Voices: Justice looks like the cross

image_pdfimage_print

EDITOR’S NOTE: “Justice looks like …” is a special series in the Voices column. Readers will have the opportunity to consider justice from numerous viewpoints. The series is based on each writer’s understanding of Scripture and relationship with Jesus Christ. Writers present their own views independent of any institution, unless otherwise noted in their bios.

You are encouraged to listen to each writer without prejudgment. Then, engage in conversation with others around you about what justice looks like to you.

Click here for more information about the series. Click here to read the full “Justice looks like…” series.


“This is not fair.” These are my children’s words when they believe my wife and I have not been fair in our parenting when we discipline them. This expression is heard constantly and articulated by different people across generations and particularly in our day. Why? Because this phrase is connected intrinsically to our sense of justice.

Our families, congregations, cities and nation constantly are conflicted and polarized regarding this controversial topic.

Justice in its simplest terms means “to set things right.”

Yet, how do we know what is right? Who defines “right?” Is it society-at-large or the culture we live in? Is there a moral law we inherently know to follow?

In an attempt to respond to what justice looks like, I have to start by stating true justice flows from God’s heart and character.

Justice flows from God

God’s love and holiness revolve around his justice. In his love, God does not want to repay us based on what we deserve, but in his justice, he has to discipline us lovingly.


Sign up for our weekly edition and get all our headlines in your inbox on Thursdays


A gripping example of this often is seen in the Old Testament when Yahweh addresses issues of sin and injustice. These judgments are individual and corporate in scope.

As Christ followers, the answer to what justice looks like is clear. Jesus is our standard of righteousness. Jesus Christ lived a perfect and sinless life, died a sacrificial death and rose again to make right that which was wrong. It is because of Jesus and his work on the cross that we can be declared just and made right with a holy God.

Our sense of justice is imparted to us by our Creator, God. He is loving, kind and merciful, and he is also righteous, holy and just. He defines and sets the standard for justice.

We hear, “God is love and holy” more often than we hear, “God is just.” We may readily agree God sets the standard for love and holiness, but do we understand he also sets the standard for justice?

Jesus calls followers to justice

As we look at the life of Jesus and the mandate given throughout Scripture, it is clear Christ followers are called to “do justice.” We are called to take action and confront evil, to care for the vulnerable and to make right that which is wrong. This mandate is not new. It is not a cultural fad or simply a trend in today’s society.

Jesus himself pursued justice. Pursuing biblical justice means we follow God’s way to make right that which is wrong, and we look to Scripture to define what is “right.”

In the New Testament, Jesus also demonstrates a beautiful example for us to follow as one who cared for the outcast and reached out with compassion to help those most often overlooked. He physically and spiritually rescued those in need. The healing of the leper in Matthew 8 and caring for the woman caught in adultery in John 8 are just two examples.

The prophet Isaiah declared: “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, and please the widow’s cause” (Isaiah 1:17).

The foundational verse for many social justice related matters expressly communicates: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).

‘Justice is the cross’

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez states that in the kingdom of God, “justice is the cross.” No other symbol incorporates more passion and promise than the cross. Jesus said, “Carry your cross daily and follow me.”

The cross has both a vertical and horizontal dimension. Vertically, we remain connected to God, his kingdom and eternal life—a wonderful spiritual truth with divine principles and glory. Horizontally—to our left and to our right—we are surrounded by our community, relationships, family, culture and society.

Just like the cross is vertical and horizontal, so is redemption and relationship. It is both covenant and community; both kingdom and society that beautifully reflect righteousness and justice.

Salvation and transformation

Only God can save and transform a person into his likeness and image. It is where John 3:16 and Matthew 25 merge. It typifies the qualities of both a Billy Graham and a Martin Luther King Jr.

Justice is the blending of both believing and prayer and arising to act justly. It is biblical faith walking in shoe leather, doing what is right and embracing social justice while honoring the teaching of Scripture. It is faith fleshed out into good works, where loving God with a pure heart leads to loving those around us in a just and right way.

Why do we honor the oppressed, the downtrodden, the underprivileged? Because more than 2,000 years ago, the eternal God-man came and showed us the way to live daily—loving God, loving others and doing what is right and just. That is what justice looks like for his great name’s sake.

Dr. Rolando Aguirre is the associate pastor of teaching and Spanish language ministries at Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas. The views expressed are those solely of the author.

Click here to read the full “Justice looks like…” series.


We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.

Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.

More from Baptist Standard