I have been writing on some ideas of justice over the last year. Those who would disagree with me would be quick to jump to talk about things I have not touched on. What I would like to do is share a list of past articles in a specific order so we can more fully think through justice and love.

The first thing that we want to do is define justice. My simple universal definition is “owning oneself and one’s possessions.” Often those who would label themselves social justice warriors are fighting against justice because they are actually fighting for taking away others’ possessions. You can read about that here:

https://maddeningtheology.org/2018/04/30/defending-justice-from-the-social-warriors/

The question is, how does Jesus see justice? Does he back up these ideas as well? While this is not the primary teaching about the vineyard workers, Jesus promotes this idea as well in that parable. You can read about that here:

https://maddeningtheology.org/2018/05/21/jesus-discusses-justice/

The next question someone might consider,  is this idea of justice promoted in the New Testament alone? I believe if we look at the Ten  Commandments we continue to see this definition of justice promoted as far back as the Ten Commandments. You can read about that here:

https://maddeningtheology.org/2018/12/03/the-10-commandments-and-justice/

Now, this post may seem justice heavy. So the question is, is God only a God of justice? Absolutely not. We can give charity instead of justice. The problem is when someone else forces us to give charity instead of justice, especially  when we are the ones who have been sinned against. Forced charity is not charity. But as Christians who have been given love instead of justice by Jesus, we can turn around and do the same for others. You can read about that here:

https://maddeningtheology.org/2018/08/27/charity-triumphs-over-justice/

Lastly, when we are attempting to make restitutive justice, we need to remember that we don’t deny justice in attempting to give justice to others. We need to make sure that the punishment  fits the crime, and is not excessive. You can read about that here:

https://maddeningtheology.org/2017/04/17/justice-both-ways/

I could write volumes on justice and charity. This at least provides a base conversation for charity and justice  teaching simple principles to live by concerning the two.

Thanks for taking time to read this Maddening Theology post. If you enjoyed this content you can find Pastor Tim’s sermons at www.cornerstoneforestcity.org. You can also join us at 520 Marion St. Browndale, PA 18421 on Sundays at 10:45 AM. To make following the blog easier you can also register. You can also join us on Facebook at Cornerstone Forest City. Also, don’t forget to download our APP on iTunes  or Googleplay.