Balancing Goodness and Justice
“For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”
Faithfulness is a constant struggle. Faith in God calls us to question, evaluate, and remain open to change. Even seemingly obvious Biblical requirements like “Thou shalt not kill” are open to interpretation and require the Holy Spirit’s guidance. For example, “Thou Shalt not kill” forces the question of whether there can be a “just war,” or can a Christian kill another person in self-defense. The Christian faith requires us to call on God’s wisdom to guide us toward deeper spiritual maturity, allowing us to move beyond merely being good to becoming a person who is just.
The word “good” is a broad term that Merriam-Webster defines as “Having admirable, positive, or desirable qualities. It describes something that is beneficial, morally excellent, virtuous, or suitable for a specific purpose.” Meanwhile, being “just” according to Merriam-Webster means “Acting with fairness, integrity, and impartiality, adhering to high moral standards, and treating others equitably.” According to these two definitions, a key difference is that “good” refers to a state of being, whereas “just” refers to a way of acting.
Christian living requires striving to be both good and just. Frustratingly, too often, Christianity has focused so much on goodness that it has minimized being just. Too many individual churches and faith communities focus on not “sinning” through the lens of being good. Not cursing, not being sexually active beyond marriage, not lying, stealing, etc., are lifted up, and the individual does not “backslide” into an act of narrow sin; the person is supposedly good in the eyes of God. Yet, being good focuses mostly on the self, with those beyond the self receiving only secondary focus at best.
Christian justice requires the faithful to focus intentionally beyond oneself, living one’s faith dedicated to serving and assisting others in creating a world of equality, opportunity, and mutual respect. Goodness without justice can quickly become spiritual narcissism. Justice without goodness can become political expediency. Throughout Scripture, God calls us to struggle with the balance between goodness and justice, between being and acting. Live your faith by regularly evaluating the balance in your personal focus between being good and acting justly. In your spiritual struggle with goodness and justice, God will guide you toward deeper faith and help bring about a better world in God’s name.
