Justice Quotes From the Ultimate Advocates

[Focus on the Family]

There feels like there is so much division today. Opposite sides are fighting and yelling at each other, holding signs, choosing sides. So many accusations and hate it seems like the world is about to split. Is justice worth fighting for? Can one voice make a difference? Yes! Justice quotes from the ultimate advocates can show us how.

We have many examples of powerful advocates, people who changed the world. From Anne Frank to Martin Luther King Jr. to Saint Augustine, these people and many others have advocated for change. Yet, there is one who stands above the rest, Jesus Christ. He is a great example. Let’s be inspired by some powerful justice quotes from history’s ultimate advocates.

What Does Advocate Mean?​

First, an advocate supports those who are not being heard. Second, they elevate the needs of those being overlooked or mistreated. For this reason and others, Jesus is called an advocate. With that in mind, let’s look at some of the justice quotes from the Bible.

• “My dear children, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.” 1 John 2:1b
• “The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time.” – Thomas Jefferson
• “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Proverbs 31:8-9
• “Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have.” – Winston Churchill
• “I can’t imagine how anyone can say: ‘I’m weak,’ and then remain so. After all, if you know it, why not fight against it, why not try to train your character?” – Anne Frank

What Does Being an Advocate Mean?​

Being an advocate means taking action to correct wrongs in a spirit of love and caring for the most vulnerable. For example, look at the top five actions Jesus, as the ultimate advocate, did to stop injustice:

Jesus Teaching on Justice​

1. Service – Jesus was not above serving others. Even though he was the King of Kings, he knelt to wash the disciples’ feet. Matthew 20:28 says, “even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
2. Humility – Women, those of different ethnicity and others with physical disabilities were not treated differently by Jesus. He did not act superior or oppress the widow or destitute. Jesus broke down racial, religious and gender barriers by talking with the Samaritan woman found in John 4:4–26.
3. Connection – Neither Moses nor Elisha touched the leaper they healed, but Jesus broke all the rules and was personally involved. He showed love and mercy as healing flowed from Jesus to the leaper. (Matthew 8:1-4)
4. Giving – Even the disciples told the children to leave Jesus alone, thinking of the children as nuisances. Yet, Jesus elevated children. He called them out as examples and gave his time to them. “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” (Mark 10:14-15.)
5. Truthful – Jesus did not tolerate the injustice found in the church or show favorites. Instead, he called out the truth even when it was against “his own,” as seen in Matthew 23.

The Lord Loves Justice​

An advocate is willing to spend time with those they care for. They desire to give a voice to those who do not have one. The Lord loves justice.

• “For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.” Isaiah 61:8
• “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
• “The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted.” – Mother Teresa.

God of Justice​

The Merriam-Webster dictionary says justice is the principle or ideal of right action. In other words, justice is equality, a fair shake, preserving or defending a right. Likewise, it is valuing people, fixing any wrongs that interfere with just treatment and, ultimately, overcoming evil.

Augustine wrote that evil is a parasite of good. It is not its own thing, but the lack of good—the void where justice should be. For something to be evil, it is the opposite of good. We know that God is good; therefore, evil is the opposite of the Lord.

• “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity just and upright is he.” Deuteronomy 32:4
• “For the Lord loves justice.” Psalm 37:28a
• “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.” Matthew 12:18

The Bible and Social Justice​

God makes it clear what is unjust:

1. Taking a bribe to pervert justice is wrong. (Deuteronomy 16:19)
2. All people deserve justice. God condemns anyone who hurts those who are weaker, such as the widow or the orphan. (Deuteronomy 10:18)
3. God wants his people to be called people of righteousness and justice. (Genesis 18:19)

Social Justice​

• “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute”. Psalm 82:3
• “Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.” Proverbs 28:5
• “Silence in the face of evil is evil itself.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
• “I would rather die than do something which I know to be a sin or to be against God’s will.” – Joan of Arc

• “for daily I expect to be murdered or betrayed or reduced to slavery if the occasion arises. But I fear nothing because of the promises of Heaven: for I have cast myself into the hands of Almighty God, who reigns everywhere. As the prophet says: Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you.” – St. Patrick

Love and Justice in Christianity​

Let’s look back in history to one of the great minds of the time, Saint Augustine. In his book, City of God, he worked out the complicated concept of justice. Justice is a foundation. As Augustine shared, “Remove justice, and what are kingdoms but gangs of criminals on a large scale?” But justice is more than a set of rules. For justice to be just, it must be grounded in love. Augustine pointed out that true justice begins with the love of God and expands to the love of others. Being “bound together by higher interests (that of love)” is what brings about real justice.

That is why we don’t look to politics for ultimate justice. Christians continue to be involved in advocacy because of the love of Christ at their core. For a Christian, final peace is found in Heaven. However, while on earth, we can be effective social justice agents by seeking justice.

Jesus and Social Justice​

• “Turn from evil and do good; then, you will dwell in the land forever. For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish. The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.” Psalm 37:27-29
• “Justice is that virtue which gives every one his due. – St. Augustine
• “Every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
• “I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me.” – Deitrich Bonhoeffer
• “In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.” – Anne Frank
• If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” – Mother Teresa.
• Justice is not something God has. Justice is something that God is.” – A.W. Tozer

Justice is Love in Action​

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Injustice needs to be addressed, but not through more violence or more injustice. We must remember that the people we oppose are loved by their Creator. However much we disagree with them, they have inherent dignity because God created them.

• “I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.” – Abraham Lincoln
• “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” – Robert F. Kennedy
• “When we Christians behave badly or fail to behave well, we are making Christianity unbelievable to the outside world.” – C.S. Lewis
• “One ought to never to turn one’s back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half. Never run away from anything. Never!” – Winston Churchill
• “Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you.” Mother Teresa.

Social Justice Quotes in the Bible​

So, when we look for justice, we must treat people fairly. We must work for proper actions to be taken. When there is conflict, seek the truth. Truth, fairness and justice are all concepts that come from God. Humanity in its own right can give a sense of justice, but it is easily corrupted. That is why an unchanging standard outside of ourselves is much stronger and more reliable.

• “Whoever says to the guilty, ‘You are innocent,’ will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations. But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come on them.” Proverbs 24:24-25
• “Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore, he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you.” Isaiah 30:18-19

Ultimate Justice Bible Verses​

• “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8
• “Therefore, the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.” Isaiah 30:18
• “For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness, I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the LORD has blessed.” Isaiah 61:8-9

Quotes About Getting Justice​

Yet, justice can be slow. In those times, we can feel frustrated. However, in that time of angst, in the waiting, we know that it is the Lord who ultimately brings justice.

We don’t need to act out in frustration. Justice is in the hands of the Lord. We do our best with the resources we have, but ultimately, it is in God’s hands, and that is a relief. God knows the right way and timing for justice. We can trust Him.

Justice Bible Verses​

• “Many seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the Lord that a man gets justice.” Proverbs 29:26
• “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.” 2 Peter 3:8-10“Many seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the Lord that a man gets justice.” Proverbs 29:26“Many seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the Lord that a man gets justice.” Proverbs 29:26
• “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” Romans 12:19

Justice Quotes​

• “We have to condemn publicly the very idea that some people have the right to repress others… When we neither punish nor reproach evildoers … we are ripping the foundations of justice from beneath new generations.” – Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn
• “The vague and tenuous hope that God is too kind to punish the ungodly has become a deadly opiate for the conscience of millions.” – A.W. Tozer
• “As my sufferings mounted, I soon realized that there were two ways in which I could respond to my situation — either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force. I decided to follow the latter course.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
• “A life not lived for others is not a life.” Mother Teresa

Justice Will Prevail Quotes​

Recapture courage. Live a life of boldness and risk while humbly making a difference right where you are. We don’t do this in our own strength. Was David capable of killing a giant, or did God kill the giant through him? Likewise, was Moses capable of leading an unruly mob to a new land, or was God leading through him?

We have hope because we are not working in our strength. Therefore for inspiration, look at these quotes. Spend time in a community that encourages you like I Am Pro-Life on Facebook and Instagram. You are not alone. Be strong in the Lord and continue to work for justice.

• “He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.” Psalm 33:5
• “The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.” Psalm 37:30
• “I said to myself, ‘God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed.’” Ecclesiastes 3:17
• “For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’” Hebrews 10:30

Justice Quotes of Encouragement​

• “What grace is meant to do is to help good people, not to escape their sufferings, but to bear them with a stout heart, with a fortitude that finds its strength in faith.” – Augustine
• “The time is always right to do what is right.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
• “Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different?” – C.S. Lewis
• “Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” – Mother Teresa

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