Social justice has become a convoluted term
meaning different things to different people. People often use it as
a catchphrase for illegitimate forms of government that promote the
redistribution of wealth as well as the collectivistic expansion of
civil government, which wrongly infringes on the jurisdictions of
God’s other covenantal institutions (family and church). Such a
view of social justice both contradicts and denies biblical justice
since biblical justice seeks to protect individual liberty while
promoting personal responsibility.
When addressing areas of justice, I prefer to use
the term biblical justice rather than social justice,
because biblical justice provides society with a divine frame of
reference from which to operate. Biblical justice is the
equitable and impartial application of the rule of God’s moral law
in society. Whether exercised through economic, political,
social, or criminal justice, the one constant within all four realms
is the understanding and application of God’s moral law within the
social realm.
Increasingly, concerted efforts are being made to
address the ethical issues of our day by the body of Christ; however,
a lack of continual and holistically applied biblical justice is the
underpinning for the continuation of societal and familial breakdowns
as well as class and racial disparities. Biblical justice, when
carried out correctly, naturally leads to the restoration of race, sex, and class divisions.
God's Heart for Justice
The Book of Isaiah a glance into God’s heart on
this issue of justice. We read in chapter 58 that the Israelites
sought God’s help and assistance—what we could call His
blessings. In fact it says, “Yet they seek me day by day and
delight to know My ways” (v. 2). Not only did the Israelites seek
God, but they also fasted (v. 3) out of a desire to experience the
nearness of God (v. 2). Basically they assembled, read their Bibles,
prayed, sang, humbled themselves, and attended their small group
studies. Yet despite all of that, God did not respond to their pleas
to bless them, nor did He respond to their requests for Him to
execute “just decisions”(v. 2)on their behalf. Starting in verse
5, we read His reason why: “Is it a fast like this which I choose,
a day for a man to humble himself? . . . Will you call this a fast,
even an acceptable day to the LORD? Is this not the fast which I
choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the
yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke? Is it
not to divide your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor
into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide
yourself from your own flesh?” (vv. 5–7).
Essentially what God told the Israelites, in my Tony
Evans translation, is that seeking Him, meeting together, having
regular prayer meetings and the like was not enough. Because in spite
of all of that and more, their relational actions revealed a
contradictory reality, which showed that they were fasting as a means
of argument while pursuing their own desires (v. 4).
A Disconnect Between Theology and Application
The problem occurred in that their theology never
affected their sociology. The thing they offered an “amen” to on
Sunday never got carried out on Monday. They would “come to church”
and sing about love, but return to the world and withhold that love.
They would proclaim unity and equality in the house of God, but fail
to practice that unity in the “global body of Christ.” Thus, the
missing component of their ethical relational outworking within their
theology nullified their religious activity.
The interesting thing about this passage was that
the thing the Israelites sought from God (“just decisions”) was
the very thing that He said they withheld from others. Simply stated,
the principle is: Whatever you want God to do for you personally,
you must be willing for Him to do through you to others. God is
not looking for cul-de-sac Christians. He is looking for Christians
who are willing to be a conduit of His blessing and justice to those
in need.
We cannot say, “Lord, deliver me,” yet refuse to
be the deliverance for another person in need. That is contradictory
Christianity. What we have often done in the area of biblical justice
is relegate it to others while at the same time complaining to God
that He is not responding to our needs. We have neglected to see that
the two are inextricably linked.
Injustice as Omission
Also, while many of us do not directly carry out
overtly unjust actions against others on a regular basis, the
importance of biblical justice has become diminished in our minds.
But the critical aspect to note concerning biblical justice is the
biblical definition of sin. A sin is not only a wrong action that is
done, but a sin is also a right action that remains undone (Jas.
4:17). The question of biblical justice is not simply, “Have I
done anything wrong?” The question is, “Have I done anything
right?” It is good that you do not hate your brother or sister in
need, but what are you doing to show that you love him or her? Isaiah
58 reminds us that the foundation for biblical justice exists in
the principle that our horizontal relationships must accurately
reflect our vertical beliefs about God, or we will limit God’s
response to our needs as well.
James clearly tells us that “pure” religion is
to “visit orphans and widows in their distress” (1:27).Orphans
and widows represent the helpless and marginalized in society, those
who cannot defend or empower themselves. This prescription isn’t
about what we do against the needy and the poor, it concerns
what we do for them.
God says that He will do for us in response to
what we do for others. Biblical justice is not a passive awareness of
human needs, but rather an action taken to execute God’s justice in
the midst of an unjust society. The church has been uniquely
positioned to defend and protect the helpless in society, and until
we function according to our calling, we will continue to seek God’s
intervention in our own lives only to hear His reply, “What have
you done for others in My name?”
Justice – to prescribe the right way
- God is just (Deut. 32:4).
- God is the ultimate lawgiver (Jas. 4:12).
- God’s laws and judgments are just and righteous (Psa. 19:7–9; 111:7–8).
- God has a standard by which He measures human conduct (Isa. 26:7).
- Government is to be God’s instrument of divine justice by impartially establishing, reflecting, and applying His divine standards of justice in society (Psa. 72:1–2, 4; 2 Sam. 8:15; Deut. 4:7–8).
