“16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

The Church in Society

Introduction

Any discussion of this variety must begin with laying the groundwork for proceeding.  While this is not intended to be a comprehensive thesis on the issue, it is intended to create a framework where scripture provides the foundational constructs from which the church engages with society, particularly as it relates to church strategy and the development of specific activities for such an engagement.

Neither is it to be implied that this document portends to be the “final authority” on the subject.  Rather, it is intended to establish an ongoing discussion within the church about its role and to facilitate the productive discourse of strategic engagements with society with the aim of joining God in His work in the reconciliation of the nations unto Himself.

Implied in the above is, of course, the preeminence of scripture and its sufficiency to provide all the necessary principles required.  If anything is stated that violates this approach, then disregard it (and gently instruct the one who said it).  We need not to bring the world’s ideas into the church, but to redeem the world with the truth of God’s Word.

Introspection

In Isaiah 58, the prophet describes a society that we long to see.  One where our

… light will rise in darkness

And your gloom will become like midday.

11 “And the Lord will continually guide you,

And satisfy your desire in scorched places,

And give strength to your bones;

And you will be like a watered garden,

And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

12 “Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins;

You will raise up the age-old foundations;

And you will be called the repairer of the breach,

The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.

Our hearts burn within us as we earnestly seek to be a part of such a society. But the promise of Isaiah is prefaced with the judgements of the earlier verses.  Isaiah was called to pronounce judgement on the religious of his day and to:

Cry loudly, do not hold back;

Raise your voice like a trumpet,

And declare to My people their transgression

And to the house of Jacob their sins.

2 “Yet they seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways,

As a nation that has done righteousness

And has not forsaken the ordinance of their God.

They ask Me for just decisions,

They delight in the nearness of God.

3 ‘Why have we fasted and You do not see?

Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?

Many of us relate to the cry of the Israelites.  We seek Him.  We delight in His nearness.  We pursue religious practices such as fasting.  We humble ourselves.  Yet it all goes without notice.  Perhaps we should look further at what Isaiah was to tell the people of his day.

3 Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire,

And drive hard all your workers.

4 “Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist.

You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high.

5 “Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself?

Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed

And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed?

Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord?

6 “Is this not the fast which I choose,

To loosen the bonds of wickedness,

To undo the bands of the yoke,

And to let the oppressed go free

And break every yoke?

“Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry

And bring the homeless poor into the house;

When you see the naked, to cover him;

And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

8 “Then your light will break out like the dawn,

And your recovery will speedily spring forth;

And your righteousness will go before you;

The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

9 “Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;

You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

If you remove the yoke from your midst,

The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,

10 And if you give yourself to the hungry

And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,

Then your light will rise in darkness

And your gloom will become like midday.

Could it be that we are under the judgement of God while we cry out for His justice?  Could it be that our actions do not reflect obedience?  Is this just a judgement pronounced on the Israelites of Isaiah’s day?  Are there New Testament commands to help us understand?  Unfortunately for those who wish to avoid this introspection, James leaves us with no doubts in the second chapter of his letter:

14 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

Clearly the church is called to engage with society and to address its injustices.  Specifically, the church is to:

• Seek justice and peace (Is 58:3-4, 6)
• To feed the hungry (Is 58:7; James 2:15)
• To clothe the naked (Is 58:7; James 2:15)
• To house the homeless (is 58:7)

There is, of course, a spiritual aspect to all of these issues.  How can you live in peace and be justified outside of the redemption of God?  James eliminates any doubt, however, that the church (and believers individually) are to address these practical issues.  It is the belief of the author that these commandments are not just with respect to providing humanitarian relief but are also a call for the church to engage with society to address the systemic issues underlying these needs and to do so within the context of joining God in His redemptive work.