The Gospel Is the Answer to All Injustice

By Scott Aniol, Op-ed contributor Sunday, September 16, 2018

We live in a world of injustice. Murder, theft, racism, abuse, and oppression are all around us, and Evangelical Christians are currently involved in an internal discussion about the best way we should address such injustice in the world, based on our common Christian beliefs.

I cannot speak for anyone but myself, but here is what I think are the core biblical truths that should inform any Christian thinking regarding injustice.

We believe that the Bible is our supreme authority for all things; the Bible has the ultimate answers for injustice that occurs in our world. First, the Bible teaches that all people are equally made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). All people have descended from the same parents, and thus there is only one race—the human race (Acts 17:26). No matter a person's age, gender, religion, occupation, or ethnicity, every person has equal value and thus must be treated with equal respect and dignity.

And the Bible also directly diagnoses the root of injustice: sin. Injustice is any act that violates God's moral law. Since God is holy and righteousness, he requires that all people live righteously, and his perfect justice demands punishment for any violation of his law (Isaiah 13:11). The problem is that the Bible also teaches that "none is righteous, no, not one" (Romans 3:10). All people, regardless of age, gender, religion, occupation, or ethnicity, are sinners by nature, and thus all injustice in this world can be traced to the universal problem of sin.

Both of these realities are essential, foundational biblical truths for any discussion of injustice—all people are equally made in God's image, deserving of respect, and all people are equally sinners, deserving of God's just punishment.

But the Bible also provides the only solution to injustice: the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ, God's Son, came to earth to satisfy the just demands of God's law and to pay the penalty that sin deserves. The Gospel message is that Christ died for our sins, was buried, was raised on the third day, and appeared to many people (1 Corinthians 15:3–8). Unreserved trust in this message is "the power of God for salvation" (Romans 1:16). Any person, regardless of age, gender, occupation, or ethnicity, who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved (Acts 16:31).

Yet this does not mean that those who trust in Christ alone for their salvation will automatically stop sinning. The Bible teaches that once someone becomes a Christian, he or she then begins a life-long process of fighting sin and seeking to live righteously out of a heart of love and thankfulness for what God has done (Colossians 3:5). The Holy Spirit of God works within the hearts of every Christian, progressively making them more holy, as Christians faithfully study the Bible and actively participate in a local church (Philippians 2:11–12). The promise of God is, however, that although sin is still present in this world, even among Christians, one day Jesus will come again and eradicate injustice once and for all (Revelation 21:4).

Here is the bottom line: No political party, social strategy, or philosophical system can ultimately solve the reality of injustice in the world. Only freedom from sin by faith in the sacrificial death of Christ alone can produce true justice.

This is why I appreciate what was written in the recently published Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel. The authors of that statement attempted to clarify a diagnosis and solution for injustice based on the authority of Scripture alone. I believe that the Statement well articulates that the best way for Christians to combat injustice in the world is through proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It is my prayer that such discussions among Christians today will result, not in division among us, but in a renewed motivation to faithfully proclaim the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That message alone is the solution to the world's injustice.

Scott Aniol, PhD, is an author, speaker, and teacher of culture, worship, aesthetics, and church ministry philosophy. He is chair of the Worship Ministry Department at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He founded Religious Affections Ministries and has written several books, the most recent being By the Waters of Babylon: Worship in a Post-Christian Culture. He can be found on Twitter @ScottAniol.