The Church and Social Justice

“For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God” (1 Pet. 4:17, NASB)? I have been reading and hearing a lot about social justice in the last five to ten years. There is a lot of emphasis placed on the teachings of Jesus Christ, especially Matthew 25. In Matthew 25 Jesus teaches His disciples that they are to care for those who are for the most part unable to care for themselves. Jesus calls His disciples to care for the same people that Moses mentions in the Law. The Israelites were to live justly in the sight of God. God’s justice means that everyone is to receive basic needs for living. No one is to live in luxury while at the same time ignore the needs of the poor, e.g. widows, and the fatherless. Thus, many who call for social justice in our society believe that the church should place more emphasis on social justice, doing what Christ commanded the church to do, than emphasizing doctrines and teaching for the sake of knowledge without calling for the use of knowledge to help alleviate human suffering. I have been thinking about writing an article on social justice almost since the inception of this website. Of course, social justice is a subject that embodies a large body of beliefs and ideas from various perspectives. Some believe that it is impossible to gain social justice because there are too many perspectives to consider. My first question is this: Why is it that the term “social justice” is not in the Bible. The Bible in both the Old Testament and the New Testament tells us that God is just and His ways lead to justice for all people. This does not answer my question. Could it be that God’s laws, judgments, and decrees do not separate justice into categories? Can there be social justice before one becomes righteous in the sight of God? When God gave the Law to Moses, was this a law that was to be instituted upon all the nations? When Jesus gave His commandments to His disciples, were these commandments to be enforced upon all people in the world? Is it the responsibility of the church to force God’s commandments upon governments, businesses, and other people and institutions in the society? Or, we might ask what did Jesus mean when He taught His disciples to be salt and light in a dead and dark world (Matt. 5:13-16? With these questions in mind I am motivated by an article written by a local pastor in a local newspaper in which he calls upon the church to speak out on social justice issues (Rodney Beard, “Let the Church Say!... Something Jesus Would Say (please?)” in The Tennessee Tribune, vol. 27, No. 4,[Nashville: The Tennessee Tribune, January 28-February 3, 2016], 4A). He asks why the church does not speak out, and he makes some valid suggestions. I also received a communication by email from the NAACP titled: The Black Church & HIV: The Social Justice Imperative. The NAACP calls upon faith leaders to address the problem of HIV/AIDS in the African American community as a social justice issue. African Americans suffer and die more not just because of behavior, but also, from access to education and health care. Now, I must say that I believe that both of these communications make valid points. I want to focus this article on some of the reasons that I believe that the church is often slow in addressing social justice issues. The first reason is a limited understanding of salvation. Our churches too often teach salvation as God’s act of grace by which He saves us from the penalty of sin. We accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and when we die we will go to heaven. Historically, the church has seen itself as an organism in which people gather together to worship and praise God on the Sabbath Day. Members make sure that they live right obeying rules and regulations that seem important to them while ignoring others that seem less important. When they fail to live up to God’s standards they can pray and God will have mercy on them, forgive them of their sins and keep His promise to give them their mansion in His Kingdom. Doing good things for others is a Godly thing to do but this is not necessarily required because this would mean salvation by works. A more expanded view of salvation is that God saves us by grace from the penalty of sin, and He gives us a new heart so that we live a lifestyle pleasing to God. This lifestyle calls upon us to view salvation as a freeing of ourselves and others from the decaying corruption in the world that results from sin. Sin is the root cause of all injustices, moral corruption, and ethical standards that fall short of the glory of God. With this expanded view of salvation in mind we can see that God is concerned about our entire lifestyle. The Law of Moses called for the Israelites to treat each other fairly under the commands of God’s laws. In so doing they would be an example for the other nations to follow. Since the disciples of Jesus are salt and light in the world they seek to locate themselves in places and situations where the world can see that Jesus offers them a better way of life. They do not sit at tables compromising with unbelievers seeking to find common ground. They believe that God’s ways are just and they seek to obey Him so that they can be authentic witnesses for their God. The church is often silent because it is not empowered to stand up for the message of God. Yes, people, Christians and non Christians are often quick to use the words of Jesus to support their positions. However, while they use Jesus’ teaching philosophically, they fail to recognize His power, both His authority and His ability. The authority of Jesus is seen in Matthew 28:18 as He commissions His disciples to take the message of salvation to the entire world. “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority (power, KJV) has been given to Me in heaven and in earth’” (NASB). His ability is seen in Acts 1:7-8: “He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know the times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power (ability, strength) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; you will be My witness both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth’” (NASB). The authority and the ability to speak out on God’s behalf are not a matter of philosophy, sociology, or politics; rather, it is spiritual power given to those who are not people with their names on the church roll, but they are those who believe in Him and are hungry and thirsty for righteousness. We must ask if the church is hungry and thirsty for the righteousness of God or does the church simply use the Bible to selectively use scriptures that they can mold into their own way of thinking to support their own greed and desire for position and power so that they can enjoy prestige in the world? The church must began to speak for justice by first initiating justice within its own ranks. Jesus calls for His disciples not to judge the world and dictate to the world what it should do. Instead, disciples are called to be servants of justice within so that the world without can see the benefits of God’s ways. God will not empower the church to bring about social justice based on human understanding and goals. Rather, Jesus says, “‘It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. ‘I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance’” (Luke 5:31-32, NASB). In conclusion we cannot use the words of Jesus effectively to bring about social justice until we have an authentic faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord. God empowers people of faith, His disciples, to take His message to the entire world. The message is both spoken and lived as an example to others. The church cannot sit at the table with unbelievers seeking compromise. The church belongs to Jesus. He is both Savior and Lord, and His church is to take an unadulterated message to the world.