The Beauty of Love Lived Justice (#1024)
"The Incarnation itself was an act of justice," says Tobie van der Westhuizen, co-author of Just Love: How One Mistranslated Word Distorted the Gospel, as he joins Kyle and Wayne for a conversation about the new book prior to its release on March 3. When English translators chose the made-up religious word, righteousness, to substitute for the word justice that the original writers would have used, they unintentionally distorted the Gospel itself. Instead of focusing on love and how it transforms us into just people that reflect his kingdom, Christianity in many quarters became more preoccupied with personal piety and sin management. A true revolution could occur if the followers of Jesus embraced a life of love-lived justice through the heart rather than through obligations or legal requirements.
Podcast Notes:
- The video version of this podcast
- Why House Church Isn't the Answer
- Pre-order your copy of Just Love
Podcast: Download
Subscribe: RSS
Wayne, it was great seeing you in Bradenton, FL this past weekend! I really enjoyed the conversation with you and everyone else who participated. I met some great people that day and look forward to staying in touch with them.
I ordered the Kindle version of “Just Love” today so that it will be delivered to my Kindle next week while I am in Salt Lake City, and I also ordered the paperback version so that it will be delivered to the house when I return. I have enjoyed the blog posts and podcast episodes discussing the topic of the book, and I am really looking forward to reading it next week!
It was great to see you, Jon. Thanks for coming over. Can’t wait for people to have a look at Just Love. Let me know how it hits you.
I fear that we will have as little success in trying to live “justly” as we have had in trying to live “righteously”. It will all only come by trust in Jesus.
(Silly fictional story) “I have a neighbor who is a Christian brother and who has become obsessed over his bicycle. The kindest and most “just” thing I can do for him would be to take that stumbling block out of his way and store it in my garage.” (But would it be “righteous” to steal his bicycle?)
Righteousness must be the motivating force behind Justice, (Just as it is in the case of our God and Savior). It’s just not “right” that people treat each other so “unjustly”.
Then you miss the point of the book, James. It is not switching performance-based righteousness for performance-based justice. This is about the work that God’s love does inside of us to make us just (justify) us on the inside. It is becoming just by faith, not by “works of justice” that we attempt in our own effort.
Hi Wayne, I’m not rushing you, just curious when will the audio version of Just Love come out?
Hi Barry, it’s usually six months or so before we get the audio version out. We haven’t even started recording yet, and working between two continents isn’t going to be easy. But we’ll try.
Hi Wayne,
I have only read the first chapter and will get the book but I’m curious how correction of the translation correlates to Tim Mackie (Bible Project) who also discusses the misinterpretation of the word Righteousness and how it’s correct meaning is closer to “Right relationship”. So for example in the Sermon on the Mount “blessed are those who hunger and thirst to be in right relationship with God and right relationship with others”.
For me personally I find this really helpful to expand beyond ‘justice’ as it is now a word in modern culture, charged with so many others connotations, especially within the Church where “justice-work” can almost be a justification for the Kingdom without the King.
Hi Rachel. Thanks for your question. Unfortunately, ‘right relationship’, alone does not convey the meaning of the Greek word in question here. Yes, we know ‘justice’ has become a polarizing word in our culture, but it is difficult not to use the exact word, just because some of co-opted it under the guise of ‘social justice,’ which often isn’t justice at all, except for specific groups.We do define our use of justice in the book because it is such a rich word in its orginal form. It is also related to the word ‘just’, as in “God is just,” and we didn’t want to lose that connection either. The book makes clear what God means by justice and how his justice is very different from the legal use in our culture today.
In german we do not have two different words, but when every christian agrees that salvation is free and not earned as soon as the point is checked there is this shift to performance and working out the salvation through, trying to live right.
I was hit by what I call a reality of “the oneness with him” and then I devoured the podcast it was the second hit, what a blessing.
If a person agrees with 2 statements:
1. There is nothing you can do,
that makes Him love you more than He already does.
2.There is nothing you can do,
that makes Him love you less than He already does.
Then this is a REVOLUTION,
thinking about personal life, others and church.
Thank you – Big Hug
Dieter