Social Equality is not Social Justice

 

Social Equality is not Social Justice

Since the 1970’s the term social justice has been vastly understood as a liberal secular political philosophy. It is an invention of the well-meaning but misinformed, liberals who look to government as the ‘great equalizer’. But for political conservatives and Biblical Christians, justice is an individual reward for an individual’s efforts. One person’s needs do not automatically create a duty on the part of any other person to fulfill. (Exception: when there exists a fiduciary duty)

“ There is simply no such thing as "social" justice. Whatever those who rely on this cliched phrase are aiming at has nothing whatsoever to do with justice. Justice is meted out at the level of the suffering individual. “(Dr. Jordan Peterson)

Dr. Martin Luther King in 1963 quote, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.”  Dr. King's message was about equal opportunity for individuals regardless of race.

“The classical demand is that the state ought to treat all people equally in spite of the fact that they are very unequal. You can’t deduce from this that because people are unequal you ought to treat them unequally in order to make them equal. And that’s what social justice amounts to. It’s a demand that the state should treat people differently in order to place them in the same position. . . .To make people equal a goal of governmental policy would force government to treat people very unequally indeed.” (Economist F.A. Hayeck) watch Interview at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnMd40dqBlQ)

This is the fundamental question of our time and the source of most of our political discord: should we treat people equally or treat them differently based on their race, gender, or class to correct collective imbalances in “wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society”? (Jonathan Miltimore, former Senior Creative Strategist of FEE.org at the Foundation for Economic Education.  )

Chuck Colson tells of an exercise they did in the prisons when he was a prison fellowship. They took 10 inmates and 10 CEOs who were guests of the prison fellowship for that day. Then they lined them all up together, and they said, if your family if your family had two parents living under the same roof, take one step back. If your family had more than 50 books in your home, Take one step back. If your family had previous generations who had gone to college, take one step back.  All the people who were left at the front of the line were the inmates who didn't have any of those factors.

What can we conclude? Race is not the problem.  But those other factors, if you view them together, like geography and where you were raised, the marital status of your parents, and what kind of environment that was, and your social/ cultural inputs…all those things together determine what your outcome will be.  Add to all of this the natural abilities of some individuals, and even the fact that some groups of people share a trait in common that is different than all other groups. We must try to honestly admit the reality of vast differences in specific capabilities of different peoples. If we value liberty, we must be willing to accept the fact that differences in ability, and opportunity, will result in different outcomes.

From a conservative and Biblical point of view, justice is always a matter of individual actions and duties. If someone does something, the relevant question is: Did he, in doing the action, utilize or obligate someone else's private property? If a person gets what he deserves (earned in some way) then justice demands that his reward is commensurate with his efforts. If a person gets something he did NOT earn, then he is either the recipient of someone else’s grace (i.e. a gift), or else he is a thief (i.e. taking what is not his, without permission of the true owner). True Liberty can ONLY happen when we are assured that government will not interfere with our possessions. If government (or anyone else0 takes FROM us what we have earned, without our permission, then that is theft.

Voddie Baucham (recently deceased) has said: “The social justice world is not about justice.” He claims Christians must abandon the term because “I do not think it means what you think it means.” Social justice warriors generally advocate that, in order to achieve equal outcomes, people or groups with disparate abilities are given goods and services that someone else has worked to achieve.  How is this justice, in any rational sense?

FAILED POLICIES

Thomas Sowell:

“Not only do people take credit for things that were not their doing, they overlook the negative things that came in after the 1960s as a result of policy. In 1940, 17% of black children were raised in single-parent homes.

I forget the exact date in the 20th century, but after these wonderful reforms were put in, that quadrupled to 68% of black children were being raised in single-parent homes. Now, there's a whole literature on all the bad things that happen to kids who are raised by single parents. Whether they are black or white, American or British, the studies show the same things. One study said that fatherlessness has a bigger effect than even race and poverty.“

As an economic doctrine, egalitarianism is the driving force behind socialism and communism. It is economic egalitarianism that seeks to remove the barriers of economic inequality by means of redistribution of wealth. We see this implemented in social welfare programs where progressive tax policies take proportionately more money from wealthy individuals in order to raise the standard of living for people who lack the same means. In other words, the government takes from the rich and gives to the poor.

BIBLICAL EQUALITY

(This section Excerpted from  https://www.gotquestions.org/social-justice.html)

In Jesus’ Olivet Discourse, He mentions caring for the “least of these” (Matthew 25:40), and in James’ epistle he expounds on the nature of “true religion” (James 1:27). So, if by “social justice” we mean that society has a moral obligation to care for those less fortunate, then that is correct. God knows that, due to the fall, there will be widows, fatherless and sojourners in society, and He made provisions in the old and new covenants to care for these outcasts of society. The model of such behavior is Jesus Himself, who reflected God’s sense of justice by bringing the gospel message to even the outcasts of society.

However, the Christian notion of social justice is different from the contemporary, secular notion of social justice. The biblical exhortations to care for the poor are more individual than societal. In other words, each Christian is encouraged to do what he can to help the “least of these.” The basis for such biblical commands is found in the second of the greatest commandments—love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39). Today’s politicized notion of social justice replaces the individual with the government, which, through taxation and other means, redistributes wealth. This policy doesn’t encourage giving out of love, but resentment from those who see their hard-earned wealth being taken away.

Another difference is that the Christian worldview of social justice doesn’t assume the wealthy are the beneficiaries of ill-gotten gain. Wealth is not evil in a Christian worldview, but there is a responsibility and an expectation to be a good steward of one’s wealth (because all wealth comes from God). Today’s social justice operates under the assumption that the wealthy exploit the poor. A third difference is that, under the Christian concept of stewardship, the Christian can give to the charities he/she wants to support. For example, if a Christian has a heart for the unborn, he can support pro-life agencies with his time, talent and treasure. Under the contemporary form of social justice, it is those in power within the government who decide who receives the redistributed wealth. We have no control over what the government does with our tax money, and, more often than not, that money goes to charities we might not deem worthy.

Justice is a part of God's character

“He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.” – Deuteronomy 10:18

“He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.” – Deuteronomy 32:4

“The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.” – Psalm 33:5

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.” – Psalm 89:14

“Blessed are those who act justly, who always do what is right.” – Psalm 106:3

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” – Proverbs 31:8-9

“Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.” – Proverbs 28:27

Jesus always emphasized that the His followers were to give generously to help the needy. But his ministry was for the church, and NOT civil government. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah, and Micah all lamented that while the people attended worship, observed regulations and took pride in their Bible knowledge, they took advantage of the weak and vulnerable, thereby making their religious activity deeply offensive to God. This is consistent with the New Testament. Jesus adopts the Old Testament prophets’ use of justice as ‘heart-analysis’ – the sign of true faith.

Jesus’ criticism of the religious leaders in Mark 12 and Luke 11:39-42 teaches that a lack of concern for the poor is not a minor oversight but reveals something seriously wrong with one’s spiritual compass. But never in scripture are to trust this ministry to civil government. This is the sole responsibility of the believers- the Church of Jesus Christ. God has given the power of the sword to governments and the power of the keys to churches, and he intends for them to work separately but cooperatively toward the greater end of worship. The two institutions should remain “separate,” in the sense that neither should wield the authority God has given to the other.

A biblically conceived doctrine of the separation of church and state is about jurisdictional authority. It recognizes that God has given one kind of authority to governments (justice) and another kind to churches (ministry), and neither should usurp the other.

The civil government is responsible for administration of the criminal law, the civil law, and the maintenance of public order. The Church is responsible to ‘take care of’ the needs of people in the community, be they physical, or spiritual. Because the needs of the people at the local level are known to the local community, the stewards of the resources available can best ascertain where those resources will be best utilized. Welfare fraud and systemic abuse will be held to an absolute minimum if not eliminated altogether.

The first commandment of God is that we shall have NO OTHER gods before HIM. He is the first and ONLY God to whom we owe allegiance. Since it is the nature of man to worship and follow any entity that provides for his needs, man will have a natural tendency to ’follow’ (give allegiance) to government if that his source of sustenance. To the extent that God is our provider, protector, and our sustainer, we will honor and obey God. But when we receive those things from government, and we become dependent upon government rather than God, then government has become our god.  

CONCLUSION

Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s. (Mt 22:21)

The term ‘social justice’ is a political philosophy that is the tool of socialism and communism to entice well-meaning people into believing that the government can, and should, redistribute wealth in order to create a ‘level’ economic playing field. It focuses on equality of outcomes, as measured by material wealth. But true justice is only applied to individuals and is based upon the abilities and performance of the individual. Grace is a gift of God. It is the opposite of justice inasmuch as it is ‘unmerited favor’ where a person gets something they did not earn.

The Bible does not speak to the FORM of government that must be implemented but leaves that choice to man. Governments are ordained by God but instituted among men. The American FORM of government is a Federal, Constitutional, Democratic Republic. It is federal in that it has a federal head, administering matters within its jurisdiction. That jurisdiction is LIMITED by the Constitution. The Constitution was ratified by the STATES through the direct participation of the electorate. That is what makes our system democratic. Also by the process of direct election, representatives are selected to make laws that govern everyone. Representative government is what makes us a republic. To properly understand our form of government, you must understand the meanings of all of those key terms. To properly understand the concepts of justice, one must understand what God says on the subject. In order to enjoy the blessings of liberty (per the Declaration), and a sustainable form of government, we must understand apply Biblical terms and principles.

Credits given where known.

Dr. John A. Sterling, MA. JD
October, 2025