The past few weeks have been an emotional roller coaster for most Nigerians because of the protests happening within and outside the country. It made me wonder what the biblical perspective was for handling social injustice and here is what I found.
Social injustice is the society failing to act in a just manner to individuals.
In every institution, there are rules and systems put in place to govern the society and ensure everyone is cared for- at least, to a certain extent. This is where the concepts of humans, civil, political rights and the likes come into play. When the societal system is being run in the proper and agreed manner, individuals experience social justice and when the system fails to run properly, then it is known as social injustice.
Unfortunately, social injustice has become the order of the day in most societies today. At one point or the other, as a Christian, you would have to respond to it.
That brings up the question, How do you handle social injustice as a Christian?
Tweet
There is a Christian worldview for every situation. Though you live in the world you are not of the world. As a believer, your response to any situation will most likely differ from that of an unbeliever because of the fundamentals of your faith.
PRAYER: As a Christian, your default response to difficulties or any situation at large should be prayer. You have to dedicate time to consciously and actively communicate with God to get the best approach to deal with any immediate issue which in this case is social injustice.
Let’s use Nehemiah as the major case study for this post. The whole book focuses on Proper leadership and handling social injustice.
Bro Nehe as my friend calls him was a cup-bearer for a Persian King: in our day and time, he would be an aide to a government official. One day, his friend comes to visit and bro Nehe learnt his homeland was destroyed and the gates burned down. Because of how sad the news made him, he cried and he couldn’t eat. The next thing Bro Nehe did was pray. He prayed because he knew the task was greater than him and he would need God’s help (to be continued…)
When you pray, your mind opens up to various possibilities you might not have thought on your own.
It emboldens you to go the extra mile to ensure justice prevails. Fact is, you are the answer to the prayers of many people and your nation but you also need God’s guidance to carry out your duties.
Fact is, you are the answer to the prayers of many people and your nation but you also need God’s guidance to carry out your duties.
Tweet
Bro Nehe’s story continued: Bro Nehe spoke with the king and the king responded favourably to Nehe and all his requests. He even gives bro Nehe troops and army officials to protect him. (How wild is that?)…..
LOVE: The major pillar of Christianity is love. The love of God and love for all the people around you. Remember one of Jesus’ parables, the one about the good Samaritan in Luke 10. The Samaritan’s showed his love by helping the injured man even though he could have walked away.
Seeing social injustice prevalent all around you and refusing to lend your voice or act out of compassion, does not portray love. You cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the situation of others even if it doesn’t affect you directly. Even Jesus showed love over and over again even at his detriment.
Back to bro Nehe: You have to love Him, he was such an activist. One time the jews decided to protest because the taxes were so high, some had to sell their children as slaves so they could pay up. At this time, bro Nehe was already in his Homeland as a government official. When he heard of the Jews plight, he took it upon himself to ensure the tax payment stopped and life was easier for his people. As a government official, he would have befitted so much if the taxes had continued but his love for God and the people compelled him to do the right thing.
RESPONSIBILITY: It doesn’t stop at prayers alone, you also have to be willing to rise to the occasion and put in the work. It could be as simple as voting or lending your voice in peaceful protests or even as complex as becoming a government official.
You have to ensure you are not defaulting in the responsibilities God has handed to you no matter how little it may be.
Cupbearer Bro Nehe became Governor Bro Nehe.
WISDOM AND DISCERNMENT: Acting with wisdom and discernment is very important. Always remember, not everyone has the same goal as you do. Some people want social injustice to continue to prevail because it benefits them and they will go to any length to ensure it remains that way.
Even bro Nehe, he didn’t have it easy at all. He had opposition all round especially from these two guys; Sanballat and Tobiah. They did everything they could to stop but bro Nehe didn’t fall for it. He handled every situation with wisdom.
Unknown
Not every move is your move.
Most important of all, always remember Jesus is the only hope of redemption. Sharing the gospel is the most important social duty of a Christian because we live in a fallen world and injustice will continue to increase daily; because of the fallen nature of man, as a result of sin. There is only so much fixing we can do in this world because of the wickedness of the heart of man. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9).
You need to share the gospel: “That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (l Corinthians 15:3-4), anyone who accepts his sacrifice receives a new life, eternal life (John 3:16).
My Sherlock Holmes journey on this topic ends here. I truly hope you learnt something like i did.
[Important notice: There is an ongoing movement in Nigeria #EndSARS, please lend your voice in any way you can.]
I share this with you because I care, so please share this with someone you care about.
Love always, Oluwatoyin.
The Union 