Having spent that last day and a half listening to talks, by men who love the Lord, debating the Gospel in regards to social justice, word and deed ministry, their proper emphasis, and the church’s responsibility, it was refreshing to read what J.I. Packer had to say on the subject:
It is exceedingly strange that any followers of Jesus Christ should ever have needed to ask whether social involvement was their concern, and that controversy should have blown up over the relationship between evangelism and social responsibility. For it is evident that in his public ministry Jesus both ‘went about teaching and preaching’ (Matthew 4:23; 9:35) and ‘went about doing good and healing’ (Acts 10:38). In consequence, evangelism and social concern have been intimately related to one another throughout the history of the Church. Christian people have often engaged in both activities quite unselfconsciously, without feeling any need to define what they were doing or why.
The Gospel is not social justice, it is an implication of it. We have, as Evangelicals, avoided that tension since the Social Gospel debacle. Anything with a tension to it is challenging. It means we walk carefully, prayerfully, biblically, and with discernment in this area. It does not mean, though, not to walk there at all. This is part of our witness.
Painting titled, ‘The Good Samaritan,’ 1630, by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn.
