Introduction
This essay is on love and justice. Love and justice are God’s gifts. The two are virtues which should be practiced by humans for a peaceful and sober coexistence. However, there might be no definite meaning of these virtues though everybody talk about and desire them. Love is all about passion, affection, care and affirmation either expressed by kind deeds or sincere words spoken from a person.
The Bible defines what love is though in different meanings. Love and justice are intertwined and this essay will explain the Christian understanding of love and justice. It will also show how Martin Luther King Jnr tried to practice love and justice in his civil rights campaign.
Correlation between Love and Justice
Love can be based on a romantic relationship, friendship or expressed unconditionally like in parents or spiritually by God. The absence of love will generate feelings of neglect, loneliness and emptiness which are disastrous. Justice is associated with fairness, rights and equality to accessing resources.
Its definition and interpretation is however based on the law and that which is not just is termed as unjust. The absence of justice leads to anger which is shown through strikes, riots or peaceful demonstrations. Notable is the fact that justice delayed is lawfully described as justice denied.
Christian understanding of Love and Justice
Christian belief and understanding of love is founded in the Bible as written by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:4, 7-8 that “love is kind, patient, accommodative, hopeful, enduring, eternal, is not rude, is not boastful and is never envious” (The Bible 798). They believe that God is love and that he sacrificed his only son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for their sins because he loved them though they were sinners.
They thereby practice love by passionately helping the poor, sick and the needy, charity work, loving their children, children obeying and loving their parents, loving themselves by taking care of their bodies, caring for others and being responsible. Hence they believe that in practicing this sincerely, they are expressing love to others and desire the same to be done unto them.
Christians believe and understand that God is just. They believe that God is fair in that he rewards people with what they deserve. They understand that justice is attained by treating everybody equally, advocating for others to be treated fairly, not discriminating on basis of color, religion, race, wealth and by respecting others. They believe that all are created in God’s image and thus all should be treated equally (Schubeck 23).
Martin Luther King Jnr. and Love and Justice
In his civil rights campaign, Martin Luther King Jnr. had a personal touch with the oppressed and the poor .He gave hope to the poor, companionship to the lonely, help to the lost, understood and advised the ignorant. He advocated for people to help others. Through these he expressed love and was equally loved by the oppressed. He was honest and compassionate man (Dharmara 1)
Martin Luther King Jnr. was a brave human rights defender. In his civil rights campaigns he organized and participated in demonstrations and protests that demanded for the end of racism, discrimination and intimidation. His quest for economic, social justice and racial equality put his life at risk and he was consequently jailed for his advocacy. He practiced racial integration, enlightened the oppressed on their rights and devoted his life to the attainment of justice (Dharmara 1).
Conclusion
It is worth noting that love and justice are important virtues in human life and as such should be practiced by all. They however do not come at ease especially justice and thus sacrifice should be made in order to attain justice. They are intimately related and hence the absence of one or both makes life terrible. We should all advocate for love and timely justice.
Works Cited
Dharmara, Araj. Martin Luther King, Jnr Bound to love. Knowledge of Reality Magazine. 2006. Web.
The Bible. The Holy Bible. New International Version. New York, NY: Zondervan. 1948. Print.
Schubeck, Thomas. Love and justice in narrative. Maryknoll Society. 2007. Web.