Is there really a fork in the road? From time to time I will hear someone draw a distinction between preaching the Gospel and social justice, almost as if social justice is a distraction, or an inappropriate focus for the Church. Let me be clear at the outset, the meaning of the term social justice in this context is rooted in a Judeo-Christian understanding of Divine revelation regarding social relations. Thus, what I hope to do in this post is present a Biblical rationale for rejecting what I consider to be a false dichotomy that may exist in the minds of some as a consequence of negative connotations commonly associated with this term. If, in fact, there is no rationale to view social justice as secondary, or irrelevant to the mission and ministry of the Church, then we as the Church must endeavor to effectively combine evangelism and social justice into a holistic way of being in the world. Let's get to it.
First, consider Micah 6:8, a well know passage: "He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice [misphat], and to love kindness [chesedh], and to walk humbly with your God?" In essence this passage says: Loving and serving God is manifest in doing justice (action) out of a merciful and loving heart. In the Old Testament (OT) we often find the word misphat, or justice, associated with marginalized groups, e.g., widows, orphans and foreigners; consider also, "Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’ Zechariah 7:10. Scripture, particularly the OT, indicates that misphat, or the justness of a society is defined by how it treats these vulnerable groups. Mistreatment of any one of these groups is considered injustice in God’s eyes.
Our insight into the character of God and God's desire for justice is not limited to only one or two verses in the OT. Consider this excerpt from Jeremiah: Thus, says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice [misphat] and righteousness [tzadeqah] in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.” Jer 9:23-24 (See also, Psalm 146:5-9; numerous other references are found at the end of this post.) God's emphasis on love, justice and mercy should not be overlooked by those who seek to know and please God.
In the Hebrew, tzadeqah (tsad·dēk'), can be understood to be a life characterized by right relationships; first with God and also with regard to our human relationships (summary of the Law: Love God and your neighbor as yourself). Therefore, it does not seem a stretch to refer to aspects of what it means to be righteous as “social [relationships] justice”. Consider Job and how he understands and exemplifies righteousness in a social context: see Job 29:11-17
Whoever heard me spoke well of me,
and those who saw me commended me,
12 because I rescued the poor who cried for help,
and the fatherless who had none to assist them.
13 The one who was dying blessed me;
I made the widow’s heart sing.
14 I put on righteousness as my clothing;
justice was my robe and my turban.
15 I was eyes to the blind
and feet to the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy;
I took up the case of the stranger.
17 I broke the fangs of the wicked
and snatched the victims from their teeth.
See also Job 31:13-28. In these passages Job clearly sees his duty to practice social justice as an essential expression of righteousness before God.
Righteousness in God's eyes is then realized in a social dimension; not simply understood as holding to private moral standards, praying, worship or Bible study. Being right with God means living a righteous life; if we’re to be right with God then all our relationships must be put right! The Hebrew concept of righteousness encompasses all aspects of daily living in which a person conducts relationships with family and society with fairness, generosity and mercy. The action of God’s people should and must reflect God’s character and glory to the world; see Jeremiah 22:16. (For a full exposition of God's concern for justice I refer you to Tim Keller's book, Generous Justice: How God's Grace Makes Us Just. A study guide is available to be used with the book.)
What of the New Testament (NT), does it provide a similar perspective on justice? Let's consider a few verses from Matthew: Matthew portrays Jesus in action preaching the gospel of the kingdom (Mt 4:17), healing the sick (Mt 9:27-34), raising the dead (Mt 9:18-26), cleansing lepers (Mt 8:1-4), casting out demons (Mt 8:28-34), and feeding the multitude (Mt 14:13-21). Subsequently Jesus calls on the disciples to take on these very same tasks (Mt 10:7-8). (For the sake of brevity I will not consider the other Gospel accounts here.) The mission of the Church is rightly understood as a continuation of the ministry of Jesus; certainly a tall order. And while the commission is challenging, it is important to note two things: (1) the ministry of Jesus is a comprehensive ministry addressed to the whole range of human needs, both physical, mental and spiritual. Any notion that the church ought to quit involving itself in non-spiritual matters and get on with the “real job” of preaching the gospel and saving souls ignores the full scope of Jesus’ ministry. If we take up our commission and faithfully follow the example of Jesus preaching the gospel and saving souls it will mean grappling with disease and the demonic, with social issues like segregation and racism and the power of death at work in the world. Therefore we must wrestle with the issues of public health and health care, with racial and social alienation, with the powers of domination and oppression that bleed the life out of a community.
Some might read the verses that have come to be called the Great Commission, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations ..." (Matt 28:19,20), as simply a charge to preach the Gospel locally and in every nation. But as we've seen in verses from Matthew the work of making disciples was not a single activity consisting of well crafted sermons. Jesus and his disciples went out among the people and met both their physical and spiritual needs; in fact, typically their physical needs were met first.
Christian Scriptures make clear God's concern and care for the whole person, mental, physical and spiritual, as well as every aspect of his creation. Every dimension of our lives is important to God, including how we value and treat one another. While we certainly cannot bring forth the kingdom of God in its fullness, we can, and I believe Christians are called, to strive for justice and mercy in our dealings with our fellow man in our daily living, and to advocate for the marginalized and oppressed.
That being said it should surprise no one if the teaching and preaching of the Church addresses social inequities. In fact, if the Church is not speaking out against injustice, we should ask ourselves why it is silent? If the our society is clearly not ordered in a way that is consistent with God's kingdom, are we not concerned? Do we not lament? It seems to me that if we remain silent and fail to act in the face of injustice, then the Gospel and God's reconciling work is reduced to a promise of pie-in-the-sky to be realized in some distant future.
Be the Gospel, be prayer and the incarnate presence of God by doing justice and showing mercy before the watching world. Amen and Alleluia
Justice - Scripture References Deuteronomy 1:16-17; 4:6-8*; 10:7-10; 10:17-19; 27:19
Impartiality in adjudicating cases between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner
The Lord defends the cause of the fatherless, the widow and loves the immigrant giving him food and clothing
Cursed be anyone who withholds justice due the immigrant, the fatherless and the widow
Deut 4:6-8 key text – Israel is told that they should keep God’s commands so that all the nations of the world will look at the justice and peace of their society, based on God’s laws, and be attracted to God’s wisdom and glory.
Leviticus 19:15; 24:22
Same rule of law for foreigner and neighbor
No preference for the rich or poor
Psalm 33:5; 68:4-5; 146:7-9
The Lord loves those who live justly. The Lord watches over the immigrant and sustains the fatherless and the widow
God is a father to the fatherless
The Lord loves righteousness and justice (combinations of righteousness [tzadeqah] and justice [mishpat] are best rendered ‘social justice’]
Proverbs 14:31; 31:8,9
Defend the rights of the poor and needy – give them their due
Speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves, for the rights of all those who are destitute
When we are generous to the poor we honor God
Jeremiah 9:23-24; 22:3,16
Do what is just and right – do no wrong or violence to the immigrant, the fatherless or the widow
To honor God we must defend the poor and needy
“ … let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness (social justice) on earth, for in these I delight.”
Isaiah 58:6-7
Do justice and share your assets with those in need
Ezekiel 18:5,7-8a
Do justice and share your assets with those in need
Zechariah 7:10-11
Administer true justice – do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the immigrant or the poor
Micah 6:8
Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God
Job 29:12-17; 31:13-28
Passages from Job illustrate what righteousness and just-living look like; see pages 10-15 for a full exposition
Matthew 6:1-2
Generosity toward the needy is an act of righteousness