righteousness vs. justice

so much happened over the past week that i wouldn't even know where to start if i were to write it all out.

but i will share with you what my City Director shared with all of Mission Year.

Shawn was talking about righteousness and justice. he brought up how you rarely see those two words separated in the Old Testament, but that you hardly see the word justice at all in the New Testament. he filled us in on how the root of those two words is the same. they should be together.

he talked about how we've separted those two words and their meanings. but that we shouldn't have one without the other. righteousness has come to represent moral conscience while justice is more concerned with social issues. when we think of the righteous we tend to envision those whose personal relationship with God is top notch. while the word justice brings to mind someone fighting social inequality.

it's challenging. righteousness needs to exist hand-in-hand with justice. they should not be separte terms but different aspects of the same idea.

if i were to faithfully read my bible every day and never miss a church service but don't love those in need, what's the point of it?


faith without works is dead people.