Justice and Fairness

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of others.” ... I have no one else like him [Timothy], who will show genuine concern for your welfare. For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 2:3-4, 20-21

As a recruitment consultant, I once interviewed a woman whose reputation had been tarnished by a workplace situation. Her employer had effectively dismissed her and seemed intent on damaging her chances of employment elsewhere. Her apparent wrongdoing? She stood up for a colleague who was the victim of workplace bullying. Her reward? Pressure to resign, loss of employment and livelihood, and a black mark on her work history. Yet she accepted this willingly. It was the right thing to do.

Our generation is fixated on justice, but the majority of examples we see are either self-defence or protest on behalf of others, with little or no personal cost. Taking a flag and standing on a street corner does virtually nothing for the ones whose cause you want to uphold. And the Bible has very little to say about standing up for ourselves. In fact, Psalm 37 makes a strong case for leaving our own justice up to God.

What the Bible DOES teach us is to stand up for the needs of others, even (and perhaps especially) when there is a personal cost in doing so. Paul pleaded with the Philippian believers to look first to the needs of others, before considering their own needs. His words aren’t so much a call to a doormat kind of selflessness, as encouragement to set aside self-preservation in the cause of serving others. Our motivation and model? Jesus Christ Himself, who “made Himself nothing … obedient to death”. (Phil 2:7-8)

In Hebrews, the author praises those Christians who suffered the loss of pride and property for the sake of the persecuted and oppressed. (Heb. 10:32-35) The Biblical call to justice is a costly call to serve others, but the reward is significant, eternal, and far greater than anything we might lose on earth.

Who needs your voice today? Who might God ask you to stand with or for, to appeal for justice and fairness?

- Ps. Nigel