SOCIALISM AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

SOCIALISM AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

“And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.  They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.” Isa. 65:21-23

Complete Social justice Will Become a Reality -                Even if it were possible for men without God to put an end to the staggering economic waste of war, there would still remain two obstacles to the realization of social justice: First, the experts must know what to do. Economic experiments may work immeasurable disaster to society. Recently the leaders of Communist Russia have been confessing with great fanfare that many of their policies under the long leadership of Stalin were wrong. But in their glib statement of penitence there is no mention of the untold human suffering and destruction that was the awful price of their economic "mistakes." But, second, even if the experts had the infallible answers to all our social problems, there would still be needed some higher and beneficent power to enforce the remedies without leaving the patient in worse condition than before.

                There is nothing inherently wrong with the central thesis of classical Socialism. No intelligent man of good-will would wish to deny that every person on earth ought to have at least as much as he produces. But the twin errors of Socialism are: first, that they have left the true God out of their panaceas; and, second, they have had an unwarranted confidence in the alleged "goodness" of sinful men. Even professed Christians have supposed that the social ideals of the Kingdom of God could be fully realized without the wisdom and power of the divine King personally and visibly manifested on earth. Yet the Word of God is unmistakable on this point: nowhere short of the established Kingdom under the personal control of Christ will complete social justice rule on earth.

                In Old Testament prophecy of the Kingdom a large place is given to social justice. In that day, Isaiah writes very specifically, "They shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat" (Isa. 65:21-22). Amos asserts the same idea. Looking ahead to the day when the historic "tabernacle of David" is re-established on earth and Israel is finally restored to their own land, the prophet declares not only that men shall "build . . . cities," "plant vineyards," and "make gardens"; but also that the people who do the work shall enjoy the benefits (Amos 9:11, 14). The wastrels and parasites will not be living at the expense of others, and labor will acquire a new dignity and worth.

                But social justice in the prophetic Kingdom will be something more than an exact quid pro quo. As long as men live in the flesh on earth, there will be differences in abilities and needs. Even with the Kingdom established on earth there may be attempts on the part of selfish men to deprive the less able of their rights. Hence we read that under the gracious rule of the coming King, the "poor" and the "needy" will be given a special protective care, which will extend beyond all mere legal considerations (Psa. 72:4,12,13). We are at present finding it very difficult, even with all our advanced social laws, to preserve a proper balance between strict justice and the virtue of benevolence. In the administration of social benefits, government agencies tend to swing either toward legalistic harshness or toward sentimental laxness. Under the all-wise rule of the coming King such problems will be solved with unerring skill. In Him the world at last will find a perfect balance between the "strong hand of the law and the gentle arm of the One who is the great Shepherd of the sheep" (Isa. 40:10-11).

There are no welfare cases in the Kingdom.