The one who oppresses the poor person insults his Maker, but one who is kind to the needy honors him. (14:31)
Many times we undervalue the image of God in our fellow man, yet this verse makes it clear that our treatment of others is directly tied to our treatment of God as their maker. Jesus put it this way, “As much as you have done it to the least of these you have done it to me.” Oppression is rampant in our society on many levels, and many today are fighting for justice for the oppressed. The question, though, is “why do you want justice for others?” It is “politically correct” and in vogue to be a social justice warrior, so many people (even non-Christians) are out there fighting for the rights of others. However, their fight for social justice is often selfishly motivated; it is something that makes them feel good about themselves and it is something that gets them more followers on their Instagram account.
The believer, however, should stand up for those who are oppressed because through it they are seeking to glorify God. It’s okay to be righteously indignant with those who are racist or oppress others, but that is not the best motivation to seek justice. It’s normal to feel bad for the plight of those who are in poverty or hurting, but still, emotional empathy for the oppressed is not the reason we should seek justice. We seek justice because every single person on the planet is an image-bearer of God; whether they are an unborn baby or a homeless drug addict. We glorify God by helping others because they bear His image and He deserves the glory. As the one who created all people, we honor Him when we bless and help His creation.
If social justice is about bringing glory to God by righting the wrongs done to those who bear His image, then we must understand that social justice apart from the gospel is not justice at all. The reason there is oppression, poverty, and pain is because of sin and the fall. The cure to the sins of the world is Jesus, and even though every person (saved and lost) bears the image of God, that image has been marred by sin. True justice is not simply helping the poor or feeding the hungry with physical food; it is also giving them spiritual food and restoring their soul. True justice is not simply setting people free from physical bondage, but also setting them free from the spiritual bondage of sin. This can’t happen without the gospel. Be a social justice warrior who does it for God’s glory first, and who also helps the helpless by addressing the root cause of all injustice and inequality with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
