HOW TO RECOGNIZE COUNTERFEITS
There are numerous counterfeit versions of biblical justice occurring in our society right now . The Bible tells us that evil people don ’ t understand justice ( Prov . 28:5 ). Ungodly people call their actions just and identify many things as an injustice , but they do so in error . Consider asking two questions to recognize distorted justice :
1 . What is the problem ? Social justice redefines sin as oppression against humans rather than rebellion against God . It compares one group of people with another group and incorrectly defines the differences as injustice . As a result , the standard of right and wrong becomes group identities such as sexuality , race , or gender rather than God ’ s law .
2 . What is the solution ? Because a secular view of justice gets the problem wrong , it also gets the solution wrong . Salvation has been redefined as activism with the goal of liberation rather than repentance to Christ with the goal of restoring a broken world through gospel transformation . One way to differentiate the biblical gospel from the social gospel is that the social gospel preaches structural transformation that works from the outside-in to reform systems , structures , and policies . In contrast , the biblical gospel preaches spiritual transformation from the insideout , transforming systems and structures by restoring one ’ s relationship with God and others .
APPLYING THE BIBLICAL TEACHING ON JUSTICE
Ask yourself three questions :
1 . How am I living and treating others ?
If we want to live justly , we must live according to God ’ s laws and His good design . When we live out of alignment with God ’ s laws , it will lead to injustice for others . When we live according to the truth , we will be a sweet aroma of Christ that is attractive to others . We should seek to live without partiality toward others . Ask yourself , “ Am I treating others differently because of skin color , gender , religion , wealth , health , age , or any other way ?” If we simply lived according to The Ten Commandments , justice would occur .
2 . What is good in the world that you can promote , protect , or contribute ?
We can promote the sanctity of life , the value of motherhood , or orphan care . We can protect biblical marriage , freedom of speech , and God ’ s creation . These are examples of doing justice .
3 . What is evil in society that you can fight against ?
Courageous Christians have worked to stop evil . Throughout history , Christians have been known for running toward , not away from the suffering of others , and standing against injustice in the world . God has called some Christians to be advocates against evil . The gospel saves souls , closes abortion clinics , frees women from sex trafficking , and eliminates addiction .
“ The Bible reveals the standard for what is good and right . Acting justly is living in accordance with what is right . To do justice is to do what is right according to God ’ s law .”
Biblically , God deals with us fairly and according to a standard . God instructs us to deal with each other in the same way , without favoritism or partiality . Applied to all of life , a biblical view of justice means equal , fair , and impartial treatment for everyone according to God ’ s law . ■
24 THE RENEWANATION REVIEW