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Whenever I tell my wife that I love her, what usually
happens is she smiles, and says “I love you” back, something chuckling out of
the joy that came from that statement. The question is, what came first, the
statement or the reaction? From this
example we obviously know that it was the statement that produced the reaction.
If I were to confuse the order of things and just go after the reaction, that
would cause problems because it is the knowledge of my wife knowing that I love
her, more than any other human that produces it, not the reaction she gives
that produces the love from where the statement derived.
In many ways, the Gospel is the same thing. There are so
many expected outcomes when the gospel “good news” message is preached. But
what happens when we start to focus on making everything about the results of the
gospel, rather than the source of the results? The equation gets messed up
because without the source, the results become shallow, and even perverted.
An example of this is good works. This topic gets dealt with
throughout the New Testament, and was s driving force behind Martin Luther at
the beginning of the Reformation (so much so he didn’t like the book of James
being apart of the canon of Scirpture!). We know that no one can be saved by
good works. If that were the case than the gospel would not be good news! It
would be dead religion, seen so many other places in the world with people hopelessly
trying to do enough good to pay off their debt. We also know that when a person
has received the free gift of salvation, and the transformation into a new
creature that follows, it is good works that then come from that person (James
2). This is something that any Christian within the classical consensus can
agree on.
What we are now seeing is the proper equation of the gospel
becoming inverted in other areas of the faith, and it is potentially making the
impact of the gospel lessened as it is no the focus, but rather the results of
it are.
Scripture is replete with commands for those who follow Christ
are to do justice (Isa. 1:17, Mic. 6:8, Amos 5:24, Ps. 33:5, Luke 18:1-8, and
there are so many more). To be just, and to treat other image bearers all as
equal is a non-negotiable in the Church. I have come from a background that
doesn’t focus much on there here and now, mostly being concerned for the
here-after (for various eschatological reasons).
But what can also happen is a complete pendulum swing to the
other end of the spectrum where the focus of all our Christian lives becomes “justice”
(often defined in modern political terms). This is not all bad, history
demonstrates that almost all of the advances in human rights, and righting
major injustices have been spear-headed by followers of Christ. Though we do
have to be careful that the work of our lives does not move from preaching the
gospel, to preaching justice. Or, by conflating “doing justice” with preaching
the gospel.
Justice, true biblical justice that transforms the world
into the creation God intended it to be does not come about by pouring all of
our energy into the singular focus of justice. Rather, justice comes as a
natural outworking and product when the gospel is preached, and people are
discipled into followers of Jesus. This call and command is not calling us to
be apolitical (as has been the fault of some in the Church in the past), but to
rather be wholly informed in what we do by the gospel in every area we work.
If God has called us to focusing issues of justice (racial,
socio-economic etc…) than how we address those issue must be informed by the
gospel, rather than our gospel work informed by philosophies and worldviews
produced by the world seeking to side-step dealing with issues of sin.
This is a hard line to walk, its one that I am working on
myself as we speak. I am compelled by the experiences of those who have face
injustice to act from the love of Christ to see people transformed by the
gospel (and likewise the systems that are made up of people), and on the same
hand in the sure knowledge that it is only the gospel that addresses the issues
in a constructive and renewing way. That while not always easy, produces the
result of changing hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit, not trying to
coordinate political power to overthrow something.
As since the early Church, the Gospel will conquer the world
not through power, but through love.