He Dwells — The B'log in My Eye

God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods. How long will you judge unjustly, And show partiality to the wicked? Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked. They do not know, nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are unstable. I said, “You are gods, And all of you are children of the Most High. But you shall die like men, And fall like one of the princes.” Arise, O God, judge the earth; For You shall inherit all nations. Psalm 82:1-8

Justice in Generally

According to Merriam-Webster, justice is the maintenance or administration of what is believed to be fair and equitable as it pertains to reward or punishment. Realize that the definition implies that appropriate justice goes beyond the particular issue for which we are seeking justice. So, when we want justice for that guy who cuts us off in traffic and flips us the bird, a righteous arbitrator must consider each and every time you [and he] have done similarly and chastise all parties. That’s what real justice looks like and anything short of that is a perversion of what justice is–justice for one, by definition, must be just for all. That should compel us to ponder, as justice is being doled out, do we really want to be held accountable too? It is for this reason a wise person should pursue mercy over justice.

Social Justice

As we think in terms of justice beyond that which affects us personally, the waters begin muddy. Social justice is hard to define and harder still to execute primarily because as a global society we cannot agree what the words ‘just’ or ‘fair’ or ‘equal’ mean. To make matters worse, the further one travels down the social-justice road, the more it begins to resemble the social-ism road. Should property and wealth be shared equitably with the whole world? You should find comfort in knowing that that decision is not yours to make.

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own…For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 1 Corinthians 6:19 and Colossians 1:16

Answer this simple question, “Can a person borrow his neighbor’s lawnmower and then legally give it away?”

The answer is of course, ‘No,’ he can’t. Therefore, since everything belongs to God; including our own bodies, is it not selfishly presumptuous to suppose we can give away that which does not rightfully belong to us unless the Owner directs us to do so? The very truth of the matter is that the maintenance and administration of social justice is God’s concern. Our concern is to be in agreement with the Creator and to be compliant to His directives. We give as His Holy Spirit guides us to give.

“For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:30

Hopefully that gives you peace. Our calling is to be obedient—period.

The Social Justice Problem

The question for the church is not whether or not we mete out social justice; the Father in His word is precise in His mandate to care for the poor and the needy. Therefore the issue, as it pertains to the Christian, is one of priority over practice. Lest we forget, every believer’s first calling is to share the Gospel message and facilitate the making of Christian disciples. Social justice always takes a back seat to the Good News.

Don’t Freak Out

Understand what I am saying. It’s true in my car (and probably yours as well), that wherever the front seat goes, the back seat goes too. Do you get the picture? Where the Gospel goes, so goes justice! But we should never, ever fail to remember that one has priority over the other. When social justice travels alone, we promote the task of making folks more comfortable over God’s will, which is to keep them from unknowingly waltzing into hell. When that occurs it’s not love, nor is it the Good News.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

Read the verse again. What’s God’s will? That none should perish.

Does This Mean…?

Does this mean that a Christian can’t simply give a homeless guy on the street a few bucks without sharing a Gospel message with him? After all, in those situations, it’s not practical to do more. Can’t my Christian deed stand alone; won’t my actions serve to draw this person closer to Christ?

A Good Deed Only Draws People to Christ if They Know You Are a Christian

Is it really asking too much to hand a person a Gospel tract with your gift? Is it really to difficult to tell a soul that Jesus loves them or to ask to pray over them? Is it really unreasonable to inquire if the recipient knows Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? The most awful thing they could do is decline your offer.