Page 13 - Called to Be Just template
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Social justice is a catch-all term that has gone through many seasons of being
Read the following scriptures as a crew. Have the students highlight the verses in
“envogue” and then going out of favor, often suffering from competing definitions and
their bibles and then pick words that caught their attention
vastly different interpretations. It’s like Silly Putty — that popular substance we used to
play with as kids that can be twisted and contorted into whatever shape your heart
Matthew 20 desires. Don’t be fooled or distracted by the word “social” in social justice. Many Chris-
tians are more comfortable with the word “justice,” but if Christ is truly Lord over eve-
Read the whole chapter in your bible.
ry aspect of our lives, then clearly this must also include the social realm. The biblical
roots of social justice
Matthew 25:34-48
The Bible makes social justice a mandate of faith and a fundamental expression of
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“ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed Christian discipleship. Social justice has its biblical roots in a triune God who time and
by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since time again shows his love and compassion for the weak, the vulnerable, the marginal-
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the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something ized, the disenfranchised, the disinherited — you get the point.
to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger
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and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick Biblical references to the word “justice” mean “to make right.” Justice is, first and fore-
most, a relational term — people living in right relationship with God, one another,
and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 and the natural creation. From a scriptural point of view, justice means loving our
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry neighbor as we love ourselves and is rooted in the character and nature of God. As
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and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we
God is just and loving, so we are called to do justice and live in love. Social justice be-
see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe comes less about what and more about who we are called to prioritize as followers of
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you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ Christ. So often we get ensnared in disagreements around the “what” in relation to
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“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least social justice, because it deals with often contentious issues like budgets, taxation,
of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’.” labor laws, social protections, safety nets, and others.
Instead, we should start a space of common ground around who God calls us to be
concerned about. In other words, “what” is predicated by “who.” Starting with “what”
Amos 5:24 often enables our ideologies to trump our theology and spirituality. As Christians, the
building blocks of social justice lie in human dignity, human flourishing, and the sacred-
ness of life. The source of social justice is God’s perfect righteousness, justice, and radi-
"But let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing
cal love.
stream.”
Social justice is about creating kingdom space in the here and now, giving witness to
the ultimate just society yet to come. So every time we use our voice and influence to
get in the way of injustice — whether it’s human trafficking, economic exploitation,
human rights abuses, or infants dying needlessly from disease and malnutrition — we
provide a foretaste of God’s kingdom to come.
