In the Bible, “just” refers to being righteous, morally upright, and in accordance with God’s law. It signifies individuals or actions that are fair, impartial, and aligned with divine justice, as exemplified by God Himself.
Scripture
9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.
10 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.
Meaning of “Just” in the Bible
The concept of “just” in the Bible encompasses a profound moral and ethical dimension, closely tied to righteousness and adherence to God’s commandments. The Hebrew term often translated as “just” is “tsaddiq,” and it resonates with the idea of being in right standing with God; this is evident in Psalm 37:29, which states, “The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.” Here, being just is synonymous with receiving God’s blessings and rewards, underscoring the relationship between justice and divine favor. In the New Testament, this theme is echoed in Romans 3:26, where Paul describes God as “just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” This dual role emphasizes that God’s justice is not only punitive but also redemptive.
Furthermore, the pursuit of justice is a foundational aspect of biblical living, as illustrated in Micah 6:8, which encapsulates the divine expectations: “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.” This verse illustrates that being just is not merely a personal attribute but extends to how one interacts with others, highlighting the importance of fairness and mercy. The biblical understanding of “just” thus transcends legalistic interpretations, inviting believers to embody justice in their daily lives and relationships, reflecting God’s character of righteousness and love.
In addition to the aspects mentioned, the biblical understanding of “just” incorporates the idea of social responsibility and care for the marginalized. The theme is evident throughout the prophetic literature, where the prophets call out injustices and advocate for the rights of the oppressed, emphasizing that true justice is rooted in compassion and empathy towards those in need. In the eyes of God, being just entails not only adhering to personal righteousness but also actively engaging in the pursuit of equity within the community. This understanding invites believers to take a stand against injustice in various forms—whether it be economic exploitation, social inequality, or systemic discrimination—demonstrating that justice is a comprehensive mandate that encompasses all areas of human interaction.
Moreover, the New Testament expands the concept of being just by linking it profoundly with faith and love. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses the essence of justice, suggesting that a heart aligned with God’s will moves beyond mere legalism to embrace a radical love for one’s neighbors and even one’s enemies. This transformative approach highlights that those who are truly “just” reflect the character of Christ, who embodied mercy, grace, and unconditional love. As individuals strive to be just, they are called not only to fulfill external obligations but to cultivate internal virtues that inspire righteous actions, thereby contributing to the overall divine order and harmony intended by God for creation.
Divine Justice and Righteousness
In the biblical context, “just” often refers to the nature of God as a righteous judge. This concept emphasizes that God embodies perfect justice, ensuring that moral order is upheld. The idea of divine justice implies that God will ultimately right wrongs and reward the righteous while punishing the wicked. This understanding encourages believers to trust in God’s fairness and to live in accordance with His moral standards.
Human Conduct and Ethical Living
The term “just” also pertains to the ethical behavior expected of individuals. In the Bible, being just means acting with integrity, fairness, and honesty in one’s dealings with others. This includes showing compassion, upholding the rights of the marginalized, and engaging in actions that promote social justice. The call to be just reflects the moral imperative for believers to reflect God’s character in their daily lives and interactions.
Covenant Relationship and Faithfulness
Another broader meaning of “just” relates to the covenant relationship between God and His people. In this context, being just involves faithfulness to the commitments and responsibilities outlined in the covenant. It signifies a reciprocal relationship where God is just in His promises, and in turn, His people are called to be just in their loyalty and obedience. This aspect highlights the importance of faithfulness in maintaining a right relationship with God and with one another.
How to Embrace Justice and Righteousness in Faith
Embracing justice and righteousness in your faith journey is a beautiful way to reflect God’s love and character in the world around you. Start by immersing yourself in Scripture, where you’ll find countless examples of God’s heart for justice—like in Micah 6:8, which calls us to “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” This means not only standing up for the marginalized and oppressed but also examining your own heart and actions. Ask yourself how you can be a voice for those who are voiceless and how you can embody integrity in your daily life. Surround yourself with a community that values these principles, as they can encourage and challenge you to grow. Remember, righteousness isn’t just about personal piety; it’s about living out your faith in a way that brings hope and healing to others. Let your faith be a catalyst for change, and watch how God uses you to make a difference in the lives of those around you.
Bible References to the Meaning of “Just”:
Deuteronomy 16:18-20: 18 You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.
19 You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous.
20 Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
Psalm 37:27-29: 27 Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever.
28 For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.
Proverbs 4:18-19: 18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.
Proverbs 10:6-7: 6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
7 The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.
Proverbs 11:3-6: 3 The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.
5 The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight,
but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.
Proverbs 12:5-7: 5 The thoughts of the righteous are just;
the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
6 The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
but the mouth of the upright delivers them.
7 The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
but the house of the righteous will stand.
Proverbs 21:15-16: 15 When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.
16 One who wanders from the way of good sense will rest in the assembly of the dead.
Isaiah 26:7-9: 7 The way of the righteous is level;
you make smooth the path of the righteous.
8 In the path of your judgments, O Lord, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul.
9 My soul yearns for you in the night;
my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.
Ezekiel 18:5-9: 5 “If a man is righteous and does what is just and right—
6 if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman in her time of menstrual impurity,
7 does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment,
8 does not lend at interest or take any profit, withholds his hand from injustice, executes true justice between man and man,
9 “if he walks in my statutes and keeps my rules by acting faithfully—he is righteous; he shall surely live, declares the Lord God.”
Habakkuk 2:4-5: 4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.”
5 “Moreover, wine is a traitor, an arrogant man who is never at rest. His greed is as wide as Sheol; like death he has never enough; he gathers for himself all nations and collects as his own all peoples.”
Matthew 1:18-19: 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
Matthew 5:43-45: 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’”
44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Luke 18:1-8: 1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man.
3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’
4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man,
5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.
6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says.
7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?
8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Romans 1:16-17: 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
Romans 2:5-11: 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
6 He will render to each one according to his works:
7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;
8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.
9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek,
10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.
11 For God shows no partiality.
Romans 3:21-26: 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—
22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 5:6-9: 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
Romans 7:12-14: 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.
14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.
Romans 8:1-4: 1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Galatians 3:10-14: 10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”
11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”
3:12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.”
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—
14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
Philippians 4:8-9: 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Hebrews 10:38-39: 38 but my righteous one shall live by faith,
and if he shrinks back,
my soul has no pleasure in him.
But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
1 Peter 3:12-14: For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer.
13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?
14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,
1 John 1:8-10: 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Rev. François Dupont is a dedicated church minister with a wealth of experience in serving spiritual communities. With a calm and serene demeanor, he has been devoted to sharing the message of love, compassion, and tolerance for over two decades. Through his thoughtful sermons, compassionate counseling, and unwavering support, Rev. Dupont has touched the lives of countless individuals, allowing them to find solace and strength during difficult times. His serene presence and deep understanding of the human condition make him a trusted guide for those seeking spiritual nourishment and guidance.