Introduction: Do you trust people in power? Do you think
they are unjust? An old saying is that power corrupts, and
absolute power corrupts absolutely. In recent years I have
witnessed a lot of injustice among people who whose jobs it
was to bring justice. The same day that I am writing this I
discussed with one of my fellow law professors a recent
religious liberty decision that is so unjust it makes me
angry. I was asked if I would file a brief with the U.S.
Supreme Court to try to undo this injustice. We will see,
but if the normal rules of review are followed, this
injustice will stand. The greatest power is in the hands of
God. Does He create injustice? Does He allow injustice? That
is one of the main charges against God. Let’s dive into our
study of the Bible and see what we can learn!
I. Injustice?
A. Read Luke 16:1-2. One of the measures of justice
has to do with the process. Was this manager
treated fairly by his employer? (Yes. In the
United States due process requires a notice and
opportunity to respond. This employer did not just
fire the manager, he told him of the charges in a
meeting where he could respond, and then fired
him.)
B. Read Luke 16:3-4. Who is responsible for the
future of this manager? The manager or his former
employer? (The manager questions his ability to
provide for his future because of his lack of
fitness and his pride.)
C. Read Luke 16:5-7. Jesus does not tell us whether
the original charges against this manager were
true. What do you think, based on his subsequent
actions? (Yes, they are true. His is clearly
“wasting” (Luke 16:1) his employer’s possessions.
I would say that he was cheating his employer for
his own benefit.)
D. Read Luke 16:8. Do you congratulate those who
cheated you? Those who outsmarted you and stole
your money?
1. What is the lesson of this parable at this
point? (Cheaters win! Pagans are smarter than
Christians!)
2. What is the lesson about justice?
E. Read Luke 16:9. This story has now taken a
decidedly different turn. It is no longer just an
incredible story. What is it about? (Heaven
(“eternal dwellings”.)
1. What is “unrighteous wealth?” (In this case it
is money. But it could be anything that the
world considers valuable: power, beauty,
intelligence.)
2. What does it mean to “make friends” so we are
welcomed into heaven? (That sounds like
converting others to know Jesus.)
3. Does that mean we should rob banks in order to
pay for evangelistic meetings? (Dishonesty is
not what is being commended here, rather being
wise, being smart about “worldly wealth.”)
F. Read Luke 16:10-12. Do these statements contradict
the parable we just discussed? (They do on the
surface. But if we look deeply they do not.)
1. What do you think is the deep meaning of this
story? (We must be as smart as the world in
advancing the gospel. We must use all that the
world considers to be valuable to convert
others to believe and accept Jesus.)
G. Read Luke 16:13. How does this conclusion fit this
story? (We must choose who we will serve. We serve
God by intelligently using our worldly wealth to
advance the Kingdom of God.)
1. Is “our” wealth really ours? (No. God makes
all of our wealth possible. Just like in the
parable, we are using the “rich man’s” (God’s)
wealth.)
2. What does this story and its conclusion reveal
about God and justice? (The justice of God is
not always obvious. The superficial answer
might not be the correct answer.)
II. Trust
A. Read Micah 6:6-7. Can you put Micah’s main
question into today’s terms? (What must I do to
please God? Is it giving God my most valued
possessions as a payment for my sins?)
B. Read Micah 6:8. What should we do to please God?
(Be just, kind, and humbly walk with God.)
1. How does this fit the story of the unjust
manager that we just studied? (True justice
and kindness must be consistent with God’s
will. Being humble requires us to line up our
will with God’s will.)
2. What does this text in Micah say about God?
(That He is just and kind.)
3. The pagan world has a different view of
justice and kindness. It says we should not
discriminate against anyone for any reason.
The rules of the Bible about discriminating
against wrong and in favor of what is right is
merely displaying hate. How does the view of
the world contradict these verses in Micah?
(It does not trust God. It does not trust what
God says is kind. Most importantly, it does
not reflect humility towards God, but instead
relies on our own opinion of justice.)
C. Read Jeremiah 9:23. What danger does God point out
here? (That humans will boast about their
intelligence, power, or money.)
D. Read Jeremiah 9:24. What should we boast about?
(That our God practices and delights in “steadfast
love, justice, and righteousness on earth.”)
1. What does that require of us? (Humility and
trust.)
E. Read James 1:16-17 and Hebrews 6:18. Does God let
us down by being unfaithful to His character?
(There is not even a shadow of change because God
is true to His word.)
F. Let’s look more closely at Hebrews 6 regarding the
trustworthiness of God. Read Hebrews 6:18-20. In
addition to not lying, what else gives us
confidence in God? (Not only has Jesus died for
us, but He is now acting as our High Priest in
heaven.)
III. Our Acts of Love
A. We have seen so far that we must carefully and
wisely consider how best to love the world to
reflect God’s love and justice. We have also seen
that the nature of God’s character does not
change. Read Matthew 5:43-44. We can pray for our
enemies. How easy is it to love them?
B. Read Jeremiah 18:7-8. This tells us that God
“relents” from bringing a disaster. Does that mean
that God in fact changes?
C. Read Jeremiah 18:9-10. This is another statement
about God relenting, this time from doing good.
How do we reconcile this with God’s absolute
statement that He does not change? (The prime
mover of change in these texts in Jeremiah 18 is
the people. God reacts to bless or punish
depending on whether the people listen to Him.)
D. Wait a minute! Did we not just read in Matthew 5
that we should “love our enemies?” Is it
consistent with the love of God to punish
wrongdoing and encourage repentance?
E. Read Matthew 5:44-45. We recently discussed God’s
“common grace” love for the good and evil. This is
the love required of us towards the world.
Specific punishment for evil and blessings for
good does not fit the common grace model. How do
you explain this?
F. Read Jeremiah 18:3-6. What is the context for the
specific blessings and punishments that we just
read about? (God is our owner. He is our father.
Our relationship with Him is not common grace, but
rather the perfected love of those who claim Him
as their Father.)
G. Read Matthew 5:48. What is God’s goal for us?
H. Friend, do you better understand the justice of
God? He shows common grace to all. But His goal
for the world is that people will come to Him. His
goal is that we will be perfect as He is perfect.
When we come to Him, he will shape us towards the
goal of perfection. Will you join God in His goal
for you? Will you trust His love and justice?
IV. Next week: The Problem of Evil.
Copr. 2025, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are
from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing
ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All
rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within
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link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the
Holy Spirit as you study.