Module 9: Living Justly — Meeting 2
Meeting 2
DISCUSS the “Generous Justice” sermon and journaling responses using the journal guide from meeting 1.
Questions for Discussing Generous Justice
Use these prompts to discuss Tim Keller’s message and your Part 1 journal responses:
What surprised or challenged you most in the sermon?
How would you explain the difference between justice and mercy? Why does the Bible hold them together?
Keller argues that grace should make Christians the most generous and just people in the world. Why do you think that is not always the case?
Which of your journal responses would you most like to talk through?
Where have you seen the church act justly in a way that made the gospel more believable?
What Biblical Justice Looks Like
In Scripture, justice is not only about courts and punishment. The Hebrew words mishpat and tzedakah describe treating people fairly and also living in right relationship with God and neighbour — including generously sharing what we have with those in need. That is why the prophets link worship and justice so closely. Isaiah 1:17 calls God’s people to "learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow." Jesus continued this pattern, spending time with the poor, the sick and the outcast, and teaching that whatever we do for "the least of these" we do for him (Matthew 25:40).
The Quartet of the Vulnerable
Part 2 of the journaling guide introduces Nicholas Wolterstorff’s "quartet of the vulnerable": the widow, the orphan, the immigrant and the financially poor. Throughout the Old Testament, God names these four groups again and again as people he especially protects (Deuteronomy 10:18, Zechariah 7:10). They are the people most easily overlooked in any society. As you journal, think about who fits these categories in your own city today: single parents, children in foster care, refugees and immigrant families, people facing homelessness or unemployment.
Examining Our Own Hearts
One of the most honest parts of Part 2 asks what our reactions reveal about us. It is common to feel frustrated, impatient or overwhelmed when we engage with difficult situations. Rather than hiding those reactions, bring them to God. Injustice can act like a mirror, showing us our own pride, fear or comfort. That is not a reason for guilt; it is an invitation to be changed. As we move toward the broken, God heals what is broken in us too.
For the Discipler
Keep the conversation grounded in Scripture and in real people rather than abstract debates. Share an experience that shaped your own understanding of justice and mercy. Encourage the disciple to be honest about any discomfort, and pray together for the people and situations that come up.
Looking Ahead
In Meeting 3, you will begin to discern your own justice calling — the place where your passion, your gifts and God’s heart for the vulnerable meet.
ASSIGNMENT: Complete Part 2 of the Generous Justice Journaling Guide located below. Come ready to discuss your answers at your next meeting.
Continue the Pathway — You are in Module 9: Living Justly, Meeting 2 of 4. Previous: Meeting 1 — Generous Justice. Next: Meeting 3 — Your Justice Calling. Every essay, worksheet and video for this module is collected on the Module 9 resources page.
Generous Justice Response: Part 2
By Megan Koch
REVIEW Tim Keller’s message, “Generous Justice,” located in meeting 1, as well as any notes you took as you listened.
JOURNAL responses to the prompts below, and come ready to discuss these at your next meeting.
1. Who are the poor? Poverty is about much more than financial resources. Nicholas Wolterstorff often talks about the “Quartet of the Vulnerable:”
1. The widow
2. The orphan
3. The alien or immigrant
4. The [financially] poor.
These are people who are most easily taken advantage of or harmed, and the issues they face often compound on one another, creating generations of oppression that are very difficult to escape.
Do you identify with one of these four groups yourself, or have you in the past?
The world favors the voices of those with power and influence. How does this affect the vulnerable? How do you see this play out in the world, your country, your city, and your church?
2. Unjust living is not only about doing wrong things, but about not doing right things. When God puts good things in our hands (resources, gifts, abilities, forgiveness, etc.) and we withhold them from people who need it, we are not loving mercy. When we have good things and keep them for ourselves, we aren’t doing justice. We aren’t living in full partnership with God.
Pause and ask God to speak to you about this right now. What is he revealing to you?
3. Have you ever attempted to help someone, and suddenly felt confronted with how little you wanted to do with them? When you engage with difficult situations, do you become easily frustrated, angry, overwhelmed, or impatient? What do our reactions in these situations reveal about us?
4. A life of loving mercy and doing justice doesn’t just mend the broken world. It mends you.
When we encounter the broken, we’re able to see what is broken in us. Injustice can be like a mirror, reflecting back to us what is not right in our own hearts. Because if we are willing to call something “not good” in the world, God wants to help us see if that same issue is also “not good” in our own life. If we see someone lied to, taken advantage of, or hungry when their government could feed them, we need to be ready to face how we might do these same wrong things. This is, perhaps, why so few people truly partner with justice over the course of their lifetime. It is easier to avoid seeing these messes (if we are privileged enough to do so) and simply turn away, or send a check instead.
How can compassionate engagement with the brokenness of the world heal what is broken in your own heart?
5. Have you ever resisted God’s work in you through living justly? For example, has God ever offered you the opportunity to become more patient, more forgiving, or more selfless as you serve others? Have you always embraced these gifts? If not, what held you back?
If you want to engage with unjust practices in the world, are you willing to allow God to show you how you might be living an unjust life? Why or why not?
6. Keller said that “Justice is the sign of justification.” When we are justified by God, then we will extend justice to the brokenness of the world. When the world sees the church extending justice, then they will in turn want to be justified by God. The cycle is complete!
Put simply, if we as Christians are saved by God, then we should be on the frontlines of bringing justice to this earth. So begin thinking about your own life: What could “living justly” start to look like in your life?