

“If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19).

Your entire walk as a believer is based on hope. A hope that goes beyond this life and extends throughout eternity. Everything you do as a Christian flows from this. Why do you pray? Hope. Why do you witness? Hope. Why do you endure hardship, trials, or persecution? Hope. Why did many who have gone before us sacrifice, give, serve, even lose their lives for the message of the gospel? One word, hope. 

If you remove the element of hope then you will discover that your joy, your enthusiasm, your peace, your focus, your motivation, everything attached to your walk with God will be removed with it. That is why you cannot lose hope. It is also why one of the weapons of Satan is to attack your hope. Think of all the words that are the opposite of hope. Fear, despair, doubt, uncertainty. None of these words inspire and none of these words bring the joy and peace that hope in God brings. That’s why you must fight for it at all costs.

But you have help in God. Know today that God is the God of hope, Christ is the hope of Glory and the Holy Spirit is the one who births hope in you. Consider these verses.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

God does not want you to lose hope today and you don’t have to. Keep your trust in the one who is faithful because he will not let you down.

Read: Psalm 62

In Psalm 62, David is surrounded by murderous enemies. Though he had little reason to cling to hope, David still was able to say, “My hope comes from God.” David, like many other people in the Bible, faced difficult times with no evidence that things would get better, but they chose hope anyway.

Reflection 1:What problem was David up against, and how did he respond? What problems are you facing today? How will you respond?

Reflection 2:Notice how David repeated the word “only.” What do you think the significance of that is? What other things do people tend to put their hope in besides God (see 62:9-10)?

Reflection 3:Review verse 11-12. What do you think would change in your life if you believed this without any doubts? How do the truths in verses 11-12 help you put your hope in God?

Reflection 4:Review verse 8. Take some time now to pour out your heart before God. Tell him everything that’s weighing you down and trust him with every detail. He hears you.

How Can Jesus Be God?

Chude Obuaya
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How Can Jesus Be God?
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Many questions surround the Christian faith. One of the main questions that are asked by non-Christians and Christians alike is – how can Jesus be God? The answer to this question is of utmost importance since the nature of Jesus authenticates the claims and works of Jesus. What this means is if Jesus is God then all humans must respond to what culminates his earthly ministry – the cross and subsequent resurrection. Some claim that Jesus never explicitly states that He is God, but is this true?

Jesus from the beginning

The bible begins with the following statement “In the beginning God…” (Genesis 1:1). What this statement illustrates is that before the world was created there was God, this implies that God is the Creator and has not been created. Verse 3 then states “Then God said “Let there be light”, and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). So what we see is that God used words to bring forth creation. The gospel of John will later explain that the Word used to bring forth creation is Jesus Himself. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”. (John 1:1). In this book, the writer lets his audience know that the Word was with God in the beginning. Who is this Word? Well, this Word put on flesh and dwelt among the people in the world (John 1:14). Who is this Word that put on flesh? Jesus. Philippians 2:7 states “Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity…,”. The Word of God is the Son of God who became a human so that through His life and death He might reconcile the world to Himself (John 1:1-3; 2 Corinthians 5:17-19). Jesus is God.

The Bible is axiomatic

The bible being axiomatic simply means that the Bible is self-authenticating. This means that the evidence for the truthfulness of the claims the bible makes can be found within the scriptures itself. The mistake we can make when trying to decipher the truthfulness of a claim is isolating one piece of information from a wider body of information. The issue faced regarding biblical literacy is that the bible is seen as several mini-stories rather than one cohesive story. Scripture progressively reveals not only who God is but that God will, through His Son, intervene in human history to be the long-awaited sacrifice mankind need to be redeemed from their sin and into fellowship with their maker. From the Seed being promised in the garden (Genesis 3:15) to King David prophesying that the Holy One will never see Decay (Psalm 16:8-11), to Daniel’s vision of the Son of Man (Daniel 7:9-14); there are over 500 prophecies that reference Jesus as the coming Messiah. Why is this important? Because the Bible calls this Messiah coming into the world God (Philippians 2:6-8).

Do you believe it?


If Jesus is God, will you believe? If you do believe, what have you done with this information? You see what the bible claims about Jesus are a big deal and this declaration cannot be met with indifference. Jesus was hated because He made Himself to be equal with God (John 5:18). Does this make you angry along with the Pharisees? Or does it fill you with awe? Jesus being God changes everything. Jesus being God means that we don’t have a God that is distant but One that is near. We serve a God who came into human history to not only defeat sin but to suffer alongside sinners. Jesus is God and the empty grave proves it.


“Should Christians Build Wealth Or Avoid it?”

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“Should Christians Build Wealth Or Avoid it?”

In our culture today, there seems to be no facet of life that is untouched by money and the pursuit of it. The Bible calls Christians to have a different culture, one which pursues sacrificial giving. Our four guests discuss the all-important of how should Christians think about money management, stewardship and giving. 

Guests: Mike Omoniyi, Lois Komalafe, Mwaka Mudenda, Emmanuel Hammond 

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What is the role of the Holy Spirit?

Chinedu Agwu
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What is the role of the Holy Spirit?
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Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters

Genesis 1:2

Who is the Holy Spirit?

The Hebrew word for the Holy Spirit is Ruakh, which means ‘wind or breath’, and He is the third member of the Trinity (Triune God), first mentioned in Genesis 1:2. The Word of God is often described as “God-breathed”, inspired and lead by the Holy Spirit 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and so knowing the Hebrew meaning gives context to that scripture.

The same Holy Spirit descended onto Jesus like a dove when He was baptised by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:16-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22 and John 1:29-34) and it was from this point that Jesus’ full ministry started. What is interesting is that baptism of the Spirit translates the wind of the Spirit to water, outwardly there is a physical purification by water but at the same time there is a purification of the human spirit through the power of the Holy Spirit, and we are made new. Hence why people may outwardly ‘look the same’ but often say they ‘feel differently inside’.

Before Jesus ascended to heaven to join the Father, He said “but the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you,” John 14:26. Now in Acts 2 we read about the Day of Pentecost when the disciples along with other followers of Christ were filled with the Holy Spirit for the first time “suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting,” Acts 2:2. The Holy Spirit was present at the beginning of creation, was prophesied about by prophets and then was made available to us to live with.  

What is the role of the Holy Spirit today?

  • To Empower Us
    • It is the Holy Spirit who gives us the power to do the work of God, to live a blameless life, once we stop relying on the Holy Spirit we lose the battle. As humans we are weak, we are flawed and so we need the help of the Holy Spirit to empower us to live this life for the glory of God, Zechariah 4:6.
  • To Reveals The Will Of God
    • It is the Holy Spirit who reveals the heart of God and brings into remembrance His Word to enable us to fulfil the purposes of God, Philippians 2:13.
  • To Intercede On Our Behalf
    • When we don’t have the words to say, the Holy Spirit stands in the gap for us and intercedes before God, Romans 8: 26-27.
    • We are encouraged to frequently pray in the spirit to God, in our heavenly language which cannot be intercepted by the devil. In this way we come against any spiritual warfare trigger by the enemy, Ephesians 6:18, 1 Corinthians 14:2.

Resources

https://youtu.be/mC4QDWUUWK0

The Holy Spirit Archives – Bible Christian Resources – Audio, Video, Bible Studies, Christian Mobile Applications (bibleresources.info)

The Holy Spirit in the Hebrew Bible and Its Connections to the New Testament | Bible.org

What Does It Mean to Walk in The Holy Spirit?

Oluwaseyi Sobogun
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What Does It Mean to Walk in The Holy Spirit?
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Galatians 5:25 says

“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit”. But how do we know we live in the Spirt, what does it mean to walk by the Spirit and how can we be sure we are walking in the Holy Spirit?

The Spirit in us

We must first understand the significance of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Holy Spirit is God, part of the Trinity. He is our guide, our helper and our counsellor (John 14:16). It is only once we receive Christ, as our Lord and Saviour, that we also receive the Spirit. In this new life in Christ, we do not know how to live the type of life that glorifies God. However, upon Christ’s departure, we were given the promise of the Spirit to help us live righteously (John 14:26). Every person who receives Christ, receives the Holy Spirit.

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him

Romans 8:9

We belong to Christ; therefore, we have the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of God which is the same Holy Spirit, as all three are one in the Trinity. The Holy Spirit dwells within us (1 Corinthians. 3:16) and can be envisioned as an inner compass that guides us towards a life pleasing to God.

Christ has already paid the price for our sins, we are forgiven and the Spirit is forever with us. We are not trying to work towards a standard in our salvation. No, once saved, this is the process in our sanctification, making us more like Christ each day. We are in Christ so we have the Spirit living within us. Now the call, in Galatians 5:25, is to outwardly display the inward working that has taken place, in the Spirit, through our characteristics and choices.

The Flesh vs The Spirit

Before Christ, we lived a life in the flesh, doing worldly things and thinking about the wants of our sinful selves. With Christ, we die to the flesh, we say no to the worldly and earthly desires we once enjoyed and entertained, choosing instead to walk in the Spirit.

For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live

Romans 8:13

The sinful wants of the flesh are described in Galatians 5:19 as sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality…”. Essentially, the flesh is anything that is against God and His holiness. Thus, we are tasked with “walking in the spirit as to not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16) because the Spirit and the flesh are against each other, they cannot co-exist, grow and be sustained in the same space (v.17). We do not know entirely what is against God’s holiness as above is not an exhaustive list, however, with the Spirit of God, we receive guidance.

Now we have received, not from the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God

1 Corinthians 2:23

We are never alone on this journey, yet the choice is ours if we want to follow the Spirit or our flesh on the journey. If we envision the Spirit walking with us, side by side, step by step, we begin to see the image of the meaning of ‘walking by the Spirit”. We must continuously remain in step with the Spirit, following the same path and keeping pace.

The Fruit

To walk by the Spirit also means to focus our minds on the things of the Spirit. It is important to understand that this is a mind shift and life transformation. When we choose to walk by the Spirit, we are deciding to set aside our personal desires and sinful selves daily.

Those who live following their sinful selves think only about the things that their sinful selves want. But those who live following the Spirit are thinking about the things the Spirit wants them to do.

Romans 8:5

As with any organism, the more attention, time and care given to it, the more it will grow and produce (fruit). This is the same with the Spirit, the evidence is the fruit which are outlined in Galatians 5:22-23.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, against such things there is no law

Galatians 5:22-23

The fruit of the Spirit is a list of traits which are identifiable in a person’s behaviour and lifestyle. It is necessary to note that there are not multiple fruits of the Spirit rather one fruit with multiple parts. These distinct parts display themselves in different ways as outlined in vs. 22-23. One Spirit, one fruit. We all have the fruit of the Spirit within us as the Spirit dwells in us and we seek to display the Spirit, in our lives, through our fruit.

Walk in the Spirit

We cannot be nurturing or fulfilling the desires of our flesh, as described above, and providing the space for the fruit of the Spirit to grow. The fruit will be a result of a life surrendered to the Spirit, not our flesh. For this reason, we need to specifically walk – make an active choice to follow, be guided by and remain together – with the Spirit, to grow and live. We have to put away the former way of life for a new way of life, in the Spirit.

For more reading on walking in the Spirit

  • Romans 8:1-30
  • Galatians 5:16-26
  • 1 Corinthians 2:6-16

For more on the topic of the Holy Spirit, listen to the latest episode of #ThePulsePodcast

Why Doesn’t God Just Forgive Us?

Deborah Asamoah
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Often when we think about God, we commonly associate him with paternal or comrade attributes, i.e. a Father or friend, but rarely do we view him as a judge. Packer rightly puts it, saying; 

Speak to [people] of God as a Father, a friend, a helper , one who loves us despite all our weakness and sin and their faces light up. But speak to them of God as Judge and they frown and shake their heads. They find it repellent and unworthy. 

J.I Packer

In a cultural climate that is becoming more acquainted with self-love and extending grace to ourselves, why doesn’t God let bygones be bygones? Why can’t he just overlook our wrongdoings and just forgive us with no strings attached?

Holy by nature

To understand why God does what he does, we must first reckon with who he is. Knowing God’s character provides us with the roadmap in discovering the answers as to his will and thus his actions. One thing is clear about God. He is holy. Holiness speaks to the deepest and innermost nature of God, as it points not only to his transcendence (the fact that he unique, other and separate from the creation he has made) i.e. omniscient, omnipotent etc, but to the fact that his moral purity is consummate. That means that the nature of God’s righteousness is so utterly perfect that he is the standard of moral perfection and goodness against which all actions are measured by.

This holy character is so exclusive to God himself that it must separate from all things that are unholy. In Leviticus we see this separation physically; the Most Holy Place where God resides being off-limits to all people except the Hight Priest, who had to be consecrated (made holy for God’s purposes) and anointed before being able to work in such close proximity to God. Moses is warned by God to not come near the burning bush which was engulfed by God’s holy presence. The running theme is that God being perfectly holy, is dangerous to anyone that is morally imperfect. 

Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all people I will be honoured

Leviticus 10:3

His holiness must never be breached, compromised or trivialised, this being a matter or life or death. Anything unclean, impure that would trespass God’s holy nature may be consumed in judgement. Judgement maintains the equilibrium so that what is holy is separate from unholy, and clean and pure separate from what is unclean and impure.

white and brown wooden wall mounted switch

God rules with authority 

God’s holiness, as previously mentioned, speaks of his all-powerful and majestic nature. This means that God, who is morally perfect, also rules sovereignly, meaning all and authority belongs to him. Ultimately it means he decides what laws we should live by. He also decides how we should be judged if we do not live by them. Rightfully so, being the standard of moral perfection, God’s wisdom of right and wrong, qualifies him to know what is just and fair play, because to know justice is to know himself. Justice flows from the righteous nature of God. We know what is wrong because we compare it with what is right and what is right is perfectly fulfilled in him.

What is fair?

Being made in God’s image – God’s inclination to long for just treatment and fair play resides in us. We rejoice when we see a killer is found guilty in court and we mourn when fellow humans face injustice. The truth is sin (to fall short of what is right), has entered us all. We are all prone to do what is wrong, to committing an error and thus to be culpable. It is God’s task to maintain equilibrium and be consistent with his moral perfection by doing what is just. At the heart of justice which expresses God’s nature is retribution, rendering to people what they deserved. If we do something wrong, we deserved to be punished for it, so that the standard of doing right is maintained. This is the reason why God cannot just forgive us. If we saw a judge let a guilty offender just go free with no punishment, it would anger us. So why should we get away with our wrongdoing?

grey wooden cross on mountain

God must punish our sin, he simply cannot thwart justice by overlooking our deeds. So how can we be forgiven while ensuring that God carries out justice by charging a guilty offence with punishment? Christ is the answer. He substitutes himself in our position. Despite being innocent and sinless he takes on our offences as though they were his and becomes the guilty defendant in our place. God’s wrath and will to carry out justice is satisfied as Jesus bears the full consequences by dying as the bloody sacrificial lamb on the cross. This is called atonement. Now because of Christ, those who believe in Christ and his work on the cross can be forgiven by God because the debt has been paid and judgement for the offence fulfilled. It is only through Christ’s sacrifice of appeasing God’s judgement of sin through the shedding of his blood that forgiveness can truly take place.

Is The Bible The Literal Word Of God?

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Is The Bible The Literal Word Of God?

Of all the gifts given to mankind by God, there is none greater than the presence of the Holy Spirit. For many people, the person of the Holy Spirit raises many questions as to its functions, roles, and activities. Our Director Mike Omoniyi shares how The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is active in our world and notes several roles the Holy Spirit plays in the lives of believers today.

Join the discussion online using #ThePulsePodcast

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What Is The Role Of The Holy Spirit?

On Mission
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What Is The Role Of The Holy Spirit?

Of all the gifts given to mankind by God, there is none greater than the presence of the Holy Spirit. For many people, the person of the Holy Spirit raises many questions as to its functions, roles, and activities. Our Director Mike Omoniyi shares how The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is active in our world and notes several roles the Holy Spirit plays in the lives of believers today.

Join the discussion online using #ThePulsePodcast

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How To Cope When Struggling With Burnout

Chinedu Agwu
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How To Cope When Struggling With Burnout

Phrases like “Work hard, play hard”, “Everyday I’m hustling” or “I’ll sleep when I’m dead,” whilst often said light heartedly can actually cause us to develop an unhealthy work-life balance. If this is not addressed early it can lead to a state called “burnout”, which is exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration. So, what do we do when we come to the end of ourselves and find that we are running on empty?

What causes it?

I’ll start off by saying it is normal to experience stress and burnout occasionally but as we mature, it is so important to know the sources of drainage in your life and what could be eliminated to help the situation. Imagine you were in a boat and it started leaking, you would want to quickly find out the source of the leak and plug it, to prevent the boat from sinking! You are the boat. Ensure you don’t have too many things in your life draining your emotional, spiritual or physical energy otherwise you will sink.

As a student there are so many things on your mind from deadlines for assignments, to exam preparation, to job applications, the list is endless. With such a long to do list, it can instil worry and fear in the heart. It is so easy to become overwhelmed and stressed when you try to tackle your workload or circumstance in your own strength and wisdom. However, you don’t have to; God is on standby, waiting patiently to be turned to. Waiting to be acknowledged in your life. He is amid the chaos, just like Jesus was in the boat during the storm, He is with you. Peace is in Christ, and He has made Himself available to you whenever you call on His name.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest

Matthew 11:28-30

Do you know your symptoms?

God will help us in every situation, as 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 says,

his power is made perfect in our weakness

2 Corinthians 12:8-10

However, it is useful to know what your symptoms of burnout are so you can see the warning signs early on. This could be anything from showing cold-like symptoms to your appetite increasing/decreasing or your sleeping pattern changing, it will manifest differently for everyone but there will be subtle changes within yourself that will warn you that you need to slow down. You need to readjust things in your life, or you’ll be at risk of burnout.

This self-awareness is key, you are not superhuman and neither does God expect you to be. In moments of weariness, call on His name to infuse your body with strength and to give you the wisdom to navigate this high-pressure season. This is important to note, stressful times are seasonal…it has a beginning and an end. I remember as a student feeling like my workload was never ending, the deadlines were getting tighter and demands on me were getting higher! But before I knew it, it came to an end and I was free. You too will be free, keep being faithful in the season you are in. It is not in vain; your private obedience will precede public victory!

Pause. Reset. Realign

So you’ve thought about causes of stress in your life, you’ve reflected on what your stress symptoms are and now it’s time to press pause, reset and realign. Let Christ be your anchor and stabilise you in the stressful situation. Trust Him to give you grace for the season.

but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:31

Remember when you feel like you have lost control, God never does. And when you feel you have been given more than you can bear, your back is breaking…just remember that we serve a BIG God who can carry any issue we bring to Him. We must bring our needs, cares and burdens to Him, there is a role for us to play too and that is to surrender.

Practical steps to avoid burnout:

  1. Know your limit and do not overcommit yourself. Let your yes be yes and your no be no
  2. Take breaks. Have a nap, read a book or meditate and listen to music
  3. Abide in the Word of God, be refreshed by His truth
  4. Journal, write down your struggles but also your victories in this season
  5. Give thanks for each day, you’re still standing and haven’t been knocked out yet!

What is Biblical Justice?

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What is Biblical Justice?

`Joke: Q. What’s the best way to study the Bible? A. You Luke into it.

Biblical justice involves making individuals, communities, and the cosmos whole, by upholding both goodness and impartiality. It stands at the center of true religion, according to James, who says that the kind of “religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27). Earlier Scripture says, “The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern” (Prov. 29:7).

Justice flows from God’s heart and character. As true and good, God seeks to make the object of his holy love whole. This is what motivates God throughout the Old and New Testaments in his judgments on sin and injustice. These judgments are both individual and corporate in scope.

One of the greatest injustices we succumb to individually is self-righteousness—the belief that we do not need Jesus but are just and good and right apart from him. We can fail to see that Jesus is the righteous “judge judged in our place” (Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics) for our own acts of injustice, including our marginalizing him by refusing to sense our need for him to remove our sin and make us whole.

Only as we despair of ourselves and cling to Jesus can we participate in his work of restoring lives, the church, and the world by the Spirit of the Lord. We, the church, are to live now in light of Jesus’ restoration of all things.

As we experience the wholeness that Jesus offers, we are to carry his justice forward in the world. We sense God’s heart for this in James’ epistle. James, like an Old Testament prophet, denounced oppression toward the poor. He saw church leaders favoring the rich and looking down on those less fortunate (James 2:1-13). James calls for the breaking down of these divisions, as God seeks to renew his people, making them whole.

The God of Justice

Biblical justice is not first of all a set of bullet points or a set of rules and guidelines. It is rooted in the very character of God and it is the outworking of that character, which is never less than just.

In his magisterial work on God’s attributes, Herman Bavinck argues that in the Bible, God’s justice is both retributive and reparative. It not only punishes evildoing, but it restores those who are victims of injustice. Yet interestingly, “God’s remunerative [restorative] justice is far more prominent in Scripture than his retributive justice.” God stands against “perverting the justice due the poor… slaying the innocent and righteous… accepting bribes…. oppressing the alien, the widow, and the orphan…” God “raises them to a position of honour and well-being… [D]oing justice with an eye to the needy becomes an act [also] of grace and mercy.” And therefore, God’s restorative justice “is not, like his anger, opposed to his steadfast love but is closely akin and synonymous with it.” His justice is “simultaneously the manifestation of his grace (Psalm 97:11-12; 112:3-6; 116:5; 118:15-19).”

Biblical justice is not first of all a set of bullet points or a set of rules and guidelines. It is rooted in the very character of God and it is the outworking of that character, which is never less than just.

The Lord’s justice is also retributive. He not only establishes justice for those who have been wronged and mistreated, but he also metes out punishment to those who have perpetrated those wrongs. He “does not spare the wicked” (Ezekiel 7:4, 9, 27; 8:18; 9:10).  As the Judge of all the earth, the Lord will finally give everyone what justice dictates is due to them (Acts 17:30-31). But he will also restore and “renew all things” so there is no more evil, suffering, or death (Matthew 19:28). Both his retributive and remunerative justice will come to final fulfillment at the end of history, and we will live in a new heavens and new earth filled with dikaiosune – justice (2 Peter 3:13).

The world God had in mind

Anyone can see that the world we live in has much that is wrong. But what’s right? If we correct the wrongs, at what do we aim to arrive?


In learning about God’s Justice, it’s crucial to begin with the early chapters of Genesis. It is deep reading, and no wonder. We’re talking about the origins of all that is. Today, even in our bruised and battered world, God’s original intentions remain. It’s as though Genesis tells us, This is what I had in mind. It is a good world. (God pronounced it very good in Genesis 1:31.) We might also call it a just world, because not only was every part good, but every part was in the correct relationship to all the other parts.

GROUP DISCUSSION:

Think back on some great project you once embarked on: a degree, a career, a relationship, a piece of art. How did that project change for you as time went on? Did your original ideals find complete fulfillment? In the end, could you pronounce it “very good?” Why or why not?

PERSONAL REFLECTION:

What’s the opposite of injustice? If you think of a particular injustice that bothers you—child slavery, sex trafficking, bribery, murder, to name a few examples—can you describe its positive mirror image? What should a world without injustice look like?

Genesis 1-3 has sparked a lot of arguments about interpretation of key questions, such as the age of the earth, or whether Adam and Eve were real individuals. As you read Genesis, it’s important not to get trapped into the tunnel vision brought on by these controversial questions. There’s a wealth of encouragement and inspiration built into these verses; open your mind to their riches. Read Genesis 2:8-25.

  1. This section of Genesis begins by describing God making a garden. What does the word “garden” suggest? What makes a garden garden-like? What did God put in the garden? (vv. 8-14)
  2. Verse 9 tells us that a great variety of trees grew in the garden, “pleasing to the eye and good for food.” What does this suggest about the qualities God built into his creation?
  3. Why do you think the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was placed at the center of the garden? (verse 9)
  4. What do you think is meant by the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Why are they important resources for the garden?
  5. What is the role of “the man?” (vv. 15-20) What does this suggest about economic development?
  6. Is there any limit to “the man’s” power?
  7. Some suggest that an “off-limits tree” teaches “the man” not to confuse himself with God; every day he passes a tree that God made and humanity is not allowed to enjoy. Have you ever lived with a limit that you did not understand or appreciate? What was it, and did you learn anything from it?
  8. What relationship does “the man” have with the animals and birds? (vv. 19-20)
  9. What is the relationship between “the man” and the woman God formed as his helper?

Despite the injustice we witness around us, we refuse to accept that poverty is an inevitable part of our broken and hurting world. Our response to poverty is different. Rather than seeing it as something that’s too complex, too insurmountable, we focus on tackling it one child at a time. In Genesis and throughout the Bible God demonstrates His desire to be in relationship with us, to see us as individuals. Our model of linking one child with one sponsor is a reflection of this, and is how we seek to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name.

PRAYER:

Ask God to help you see our world through the lens of Genesis. We see a garden well provided and protected, with humanity carrying the responsibility of working and caring for it. We see man and woman and animals in proper relationship. We see human beings who know their proper place: they are not God, they live with limits, while they work the garden to discover its potential. Is such a vision possible in the world as it exists now? Ask God for help in seeing clearly how you can be part of re-making the garden.

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