As we saw in the last blog post, this is not the case at
all. Justice is a frequent topic. Yet, it is not just the frequency with which
justice is explicitly mentioned. Once we grasp what justice is, we begin to see
that it permeates the Scriptures, even in many places where the actual word is
not mentioned. Another way to put it is that it’s woven into the narrative of
the Bible.
The presence of justice in the narrative of the Bible is the
focus of this blog post. It naturally follows my first two posts. In the first one
I introduced that there is a problem with “social justice” because, on the one
hand, some of its proponents lack clarity on what is meant by this phrase. As
such it can almost come to mean anything. On the other hand, others have
clarity, but mean by it something that has too much baggage to be helpful for
the Christian who wants to be true to the Bible.
In the second post I defined “justice” by looking at what
the Bible says about it. Our conclusion was this: “Justice identifies the moral
standard by which God measures human conduct…[his own character as reflected in
his moral will]…. Biblical justice, therefore, is the equitable and impartial application of the rule of
God’s moral law in society…the understanding and application of
God’s moral law within the social realm,”[1]
with the understanding that this justice is what is best for all.
What I now will outline is how biblical justice is woven
throughout the fabric of the Bible’s over-all narrative. [2]
1.
Justice Is Part Of God’s Original And Current Vision For How Mankind Is To Live
We saw in our previous post that righteousness and justice
are part of who God is and so they describe how he reigns over his creation and
creatures. Psalm 89:14 words it this way: “Righteousness and justice are the
foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.”
Since God made humans in his image (Gen. 1:26-28) he wants
them to reflect his glory and resemble his character. This is part of what is
meant when the psalmist wrote of God’s creation of humans (Ps. 8:5-6): “Yet you
have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with
glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you
have put all things under his feet….” As God’s vice-regents, the King of kings
created humans to show forth the greatness of God and be like him. This is
another way of saying that from the very beginning of the creation of people
God wanted us to live righteously toward him and thus to live justly in our
interactions with, decisions about, and our love toward one another.
Another way to state this is that God wanted man and woman
to live in child-like faith in and dependence upon him as their King, realizing
God’s ways are best. This is at the heart of the command God gave to them in
Genesis 2:16-17, not only to eat from and enjoy all the trees God had given
them in the Garden of Eden, but also to exempt one tree from that enjoyment.
They were to avoid it as a test: Would they trust in him and his way as best
simply because he commanded them?
The fact that God saw mankind and all the rest of his
creation as “very good” (Gen. 1:31), means that all his creation was in order
and functioning as originally created and intended—and so humans were
experiencing true and full life by trusting in, worshiping, and loving God. It
is also likely intended that this good state in which they were created was
opposite of what we see happening after they decided not to trust in God and
they sinned. After that they experienced shame toward one another (Gen. 3:7),
were separated from and thus hid from God (Gen. 3:8), lacked thankfulness to
God for his good gifts (3:8), did not see self or others accurately and so did
not treat them in accordance with truth—refusing responsibility and shifting
blame (3:12, 13), and failed to love and so were hostile toward and hurt one
another (3:16; 4:8). Sin, then, led to humans failing to live under God’s rule
(his kingdom or dominion) and also led to their failing to live righteously
toward one another (that is justly).
It is clear though that even after the fall God wanted his
image bearers and wants us today to live righteously and justly underneath his
rule and toward one another (e.g. Gen. 9:6; Exodus 20:3-17; Dt. 10:12-3; Rom.
13:8-10).
2. Part Of God’s Vision For Justice Among
Humans Has To Do With Functioning As His Image Bearers
We see this truth implied in the first point and the
scripture with it we just examined. But we need to think a little bit more
about why this is significant.
It is significant, to begin with, because we need to see
that all of what God reveals about how he wants us to live flows out of who he
is, his character, and so is part of righteousness and justice. Justice, then,
is not merely about equity. It involves, as we covered in the previous blog,
relating to God as more important than all things and people; finding our hope,
happiness, significance, and security in him; and loving others by honoring
them, obeying them when applicable, loving and not hating them, treating them
in holiness and purity, not stealing from them, not deceiving them, and not
resenting what God has given to them (e.g. Ex. 20:3-17). In other words,
biblical justice deals with much more and also takes us in different directions
than what is often meant by “social justice.”
Let me give an example of the difference. Suppose that a
certain group of people in our town or city has been mistreated in the past,
and in ways that have led to deep hurt. With this background there is either a
police action or a legal decision that appears to open the wound again and take
it even deeper. Would it be just for them to: Riot and destroy the property of
others? Steal the property of others in the midst of their protest? Hate and
disparage other groups of people simply because they have been mistreated?
Would it be just for authorities to look at this group and say, “Well, we have
to let them do what they are going to do, even if they are breaking the law;
after all, look how they have been treated in the past”? Would it be just for
the government to take resources away from other people, redistributing them to
this group because of the previous disparity and the current situation, and to
do this in a manner that would encourage this group to avoid work?
Even though some people would be tempted to answer, “Yes,”
to all or most of these questions, the answer, in light of biblical wisdom, is
“No” to all of them. To answer, “Yes,” and to act accordingly would hurt this
group more than help them. Certainly, if injustices are being done to this
group, then, yes, those must be addressed. Yet, they are not to be addressed by
means of encouraging other injustices.
Bottom-line, when we realize that biblical justice has to do
with all that God reveals about how we are to function as his image bearers, we
come to see the disparity between most versions of social justice and biblical
justice.
The second way in which this truth is significant is to see
that within the biblical teaching about God creating us in his image, there are
some implications that have direct bearing on ethical issues of our time in
which justice is typically turned on its head.
The first ethical issue is the fight against material
poverty. It has become very common in many parts of the world, especially in
the United States, to fight poverty in ways that discourage the poor from
working and from being part of the solution to their own situation. Before I go
on I want to clarify that providing a safety net for the poor and, as the old
saying goes, “giving them a fish,” when they lack basic needs is something to
which Scripture calls us (e.g. James 2:14-26; 1 Jn. 3:16-18). However, the
Bible also clarifies that part of being created in the image of God is that we
are creators (implying also we are problem solvers who can order our world) and
we are workers (Gen. 1:26-28; 2:15; Ps. 8:5-6). In fact, this is part of our
dignity as human beings (Ps. 8:5-6). This is why Scripture suggests that if a
person is able to work and won’t, material provision is not to be given to them
(2 Thes. 3:10) and that the poor are to be helped in such a way they also work
(Dt. 24:19-22). Such not only opens up the way out of poverty for them, but
also preserves their dignity as humans. To have earned success, rather than
merely given provision is part of how people flourish. Bottom-line, it is not
just (in the biblical sense) to discourage people from working.
The second ethical issue is that of sexual orientation and
gender identity. We are not only told that God created mankind in his own
image, but also “male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:27). One of the
purposes of this binary creation was that they might marry and in that marriage
procreate (Gen. 1:28; 2:24). This was important because, as Paul affirms in
Ephesians 5:32, from the very beginning God designed mankind to function best
in this manner as a picture of Christ (the bridegroom) and the church (his
bride).
What this second ethical issue means is that any decisions,
actions, or messages that would either encourage gender confusion or that would
encourage same-sex marriage (or even merely romantic actions) could never be
just. Of course, this does not mean that it would be just to mistreat persons
with gender confusion or to mistreat same-sex couples. It would not be just to
pay a gay or lesbian less on a job simply because of their sexual practice. But
biblical justice would never include making sure same sex couples can marry or
that transgender people should have transgender surgery covered by health care.
The third way in which this truth is significant is to see the
different relationships that image bearers of God have that must be considered
in sorting out justice. The first chapters of Genesis show that there are four
main relationships people have that should be taken into consideration when it
comes to justice (i.e. treating them in line with God’s
divine-character-revealing will):
·
To begin, is their relationship with God.
Mankind was created in fellowship with God (Gen. 2:16; 3:8). Sin brought
separation from God (Gen. 2:17; 3:22-24; Rom. 5:10). Salvation involves being
brought back into fellowship with God (Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:18; 2 Pt. 3:18).
·
Next, is their relationship with self. Though
mankind was created to operate with full life, which would involve peace with
self (Gen. 1:31; 2:7), sin brought about a state of brokenness and lack of
peace at the very depth of our being (cf. Is. 61:1). This peace and wholeness
are returned through salvation (Lk. 4:18; Gal. 5:22).
·
Additionally, there is the relationship with
other people—relationships that were whole, healthy, and flourishing before the
fall (Gen. 1:31), broken after the fall (Gen. 3:12, 16; 4:8), but which are
redeemed after the fall (Eph. 2:11-22; 4:1-16, 17-5:2, 18-6:9).
·
Finally, there is the relationship with the creation,
which flourished prior to the fall (Gen. 1:31), was cursed and broken after the
fall (Gen. 3:17-19), and through the work of Christ will one day be fully
renewed and restored (Col. 1:19; Rev. 21:3-7).
Any decisions or actions that would try to bring justice or
help in a manner that would suggest reconciliation with God is not necessary
(short-changing the relationship with God and self), that a person would not
need to work (thus twisting the relationship with creation) or that others can
be taken advantage of since a person has been mistreated all fall short of full
biblical justice.
Of course, we have already seen that mankind sinned and all
creation fell and so this leads to the third major truth in the biblical
narrative, which we will take up in our next post.
Joyfully Pursuing Justice With You,
Tom
[1]
All but the bracketed clause and the last clause of this definition is taken
from Tony Evans, Oneness
Embraced: Reconciliation, The Kingdom, And How We Are Stronger Together (Chicago: Moody,
2011), 260.
[2]
For the main direction of this narrative I am dependent upon Steven C. Roy,
“Embracing Social Justice: Reflections From The Storyline Of Scripture,” Trinity Journal, 30, 1
(Spring 2009): 3-48, especially the conclusion to the article (47-48).
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