In this episode of Into the Desert, we examine what Scripture actually says about justice, compassion, fairness, charity, equality, and the role of government. From the prophets of the Old Testament to the teachings of Jesus and the early church, the Bible consistently calls believers to care for the poor, the vulnerable, and those in need.
But does that automatically translate into the political ideology commonly called “social justice”?
This video explores key passages including Matthew 25, Galatians 3:28, Acts 2, the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, and the Parable of the Talents to examine the difference between biblical compassion and modern political activism. We also look at biblical teachings on impartial justice, charity, coveting, personal responsibility, and truth.
The goal is not to dismiss compassion or concern for the disadvantaged, but to ask a deeper question: What does genuine justice actually look like in practice?
If you enjoy thoughtful discussions on culture, faith, politics, and Christianity, subscribe to Into the Desert for more conversations that go beyond the headlines.
🔔 Subscribe and join us on Patreon for thoughtful discussions that go beyond the headlines. https://www.patreon.com/c/IntoTheDesert
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#SocialJustice #Christianity #BibleStudy #Justice #FaithAndCulture #PoliticsAndReligion #Jesus #Bible #ChristianThought #IntoTheDesert
But does that automatically translate into the political ideology commonly called “social justice”?
This video explores key passages including Matthew 25, Galatians 3:28, Acts 2, the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, and the Parable of the Talents to examine the difference between biblical compassion and modern political activism. We also look at biblical teachings on impartial justice, charity, coveting, personal responsibility, and truth.
The goal is not to dismiss compassion or concern for the disadvantaged, but to ask a deeper question: What does genuine justice actually look like in practice?
If you enjoy thoughtful discussions on culture, faith, politics, and Christianity, subscribe to Into the Desert for more conversations that go beyond the headlines.
🔔 Subscribe and join us on Patreon for thoughtful discussions that go beyond the headlines. https://www.patreon.com/c/IntoTheDesert
Quoted Voices were created using https://elevenlabs.io/app/voice-lab
Narration: Larissa Munz Image by pngtree.com
Purchase your copy of Seeking Truth by Elgin L. Hushbeck Jr. today: https://amzn.to/3UCWnSS
Audible Version: https://www.audible.com/pd/B0B399JRWY/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-310976&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_310976_rh_us
Purchase your copy of A Short Critique of Climate Change and What Is Wrong with Social Justice: Combined Volume by Elgin L. Hushbeck Jr. today: https://amzn.to/3AA3ynR
Audible Version: https://www.audible.com/pd/B0DK49CV3Y/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-417233&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_417233_rh_us
Purchase your copy of Evidence for the Bible by Elgin L. Hushbeck Jr. today: https://amzn.to/3YrNCMD
Audible Version: https://www.audible.com/pd/B0CGM7YJ2G/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-365332&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_365332_rh_us
#SocialJustice #Christianity #BibleStudy #Justice #FaithAndCulture #PoliticsAndReligion #Jesus #Bible #ChristianThought #IntoTheDesert
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NewsTranscript
00:00The Bible commands compassion for the poor.
00:04Jesus said to care for the least of these.
00:06The prophets condemned oppression and corruption.
00:11But does Scripture teach fairness, economic equality, or government redistribution?
00:18What's the difference between justice and social justice?
00:23Social justice, biblical compassion, or politics?
00:28Welcome to Into the Desert, exploring the wilderness of ideas.
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00:48The link is in the description.
00:51Social justice supporters want a fair and equitable division of resources, opportunities, and privileges in society.
00:59While not everyone advocating social justice does so for theological reasons, nor are those who do restricted to Christianity,
01:08some do argue that there are justifications and even obligations for social justice in the Bible.
01:16At first glance, the case seems pretty straightforward and strong.
01:20As Commissioner Andrew Kalai of the Salvation Army writes,
01:25We look at the Old Testament prophets, and time and again they raised their voice against oppression,
01:31injustice, dishonesty, and corruption against the rulers of the ancient world, including Israel.
01:40In Amos 5, verse 11, God pronounces judgment because
01:45You trample the poor continuously.
01:49Zechariah 7, verse 10 warns
01:51You are not to wrong the widow, orphans, the foreigner, or the poor,
01:58and you are not to plan evil against each other.
02:02The New Testament likewise is very consistent.
02:06In Matthew, chapter 25, verses 42 through 45, Jesus says,
02:12I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat.
02:15I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink.
02:18I was a stranger, and you didn't welcome me.
02:21I was naked, and you didn't clothe me.
02:23I was sick and in prison, and you didn't visit me.
02:27Then they will reply,
02:28Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison,
02:36and didn't help you?
02:37Then he will say to them,
02:39I tell all of you with certainty,
02:41since you didn't do it for one of the least important of these.
02:44You didn't do it for me.
02:47Another key verse is Galatians chapter 3, verse 28.
02:51Because all of you are one in the Messiah Jesus,
02:55a person is no longer a Jew, or a Greek,
02:59a slave, or a free person,
03:02a male, or a female.
03:05Note that this was a verse that Christians in the South,
03:09who tried to find support for slavery, conveniently overlooked.
03:14Still, when it comes to concern for those who are disadvantaged,
03:18and the equality of all,
03:20the message of both the Old Testament and the New Testament is clear.
03:25But is this a solid foundation for social justice?
03:29The problem is that while this is sufficient for justice,
03:34social justice is more than this,
03:37particularly as it moves from theory into practice and pushes specific policies.
03:42It is not a question about concern for the poor and disadvantaged,
03:45but whether the Bible teaches economic equality
03:49through the particular political agenda of fairness,
03:53supported by social justice advocates to achieve their goals.
03:57While there is a debate concerning just how early the word fair
04:01begins to take on its modern meaning,
04:04it is clear that an equivalent Hebrew or Greek word
04:08does not appear in the Old or New Testament.
04:12When translations do use the word fair,
04:15it translates the meaning of beautiful,
04:18such as in the King James Version's translation
04:20of the Song of Solomon, chapter 7, verse 6.
04:24How fair and pleasant art thou!
04:26Or the weather,
04:28as in the NIV's translation of Matthew, chapter 16, verse 2.
04:33It will be fair weather.
04:35The lack of the word casts doubt on the importance of the concept.
04:40Still, there are places where fairness does seem to play a role.
04:46In the parable of the workers in the vineyard
04:48found in Matthew, chapter 20, verses 1 through 16,
04:52the landowner hires workers for his field in the morning
04:55and adds more at various points during the day,
04:59including just before that day's work ends.
05:02When the time came to pay the workers,
05:05the landowner paid each worker the same amount,
05:08one denarius,
05:09regardless of how long they had worked.
05:12Those hired at the start of the day
05:14began to complain to the landowners.
05:17These last fellows worked only an hour,
05:20but you paid them the same as us,
05:23and we've been working all day,
05:25enduring the scorching heat.
05:27Matthew, chapter 20, verses 11 and 12.
05:31Issues of fairness are in play here,
05:33but while this may offend our sense of fairness,
05:37the Greek text says there was no wrong done,
05:40not unfair in many modern translations.
05:43Matthew, chapter 20, verse 13.
05:46While the underlying message deals with heaven rather than economics,
05:51it is one of the most explicit passages
05:53to at least touch on fairness.
05:57Given the scant references to fairness,
05:59it is hard to claim that it plays the central role
06:02that advocates of social justice have given it.
06:05The Bible is concerned with objective right and wrong,
06:09rather than the subjective fair and unfair.
06:13At best, this passage might suggest some concept of economic equality,
06:18as they were all paid the same amount.
06:22However, it is not equal pay for equal work,
06:26and as such, reveals some of the problems with equality,
06:31for equality in one sense is inequality in another.
06:36Another parable has a different view of economic equality.
06:40In the parable of the talents,
06:42a man leaves on a trip,
06:44giving his servants various amounts of money before going.
06:47To one man he gave five talents,
06:50to another two,
06:52and to another one,
06:54based on their ability.
06:55Matthew, chapter 25, verse 17.
06:58When he returned,
07:00the servants showed what they had done with the money.
07:03The first two had doubled the money,
07:05and the man rewarded them.
07:07The servant who received only one talent,
07:10earned nothing,
07:11and could only return the talent.
07:14Rather than equalizing their money,
07:16the man took the single talent away,
07:19and gave it to the man with the most money.
07:22Again, the parable is about the kingdom of heaven,
07:25not economics.
07:25So the messages are not in conflict.
07:29However, the point is,
07:31they hardly paint a picture of equality.
07:34Some supporters see a better example
07:36in the description in Acts, where,
07:39All the believers were united
07:40and shared everything with one another.
07:43They made it their practice
07:44to sell their possessions and goods,
07:46and to distribute the proceeds
07:48to anyone who was in need.
07:50United in purpose,
07:51they went to the temple every day,
07:53ate at each other's homes,
07:55and shared their food with glad and humble hearts.
07:58Acts, chapter 2, verses 44 through 46.
08:03One of the issues here is that
08:05this looks more descriptive
08:07of what the early believers did
08:09rather than prescriptive,
08:11that is, a command for others to follow.
08:14It certainly did not last very long,
08:17and later passages hint
08:19that it may have resulted in some problems.
08:22In Acts, chapter 11,
08:24the Christians at Antioch
08:26take up a collection for Judea.
08:28Later, the Corinthians also collected gifts
08:31to aid Jerusalem.
08:331 Corinthians, chapter 16, verse 3.
08:372 Corinthians, chapter 8, verse 14.
08:41At the church in Thessalonica,
08:43some were counting on the charity of others,
08:46causing Paul to write,
08:47While we were with you,
08:49we gave you this order.
08:51If anyone does not want to work,
08:53he shouldn't eat.
08:552 Thessalonians, chapter 3, verse 10.
08:59Charity is not automatically good.
09:03While the claims for fairness
09:04and economic equality are suspect,
09:07social justice advocates don't stop there.
09:10And when they move beyond these concerns
09:13and towards particular political policies,
09:16more profound issues emerge.
09:19These are very problematic.
09:21In short,
09:22there is a difference between justice
09:24and social justice,
09:26particularly the justice described in the Bible.
09:32An essential aspect of biblical justice is
09:35God does not show partiality.
09:38Romans, chapter 2, verse 11.
09:41In Deuteronomy,
09:43the Israelites are told,
09:45Appoint judges and civil servants
09:47according to your tribes
09:48in all your cities
09:50that the Lord your God is about to give you,
09:52so they may judge the people impartially.
09:55You must not twist justice,
09:57show favoritism,
09:58or take bribes,
09:58because a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise
10:01and subverts the speech of the righteous.
10:03You are to pursue justice
10:05and only justice,
10:06so you may live and possess the land
10:08that the Lord your God is about to give you.
10:10Deuteronomy, chapter 16,
10:13verses 18 through 20.
10:16Yet social justice divides people
10:19into various groups
10:20based on things like race,
10:22ethnicity,
10:23and income,
10:24advocating for some over others.
10:27Many social justice advocates
10:29explicitly reject the concept
10:32of impartiality
10:33and give preference to the poor.
10:35Yet the Bible says,
10:38You are not to be unjust
10:39in deciding a case.
10:41You are not to show partiality
10:43to the poor
10:44or honor the great.
10:46Instead,
10:47decide the case of your neighbor
10:49with righteousness.
10:51Leviticus, chapter 19, verse 15.
10:55There are other problems as well.
10:58The Tenth Commandment states,
11:00You are not to covet
11:01your neighbor's house.
11:03You are not to covet
11:04your neighbor's wife,
11:05his male or female servant,
11:08his ox,
11:09his donkey,
11:10or anything that belongs
11:12to your neighbor.
11:13Exodus, chapter 20, verse 17.
11:16A significant component
11:18of social justice
11:19is not only coveting,
11:21but taking from one group
11:23to give to another.
11:25This taking is often justified
11:28by pointing to passages
11:29about giving to the poor.
11:31Deuteronomy, chapter 15,
11:33verse 11 says,
11:35Since poor people
11:36won't cease to exist
11:37in the land,
11:38therefore I am commanding you,
11:40be sure to be generous
11:42to your poor
11:43and needy relatives
11:44in your land.
11:46Jesus said,
11:48Give to the person
11:49who asks you for something
11:50and do not turn away
11:52from the person
11:53who wants to borrow
11:55something from you.
11:56Matthew, chapter 5, verse 42.
12:00While this is indeed
12:02what we should do,
12:03there is a massive difference
12:05between giving
12:06and having your money taken.
12:08In fact,
12:09it is impossible
12:10to fulfill these commandments
12:12through taxation.
12:14Despite its purpose,
12:16having the government
12:17take your money,
12:18particularly with
12:19automatic withholdings,
12:21is not the same
12:23as choosing
12:23to give to the poor.
12:26Taxation cannot
12:27satisfy a religious duty.
12:30There is no religious duty
12:32to forcibly take money
12:33from others
12:34and give it to the poor.
12:37Again,
12:38the advocates
12:39of social justice
12:40often label resistance
12:41to government programs
12:42for the poor
12:43as selfish,
12:45greedy,
12:45and indicative
12:46of a lack of concern.
12:49Yet,
12:50this conflicts
12:50with the well-documented
12:52phenomenon
12:52that those in groups
12:54that tend to support
12:55social justice
12:56give less to charity
12:58than those in groups
13:00that tend to oppose it.
13:03I believe the core injunction
13:04on this issue
13:05is 1 John,
13:07chapter 3,
13:08verse 17 and 18.
13:10Whoever has
13:11earthly possessions
13:12and notices
13:13a brother in need
13:14and yet withholds
13:16his compassion from him,
13:17how can the love
13:18of God
13:19be present in him?
13:20Little children,
13:21we must stop
13:22expressing love
13:23merely by our words
13:24and manner of speech.
13:25We must love also
13:27in action
13:27and in truth.
13:29Given that the passage
13:31starts with
13:32earthly possessions,
13:33it is somewhat surprising
13:35that the initial injunction
13:37concerns compassion
13:38rather than possessions.
13:41This injunction
13:42is our primary responsibility,
13:45to have compassion
13:46for those in need.
13:48It is through this compassion
13:50that everything else
13:51must flow.
13:53But our obligation
13:54does not stop there,
13:56nor can it be fulfilled
13:58with words.
14:00Our compassion
14:01must work itself out
14:03in action
14:04and in truth.
14:06The latter is again
14:08somewhat surprising.
14:10Rather than the statement
14:11that we must give
14:12of our possessions
14:13that one might expect,
14:14John speaks of actions
14:17and truth.
14:19That John talks
14:20of actions
14:21makes sense.
14:22We must act
14:23on our compassion.
14:25And this will often
14:26involve sharing
14:27not only our possessions,
14:29but our time.
14:30But how does truth
14:32play into all of this?
14:34I would argue
14:35that truth
14:36is the hardest part
14:37of the command.
14:39It is often
14:40effortless
14:41to think
14:42that we could
14:42give some money
14:43as if checking
14:44off a box
14:45and that this
14:46fulfills our obligation.
14:48But that is not
14:49a true working
14:50out of compassion.
14:51This does not mean
14:53that giving money
14:54is wrong.
14:55That may be
14:56the best
14:56and most compassionate
14:57thing to do
14:58in various circumstances.
15:00But true compassion
15:02does not stop there.
15:05True compassion
15:06is not about me
15:07and whether I
15:09have fulfilled
15:09some obligation
15:10to the poor.
15:11True compassion
15:13is not something
15:14to make me feel good.
15:16It is an investment
15:17into lives.
15:18A genuine concern
15:19seeks to actually
15:21better the lives
15:22of those in need.
15:23Genuine compassion
15:24is concerned
15:25with results.
15:26Are lives improved?
15:28For short-term needs
15:30such as those
15:31following a national disaster
15:32like a flood,
15:34tornado,
15:34or earthquake,
15:35short-term results
15:37may be all
15:38that is needed.
15:39But for more
15:40long-term problems,
15:42just giving away
15:43our possessions
15:44may be ineffective
15:46and, in fact,
15:48even counterproductive.
15:50Giving money
15:51to an addict
15:52to feed their addiction
15:53is not helping
15:54the situation.
15:56So the Bible
15:57does teach
15:58justice
15:59and compassion
16:00for those in need.
16:01But that is
16:02somewhat different
16:03than the government
16:04policies advocated
16:05by supporters
16:06of social justice.
16:09So what do you think?
16:11Do you believe
16:12there is a difference
16:13between justice
16:13and our modern
16:14social justice?
16:16Can compassion
16:17for the poor
16:18exist apart
16:19from government programs?
16:21Or are the two
16:22inseparable?
16:24Leave a comment below
16:25and keep the discussion
16:26respectful and thoughtful.
16:28We read as many
16:29comments as we can
16:30and are interested
16:31in hearing the different
16:32perspectives on this issue.
16:34If you made it this far,
16:35consider watching
16:36one of our other videos
16:37and supporting
16:38our channel on Patreon.
16:40Thank you for watching
16:41Into the Desert,
16:42exploring the wilderness
16:43of ideas.
16:44And to our fellow adventurers,
16:46a special thank you
16:47for helping to support
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16:48out on Patreon.
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