Both society and justice are governed by God and his Word. Justice is a virtue, an attribute of God that gives to everyone what is his due. Justice requires an absolute conformity to the laws and principles of rectitude, or truth. This puts justice beyond the reach of man apart from the Bible, but, thankfully, our law originated in the principles of the Ten Commandments. The same law guards our individual rights to property and life.
Therefore, any attempt to render justice in opposition to God’s law is unjust. God is clear that we must care individually for the poor, the ill, and the weak, and particularly, for widows and orphans. The current trend of so-called ‘social justice’ that advocates the human judgement of charity and/or equality above God’s Word should be suspected.
To reject the true Judge, God, is to fall prey to human judgement that tends to be subjective, not objective, and corrupt, not just, by nature.
Social justice cannot exist apart from God.
Teach the Children:*
- God is our judge, our lawgiver, and our king. Isaiah 33:22
- We are required to give charity and justice to our neighbor.
- Our duty* is to love God first and then our neighbor as ourselves.
Marrow of Theology, Ames, William, 1639, “Of Justice and Charity toward our neighbor,” pp. 234-235.