I beg you, look for the words ‘social justice’ or ‘economic justice’ on your church web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. -Glenn Beck
When people of faith get to the public square they shouldn’t say “my religious view is this.” They should speak in moral language that is inclusive of everybody. -Jim Wallis
Wherever God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven, in that place God’s rule is manifest, He is King and the kingdom comes. The kingdom is the domain of the King’s rule, the territory where His authority is acknowledged, His orders are heeded and His ideal will is carried out (Matthew 6:10).
Jesus said His kingdom had at least two territories: “within” and “the world.” The religious left largely ignores the necessity of the first in the accomplishment of the second while the religious right largely ignores the necessity of the second for the validation of the first.
Kingdom In Us
Jesus said His kingdom is within us (Luke 17:21). When we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9) we are transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of Christ (Colossians 1:13). We are no longer ruled by our “nature” (Romans 7:5), no longer slaves to sin, but we are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20), slaves of Christ our King (Romans 6:22).
Christ now rules over us from within us. He rules over our sin with forgiveness and forgetfulness (Psalm 103:12). He rules over our shame with His purity (Ezekiel 36:25). He rules over our old pattern of thinking with His renewal of our mind (Romans 12:2). He rules over our weakness with His strength (Acts 1:8). He rules over our pain with His Comforter (John 15:26). He rules over our rebellious “nature” by giving us a new disposition or desire to obey Him (Ezekiel 36:27). He rules over every inch of our inner terrain.
Kingdom Thru Us
When God rules in us He always desires to rule through us.
As we go into the world God rules over it through us, preaching good news to the poor: freedom for the prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind, release for the oppressed (Luke 4:18). We announce that God, here and now, reigns over the world. And then through our collective action (1 John 3:18), sacrifice (Isaiah 58) and self-denial (Acts 2:44-45) God’s reign becomes practical, physical, visible and present tense, not merely theoretical, spiritual, unseen and future tense.
Jesus calls the arrival of his kingdom Good News – eugelion in Greek, also translated “gospel.” It was a secular word, not a sacred one in Jesus’ day: a pronouncement or official message made by a king.
Jesus’ message or announcement was that He reigns! He reigns within us and thru us, over the past, present and future. To espouse one dimension of Christ’s gospel and ignore the other is to preach half the gospel.
The Left Omission
Some on “the left” of the gospel are preaching God’s rule through us without first demanding God’s rule within us. It is correct to say that God wants to overthrow injustice and poverty and corruption. It is incorrect and naive, however, to believe that people who have not submitted to God’s rule within can even define words like “peace” and “justice” and “enough”, let alone bring them about here and now by their own godless power.
Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world, he said. If it were then men and women could advance it with their own might, weapons, strategy and intellect. Jesus Himself said that first the Spirit must be in us (Acts 1:8) and then we are to go into the world, as Jesus did, by the power of God to heal and teach (Matthew 4:23).
A political or social movement or government initiative bent on “reform” that does not have the person and power of Christ at the heart of it – at the heart of the people in it – is an impotent faux kingdom build on the sands of “morality” or “spirituality” or “civic duty.” And those “powers” are no match for the gates of hell (Matthew 16:18).
The Right Omission
Some on “the right” of the gospel are preaching God’s rule within us without teaching the sort of biblical faith that is God’s rule thru us.
In Matthew 25 Jesus says that when we arrive in heaven He will sort those who claimed to be His loyal subjects from those who truly were using one measure: What did you do for the least?
In this passage, I don’t believe Jesus was commanding us to care for “the least” so that He will accept us and allow us into heaven. We are accepted by God because of what Christ did on the cross and by his resurrection. Period.
I also don’t believe Jesus was saying “works” like feeding the hungry and visiting the imprisoned were merely possible results of faith in Christ either. Compassion, love, peace making, generosity, justice, evangelism – these are not electives. We don’t choose, as people with faith in Jesus, to take or leave the poor or oppressed or lost. These works are our faith.
Faith without “works” is not faith (James 2:14-26). It is not faith just like fire without heat and light is not fire. Heat and light are not just the possible result of fire, something fire sometimes does. They are fire. Inseparable from flame itself.
It is impossible for Christ to be King of my inner life and yet leave me cold toward those in every kind of need. I cannot have His mind, His disposition, His forgiveness, love and His power and not desire to exercise it on behalf of those in spiritual and physical need (1 John 3:16-17). I cannot believe in the authority of scripture on the subjects of sin, forgiveness, heaven and hell but put no stock in its teachings about the poor.
Repent
Jesus’ central message was that God’s rule has arrived on earth now (Mark 1): In the hearts of those who deny themselves and place their full trust in Him as absolute King. And through them over everything busted and broken in the world. Jesus came to redeem or reconcile all things – inside and out – by His power alone and for His glory always (Colossians 1:19-24).
Jesus said our response to His gospel is to be repentance. Repentance is a military term for shifting allegiance from the former ruler (John 12:31) to the new conquering king (Hebrews 2:9). It was a choice given to defeated enemy soldiers by their new ruler after they’d been overthrown: “Repent. Stop fighting against me. Switch sides. Join me. Follow me and live.”
The command was not for a change of allegiance without a change of action or for a new course without a new compulsion. Christ demands a full surrender of our inner and outer lives to His loving rule (Luke 10:27).
Any gospel that denies the necessity of either the inner or outer dimensions of God’s rule is not the gospel of Jesus. Right or left, it’s wrong.
Carole Turner says:
Amazing!! Love it.
Kristie says:
Yes, and amen.
Jason Rust says:
Good write up. It is refreshing to not have someone claim Right or Left.
I really like Piper’s talk about Root and Fruit:
http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/2610_john_pipers_concern_in_the_justification_debate/#
It’s Piper, so, I had to read it about 20 times to get it.
mandie says:
amen!
Robin Vestal says:
You said it well. We love because God loves us first. We are saved by Grace and that Grace manifests itself in our lives by the caring we give to others.
Vanessa Boudreaux says:
Awesome! I needed this! Thanks!
Brian says:
By and large, you’ve hit it on the head. I don’t know what you think of Glenn Beck overall, but seeing as he is a Mormon, I don’t think he speaks for me.
But I think his point is worth heeding. Shaun, you are passionate about nonviolence – that we as Christians ought to shun violence as a tool for the furtherance of the gospel. God’s Kingdom, not the American Kingdom.
How is it then that many who proclaim the ideal of social justice advocate making it the responsibility of the state? Isn’t that assigning to Caesar what God has assigned to the Church?
If America is not a Christian nation because there is no such thing as a nation that is Christian and uses violence to further its ends, why then are we trying to co-opt it to do our work?
What kind of witness are we presenting to the non-believer when we confiscate his hard-earned money, in the name of our non-violent King, when those who do not pay their full taxes are fined, hounded, and prosecuted, and possibly incarcerated?
We can proclaim justice to the captive, but we shouldn’t expect others to bankroll it under duress, or else we are part of the problem.
Now it is fully possible to be committed to this sort of ministry without being committed to the government taking a part in it. Indeed, I would argue this is the ideal.
But I believe Beck’s point was that “social justice” is a word used only by churches that make no distinction between what you and I do with what God has gifted to us and what Uncle Sam takes by threat of force.
Is “fleeing” such churches the right solution? I don’t know. And fleeing to Beck’s “church” isn’t the right solution either. I just don’t think the church makes this distinction clearly enough. We turn people off to social justice when we bring the state into things.
Shaun Groves says:
You lost me on the non-violence stuff but…
I don’t think you or I can really assign more noble motives to Glenn Becks’ statement about churches and “social justice” that he hasn’t articulated.
BUT, as many times as I’ve heard the words “social justice” used by Christians, I’ve very rarely heard it used with the sole expectation of government action.
By arguing for one “side” or the other you’re also kinda missing the point of this post ; ) Or maybe I didn’t communicate it clearly enough. How about this? Some on the religious left AND right are both wrong about the meaning and implications of the gospel. There’s no degree of wrong either. There’s gospel and not-the-gospel. That’s it.
Glenn Wassmer says:
Wow, I’m not alone!! Nice Shaun, thank you.
jen says:
WooHoo! I’m standing up and cheering about now – can you hear me?
Actually when I started reading, I paused at that first quote and thought, “Oh no! We’re in trouble now.” We just started going to a new (to us) church, and the pastor there does talk about social justice quite a bit, yet I read further and found that you are saying the same thing he is.
This divide between right and left (and the social implications of both) has gotten quite a bit of discussion time at our house lately. I can’t wait to share this post with my husband!
sarah valente says:
AAAAAAAAAMEN!
Princess Leia says:
Amen!
Faith without works is dead, but so are works without faith!
Petra says:
Good point on God having to first rule within before we can do any genuine and lasting good at all! It all comes down to God’s will and plan in contrast to our civil hearts. Do we aim to relieve distress only temporarily or eternally? However, I need to also remember that God’s will is not limited and may also works through the civil heart by extending a life or by softening a heart with temporary mercies, to lead it to repentance. But we should never allow social justice to become our god, lest we might wind up fighting against God! And now I’m right back at ‘the left omission’. Great post, I’ll just leave it at that. 🙂
supersimbo says:
amazing
boomama says:
This one got a holy grunt out of me.
So, so good.
rhonda says:
Well said. Cuts straight through.
Kelly @ Love Well says:
Life change summed up in prepositions. Your English teachers would be so proud, Shaun.
I’ll be thinking about this (in-thru) for days.
Sarah says:
I so appreciate this. I would try to form an intelligent response, but really I just want to think about it. It is my opinion that both political parties are corrupt and flawed and I hate feeling like I constantly have to pick the lesser of two evils. I’m so thankful to hear Christians thinking about politics through the lens of the Bible rather than Democrat, Republican, or even liberal or conservative. To think that either party has the monopoly on being the “Christian choice” – well I think that’s dangerous for all involved!
Shaun Groves says:
I’m not really talking about parties here. I’m talking about religious left and right. Unfortunately each side of the Christian coin is so closely associated with a party that it’s hard to even talk liberal and conservative theology without the conversation devolving into party talk. Bummer.
Sarah says:
And I love that! I love that it didn’t turn into that. Sorry, I don’t think my wording in my comment was quite clear enough. I live in a small southern town and it’s next to impossible to discuss political or social issues without party lines being drawn – and assumptions being made: i.e. if you think this or vote that, you must not really be a Christian. I love seeing Christians thoughtfully consider both sides of issues without getting caught up in parties
Kris says:
Awesome teaching.
Shona says:
Absolutely brilliant piece and wonderfully articulated!
L says:
I’m a Mormon, but Glen Beck does not speak for me.
Great post.
Karen Barnes says:
This is perfectly stated, well thought-out, and backed up by Scripture clearly. Thank you for putting this together. I wish things like this were said more!
keith says:
A very valuable and important post.
Christy T. says:
Amen and amen.