According to Scripture, what is justice? Or what is judgment? (They are often interchangeable.)

Judgment always involves stopping and punishing a wrong-doer. That is the common feature when Scripture speaks of it. If no one stole from another or harmed another, there would be no need for society to provide judgment or justice. The need arises because men initiate force. Someone must judge between conflicting parties to prevent a feud.

What of “socialism” in the Bible?

Many Christians (including professors, pastors, and leaders) reason that since God desires us to do good toward others, the government should step in to provide for those whose needs are not met. They call this the “safety net.” They consider it an aspect of caring for one’s neighbor. They deny that the result is “confiscation” and “redistribution” of wealth.

I respect their desire to do good toward others, but I consider their position ill-informed.

In this series we’ve looked at “social justice”—what it is, why it’s wrong, and why it matters.

In view of what I’ve said, we are in a better place to understand Scripture on concepts such as oppression, judgment/justice, and government.

Here I’m going to summarize theologian John Frame’s views on Christianity and government.

It’s helpful to recognize that a respected theologian shares the basics of the view I’m advocating and to see how he derives his view from Scripture. His discussion makes a good starting point to orient us to what Scripture says on the issue.

The king’s strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity. -Psalm 99:4a

Americans place a high value on equality, and rightly so. But what is equality? Is it the same as egalitarianism? Social justice? As we see in Psalm 99:4, a righteous judge favors neither the poor nor the rich, but deals equitably with all. People have the right to equal treatment under the law, not equal lifestyle. That is what the concept “equity” means: impartiality.

Some suppose that “fairness” involves taking from the rich and giving to the poor. With this as a supposition, it is understandable that they would misconstrue Scripture through a socialist lens. But Scripture speaks of equity.