This is a saying that I have recently run into. The difference between justice and charity is something that I have been thinking about quite a bit lately. In today's society, it seems like they should be pretty much interchangeable. Is that the case though? What is the difference? How does "Justice Change" and what does it change? Let's look at both of these words and see what each of them entail and how they're done.
Charity
A lot of times when I'm talking to people about service events that I do/ will be doing in the future, this word comes up a lot. It kind of makes me cringe inside a little bit... When I looked up the definition of charity, I found a few things related to volunteering, giving things away, and even one that says "love of humankind, typically in a Christian context." What's so bad about the word charity then? It's an action that gives poor people money. Where's the bad in that? Well, with charity, that's all there is. There's just giving. When there's just giving, there's no relationship.
Justice
Before we get into justice, it's important to realize that the type of justice that I am talking about it Biblical justice. The type that is talked about over and over in Isaiah (1:17, 58), in the gospels (Luke 14:12-13, Matthew 9:13), and in the letters to various branches of the early church (James 5:1-6, Galatians 6:10). That being said and looking to scripture for characteristics of justice, there are aspects of charity that are in justice. For example, justice calls us to give our possessions to the poor (Luke 18:18-22). However, Jesus calls us to more than simple giving. He sets the standard by having dinner with the "lowest of the low"... people in society that wouldn't even be looked at (Luke 14:12-13). Jesus is a radical dude. He went against so many social norms. He loved people (no matter who they are). He gave to people (no matter where they came from). He led others to do the same.
Justice is active. It's hard. Something that needs to be worked on and practiced. It's something that goes so against so many social norms that it's hard for us to want to do it because "people will look at us weird". Justice is something that Christians need to strive for because Jesus (and God) value it very highly.
When looking at charity, it's passive. Giving is easy. It doesn't require much work on our part. We put in our money to a box and we're done. Yes. Charity gets money to people that need it. Charity brings good things to society. It can unite people in a community around a certain cause, redistribute the money economically, among other things. But what about the people that are stuck in these injustices? The people that have no way to get out of "the system"? Where does charity lie in that? There's not a whole lot that charity can do for people that seem to find themselves in situations where they can't meet the necessities in life.
As a Christian, I feel a sense of urgency and need to do something about these problems. I see that there are people out there that are being victimized in many different ways and it disturbs me. I understand that I may not "change the world" in the sense that most of society sees it. But by seeking justice and loving people the way that Jesus did, I'm hoping that God will use me to just "change one person's world" on the way.
