Grace Thoughts
God’s Justice: How It Works (Part Ten)
People around the world are calling for justice. What does that mean? Is it something humans can accomplish or is that just a pipe dream?
[Listen to a Podcast of this study by clicking this link.]
Cry for Justice
The cry for justice is an ancient cry. We find the first such cry from a mother thousands of years ago:
And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, ‘For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed. Genesis 4:25
Eve had high hopes for her first son, Cain. She said – “I have acquired a man from the Lord” (Genesis 4:1). Eve was looking for the fulfillment of God’s promise that she would have a “Seed” who would destroy the seed of the serpent (devil) who had deceived her in the Garden of Eden. However, Eve’s hopes were dashed when Cain murdered his brother and was cursed by God. In one terrible moment, Eve lost both of her sons. She wanted justice and received it when Seth was born.
Interestingly, Adam’s thoughts about the murder are not mentioned in Scripture. Adam’s last recorded words were blaming Eve in the Garden — “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” What we know about Adam after that is he worked the land, fathered many sons and daughters and died. Eve did the talking outside the Garden because the rest of the Bible focuses on the promised Seed of the woman. Adam’s legacy is death. Eve’s legacy is life through Christ.
For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:21-22
The name “Seth” is the same Hebrew word as “appoint” (šêṯ). Naming the child Seth would be a reminder of God’s appointment – His provision of “another seed” (zera‘ ’aḥêr) instead of Abel. That’s interesting. When Cain was born Eve thought he was God’s promised “seed.” However, something changed. It may have been that she saw how Abel loved and worshipped God rightly while Cain didn’t (Genesis 4:3-5). It may have been that Eve changed her view of her sons after Cain murdered Abel. What we do know is that Eve came to understand that Abel would have been more of a promised “seed” than Cain. It was in Seth that Eve saw future justice and she was right.
And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord. Genesis 4:26
Eve’s belief that Seth was appointed by God as “another seed” was confirmed when her grandson Enosh was born and “then men began to call on the name of the Lord.” The Hebrew word for “call” is liqrō and means “proclaim, call.” The true worship of God (Yahweh), similar to the way Abel had worshiped God, began again. The lineage of Enosh led eventually to Noah who “found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8) and to Jesus of Nazareth (Luke 3:38). God saved one family of the human race from the deadly Flood through Noah. God is saving a spiritual “family” of the human race from sin and death through Jesus – the promised Seed who would destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).
Human history is filled with cries for justice. Question: what do people mean when they cry for “justice?” We addressed this question in some detail earlier in the series, so I invite you to read the Introduction and previous posts for more background about justice.
A simple definition for justice is “just behavior or treatment” (Oxford Languages). Other definitions include:
- fair treatment
- the quality of being fair or just
- moral rightness
- the attainment of what is just, especially that which is fair, moral, right, merited, or in accordance with law
The desire for “justice” has led many through the centuries to think of themselves as justice warriors. What’s that?
Justice Warrior
Do a search for the phrase “justice warrior” and the first websites that come up are about “social justice warrior.” Interestingly, the words have a negative connotation. Here’s how some dictionaries define the phrase:
a contemptuous term for a person who advocates a progressive orthodoxy, often on the internet, especially involving the treatment of ethnic, racial, gender, or gender-identity minorities.Dictionary.com
Social justice warrior is an often mocking term for one who is seen as overly progressive or left-wing. It’s often abbreviated as SJW. Merriam-Webster Dictionary
usually derogatory, a person who campaigns zealously and vociferously for causes associated with social justice Collins Dictionary
I noticed during the search another phrase that’s worth noting – “social justice activist.” Interestingly, that phrase has a more positive connotation.
Historically and in theory, the idea of social justice is that all people should have equal access to wealth, health, well-being, justice, privileges, and opportunity regardless of their legal, political, economic, or other circumstances. In modern practice, social justice revolves around favoring or punishing different groups of the population, regardless of any given individual’s choices or actions, based on value judgements regarding historical events, current conditions, and group relations. In economic terms, this often means redistribution of wealth, income, and economic opportunities from groups whom social justice advocates consider to be oppressors to those whom they consider to be the oppressed. Social justice is often associated with identity politics, socialism, and revolutionary communism. Investopedia
The United Nations has a special day every February to focus on “social justice.” Here’s how the UN and other organizations define the phrase:
Social justice may be broadly understood as the fair and compassionate distribution of the fruits of economic growth. Social Justice in an Open World: The Role of the United Nations
Social justice is the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities. Social workers aim to open the doors of access and opportunity for everyone, particularly those in greatest need. National Association of Social Workers
Social justice encompasses economic justice. Social justice is the virtue which guides us in creating those organized human interactions we call institutions. In turn, social institutions, when justly organized, provide us with access to what is good for the person, both individually and in our associations with others. Social justice also imposes on each of us a personal responsibility to work with others to design and continually perfect our institutions as tools for personal and social development. Center for Economic and Social Justice
Equal Rights .. Equal Opportunity .. Equal Treatment .. The San Diego Foundation
Activism means engaging in direct, vigorous action to support or oppose one side of a controversial issue. In this case, that activism is directed toward social justice, in which people have their human rights and freedoms respected, receive equitable treatment with regard to opportunities and resources, and are not discriminated against because of their class, gender, race, sexual orientation, and similar identity markers. SAGE Research Methods
I did find one website that addressed “justice warrior” from the aspect of someone’s “political personality.” Here’s how they defined the phrase:
Justice Warriors are genuinely caring individuals who radiate authenticity and altruism. Never one to back down from a fight, you are known for being a catalyst for change, but are always reasonable, honest, and respectful in approach. You are generally a natural leader, able to rally people around causes you truly believe in, like social justice, government accountability, and education.
As a Justice Warrior, your values center around the protection of human rights, healthcare access, and environmental sustainability. Economic and social policy decisions should promote these values and ensure that there is justice for all.
Your ideal society would lead the way to greatness and prosperity for all. Everyone would have an equal say at the table and be given the resources like healthcare and a good working wage to make sure that they can get to where they want to go in life. My Political Personality
The website goes on to say that the vast majority of “justice warriors” vote as part of particular political party lines. So, is “social justice warrior” or “social justice activist” the same thing as a “justice warrior” and is it based on political affiliation? If we believe what people are saying today, we might think that a justice warrior is from one political side or the other, but is that true? Does the history of justice warriors bear that out as being true?
[Listen to a Podcast of this study by clicking this link.]
Next Time
Justice warriors didn’t begin with one political party or another and justice wasn’t always judged by healthcare access and environmental sustainability. History is much broader than that. We’ll look into the history of ‘social’ justice warriors in the next part of our series, God’s Justice: How It Works.
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Founder & Director of GraceLife Ministries View all posts by gracelifethoughts