Top Ten Quotes: Generous Justice
I’ve had Dr. Tim Keller’s Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just on my Kindle for some time, but just recently got around to reading it.
And what a tragedy, because “social justice” is such a hot potato in evangelical circles, and Keller’s treatment of the topic is – in my opinion – biblical, wise, and fair. To narrow down to even my top fifty quotes was a challenge enough, and I had to do battle to whittle it down further. With that said…
Here are my top ten favorite quotes:
- Most people know that Jesus came to bring forgiveness and grace. Less well known is the Biblical teaching that a true experience of the grace of Jesus Christ inevitably motivates a man or woman to seek justice in the world.
- The most traditional formulation of evangelical doctrine, rightly understood, should lead its proponents to a life of doing justice in the world.
- A concern for justice in all aspects of life is neither an artificial add-on nor a contradiction to the message of the Bible.
- Israel was charged to create a culture of social justice for the poor and vulnerable because it was the way the nation could reveal God’s glory and character to the world.
- We do justice when we give all human beings their due as creations of God.
- The laws of social justice in Israel were principles for relationships primarily between believers.
- God’s concern for the poor is so strong that he gave Israel a host of laws that, if practiced, would have virtually eliminated any permanent underclass…[g]leaning was not, however, what would ordinarily be called an act of charity. It enabled the poor to provide for themselves without relying on benevolence.
- A person who knew he could come to God with nothing more than a cupful of flour and a confession of his sin and still receive forgiveness was learning something fundamental about the grace of God
- Helping “all people” is not optional, it is a command.
- If we confuse evangelism and social justice we lose what is the single most unique service that Christians can offer the world.
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