God’s Response to Social Injustice: Biblical Love Defined

Many today are claiming Christ and advocating love, especially in these times of social unrest. Both sides of the current debate see injustices that pervade society from their perspectives and desire for a more perfect (comfortable) society. Instead of viewing the world with ourselves as the center, maybe we should revisit Scripture to see how God would respond to the unjust. Let us look at Jonah to see how God chooses to express His love to those who are deemed unjust. “The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me’” (Jonah 1:1-2). What message did Jonah preach? He preached God’s judgement on Nineveh for its sin: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4). The Ninevites response was to repent: “When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: ‘By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish’” (Jonah 3:6-). In response, the Lord accepted their repentance and showed mercy: “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened” (Jonah 3:10).