Where Love and Justice Meet.

Source: (2007) Washington, DC: Prison Fellowship International.

Very often justice and love are understood as distinct and even opposing values and
aims. On the one hand, justice is commonly depicted as harsh judgment, as punishment
without mercy.On the other hand, love is perceived as sentimentality where wrong-doing
is simply overlooked without consequence.
The Bible offers a different view of justice and love. Both are integral parts of God’s
character. God is a righteous judge (Psalm 7:7; 2 Timothy 4:8).At the same time, God is
love (1 John 4:8).How then does the Bible define justice and love? What does it mean that
justice and love both characterize God? What do justice and love mean for us? Where do
they meet in our world?
In this study, we will explore these issues and questions.We will look at what it means
for followers of Jesus to “act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with…God”
(Micah 6:8). We will also pursue what it means to “love your neighbor as yourself ”
(Matthew 22:39. (excerpt)