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BIBLE REF.
Leviticus 19:15
Deuteronomy 15:10–11
Micah 6:8
Romans 3:23–26, 6:23
2 Corinthians 5:21
Philippians 2:7–8
James 1:27, 2:9
Revelation 19:11
No. To understand why, they must first be defined. The modern secular notion of social justice is the quest for equality in terms of distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges for individuals within society. As a movement, it seeks to identify the oppressed — those who’ve been wrongly denied equal access to these things — and to right societal wrongs through empowerment and redistribution — to bring about social justice.
This is where the recent innovation of intersectionality comes in. Not only does it help to identify the oppressed (and oppressors), but levels of oppression and those most in need of reparation and privilege. It’s the idea that there are intersecting and compounding layers of oppression due to multiple factors like race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, class, religion, etc. The more victim categories one belongs to, the heavier their oppression, the more weight their voice carries, and the greater their empowerment within society. For example, a woman’s voice has more weight than a man’s; if she’s African American, she’s more empowered; and if she’s also lesbian, she has even more authority.
With those definitions understood, let’s hurry to say that many injustices have occurred and are occurring. They’re the tragic, temporary consequences of living in a sin-cursed world that will be annihilated when Christ returns. The current world is an unjust place because it’s filled with unjust sinners. And of course, God is concerned with justice! The Bible is replete with commands to act justly with impartiality toward the rich or poor (Micah 6:8; Exodus 23:2–3; Leviticus 19:15; James 2:9) and to care for the needy, the widow, and the orphan (1 John 3:17–18; Deuteronomy 15:10; James 1:27). Christians should be, and typically are, at the forefront, fighting against injustice, partiality, and oppression.
But who defines justice? Answer: God. He alone defines justice for now and forever. And justice never has an adjective in the Bible. There aren’t variations of justice, simply justice and injustice. Justice exists because there’s a just God, who’s the source of morality. People recognize injustice because they’re made in God’s image. Injustice exists because people are sinners. And though some have endured varying egregious hardships, all have violated God’s law, and all are accountable to His perfect justice. No exceptions. That’s the Christian’s primary concern.
Only God is just, and He will judge the unjust (Deuteronomy 32:4; Revelation 19:11). How can we survive His righteous judgment? By repenting of our sin and putting our faith in Christ, the God who left His privilege to purchase our salvation and righteousness (Romans 3:23–25; Philippians 2:7–8; 2 Corinthians 5:21). In this, He is both just and justifier (Romans 3:26).
Social justice and intersectionality are not part of the gospel. They’re ambiguous man-centered ideas attempting to classify privileged and oppressed, who’s to blame and who’s owed. Their basic message is “I’m owed and deserve compensation.” The Bible’s message is that we all deserve death, but God’s free gift is eternal life through Christ who made reparation for all sin (Romans 6:23)!
