Graham Joseph Hill is an author , theologian , scholar and former
Baptist Mission
Australia WA State Leader . Here , he takes us through the biblical foundations of
Christian advocacy and pursuing a more just world .
1
Luke 4:18-19
2
James 2:14 – 17
3
Romans 14:17
4
Luke 10:25-37
As followers of Jesus , we are beckoned onto a path that winds through the dense forest of injustice with the compass of the Gospel of Christ in our hands .
The Gospel , a story of God ’ s love and redemption , encompasses far more than personal morality and individual salvation — it is also a blueprint for societal restoration . For those who take their cues from Scripture , Christian advocacy and the response to injustice are not peripheral activities , they are central to the mission of embodying the Gospel .
In the Old Testament , we find a God deeply concerned with justice , instructing Israel to be a society where widows , orphans , immigrants and the poor are protected . Leviticus 19:10 commands , “ Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen . Leave them for the poor and the foreigner . I am the Lord your God .”
Here , justice is not a human construct but a divine mandate , a reflection of God ’ s character .
The prophets carry on this baton , with Micah demanding , “ What does the Lord require of you ? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God .” Micah 6:8
Moving into the New Testament , Jesus ’ mission is portrayed as a continuation and fulfilment of this quest for justice . The four Gospels depict Him as the one who brings good news to the poor and freedom to the oppressed 1 .
His advocacy was not an optional addon but the essence of His ministry . The Epistles further reinforce this , with James sternly reminding believers that faith without deeds is dead 2 . Christian mission , therefore , cannot be a disembodied proclamation ; it must incarnate the love and justice of Jesus .
Our advocacy for the marginalised is rooted in faith , not politics . While it may intersect with political systems , it operates from a different source and towards another end .
It seeks not the triumph of a party but the Kingdom of God — a Kingdom where righteousness , peace and joy in the Holy Spirit reign 3 . When we stand for the vulnerable , we are not primarily engaging in political activism ; we are living out the Gospel .
Christian mission must be understood as a holistic endeavour — word and deed together , proclaiming and demonstrating the Kingdom .
The story of the Good Samaritan serves not just as a call to individual acts of kindness but as a radical redefinition of social obligation 4 . The Samaritan ’ s response was not simply a deed but a proclamation — a visible sermon of the neighbour-love commanded by Christ .
Injustice in the world is a stark contradiction to the order and peace of the Gospel . As such , Christianity cannot be mute or inactive in the face of oppression . Advocacy for justice is a prophetic embodiment of the future Kingdom we await , where “ justice rolls on like a river , righteousness like a never-failing stream .” Amos 5:24
So , when Christians advocate for the poor and the oppressed , we do not merely offer charity , but we stand in the long tradition of biblical justice . We remember that Jesus said , “ Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine , you did for me .” Matthew 25:40
In serving the least , we serve Christ . In advocating for justice , we are not straying into the secular ; we are walking the path of Jesus — a path where word and deed are inseparably intertwined .
Christian advocacy is not optional ; it is the Gospel lived out loud . It is not political ; it is profoundly biblical . It is not secondary ; it is central .
To live out the Gospel and follow Jesus is to walk in the way of justice — for it is in justice that the love of God is made manifest to a world in desperate need .
RESONATE ISSUE 42 | PAGE 6