Righteousness and Social Justice by Asher Intrator
One of the main themes of the Bible is righteousness. One dimension of righteousness is that we repent of our sins and do what is right. A parallel dimension of righteousness is that we are cleansed of guilt by grace through atoning sacrifice.
These two “halves” of righteousness can be seen in Abel, who was the first “righteous” man. He was righteous because of the blood sacrifices that he brought before God.
Hebrews 11:4 – By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts.
He was also righteous because of his good deeds.
I John 3:7, 12 – Let no one deceive you. He who does righteousness is righteous. 12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.
Cain was of the evil one and murdered his brother. Why did he murder his brother? - Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s deeds were righteous.
We need to see both sides of righteousness. Believing in blood atonement without a demand for repentance and right actions is deception; attempting to do good deeds without the intervening grace of God can only be partially successful.
Righteousness also comes in a third dimension: social justice. Social justice is extremely important in the Bible and is often ignored. The role of judges and courts is to preserve justice. The foundational rule of social justice is very simple: convict the wrongdoers and acquit the innocent.
Deuteronomy 25:1 – Approach the court that the judges will judge them. They will justify the righteous and condemn the wicked.
The biblical principle of justice is so simple – convict the wrongdoers and acquit the innocent; the biblical principle of injustice is also simple, but in the opposite direction: convict the innocent and acquit the wrongdoers.
Proverbs 17:15 – He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous, both of them are an abomination of the Lord.
The mistake can be made on either side. We can be too “light” on criminals, or we can be “condemning” of those who have not done wrong.
Moral justice is a foundation of the kingdom of God. David was chosen by God to be king, not only for his faith and psalm-writing, but for his righteousness in running the government.
II Samuel 8:15 – David ruled over all Israel and David did justice and righteousness for all his people.
Even government leaders need to be held accountable. Some would say that federal prosecutors are "head hunting" – exaggerating charges to attack leaders for political reasons. Others would say that corruption is being purged from the government.
Political views are not a reason for judicial incrimination, no matter how much we may disagree. On the other hand, criminal actions do need to be prosecuted, no matter how much we may agree with the person's political view.
We can be slanted on either side. We must distinguish correctly between the two. That is not always easy. Real justice and righteousness are needed to have right government.