Social Justice?

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

Matthew 25:37-40



Much has been written recently concerning the place of social justice in the church. While I cannot answer all of the complex questions involving this subject, I would like to offer two considerations that might serve as a foundation for thought and reflection. First, social justice is not a replacement for the Gospel, nor is it an equal with the Gospel. We preach the finished work of Jesus as the remedy for man's sin. Not feeding the poor. Not giving money to the destitute. Not walking little old ladies across the street. It is the gift of Christ's grace that saves. Nothing, even the noblest of intentions and deeds, can redeem a man's soul. That is why we must, at every opportunity, preach the good news of Jesus. I am, however, leery of the church that treats social justice as an optional activity. We are saved for good works in Christ Jesus! That means we are to champion the rights of the oppressed; we are to tend to those less fortunate materially; we are to constantly give ourselves to the stricken and too often forgotten. The Bible connects our salvation with such things. To claim different is to act in ignorance or rebellion. Either reason leads us to be wrong. Please understand! We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by fighting against social ills and world-wide epidemics. But once saved, we are called away from the pursuit of comfort and personal gain that we might show others the tender affections of Jesus our King. Still don't understand? Look at the above passage of scripture. Read it in its entirety in Matthew 25:31-46. Jesus tells of two groups, differentiated by certain distinctions. Sheep and goats. Those who did and those who didn't. Those who hear "come" and those who hear "depart". Blessed and cursed. Are the sheep, representing the saved, sheep because of their works? No. Jesus identifies them as righteous in vs. 46. How did they obtain this righteousness? By way of Jesus himself. Paul declares in II Corinthians 5:21 that, "He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him." The saved are declared righteous not by doing good things, but by believing in Jesus. But be careful. Don't miss the point of Jesus' declaration. The saved are to do good deeds, works that we often identify as social justice endeavors. Read the list. It's enough to make Glen Beck nervous. Giving food and drink to the hungry and thirsty. Offering hospitality to strangers. Clothing the naked. Taking care of those who are sick. Carrying hope into prisons by way of visitation. That's the Christian's responsibility. And these things are done not that we may become Christians, but because we already are Christians. Simply said, churches need to stop elevating social justice to the place of prominence reserved only for the Gospel. And churches need to preach that as followers of Jesus, our lives are to be marked by a biblically informed, tender-hearted involvement in the world around us.