Two sides of the same bad penny

Jeremiah 22:1-23:20

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

Psalm 83:1-18

Proverbs 25:11-14

Some disputes just get boring after a while. Over on Wikipedia there is an infuriatingly dull argument going on as to whether CS Lewis was an Irish writer or a British writer. The answer for anyone who comes (as I do) from.Lewis's homeland is quite simply, he is both.

But still there are people who keep arguing on and on about how he can't be British because he was born in Ireland and others who say he can't be Irish because he fought in the British Army and was not a Roman Catholic. Lewis thought of himself as both and saw no contradiction between the two.

An equally boring dispute is between those who see being a follower of Jesus as being about social justice and those who see following Jesus as being about saving souls.

The answer is both.

That however doesn't stop people from sounding off on either side. Liberal Christians (and other justice centred groups) criticise some people for being so heavenly minded that they are no earthly use or of being enslaved to the propaganda of right wing political groups. Evangelicals (and other "it's all about heaven" groups like conservative Roman Catholics) accuse anyone who even mentions social justice of heresy and diluting the faith.

Jeremiah tells us today that both groups are wrong. You could get confused reading this section about the sins of Judah. At one point he says the big sin of Judah is lack of social justice, using slaves and not paying workmen what they are due. In almost the next breath the big sin of Judah is Idolatry and worshipping other Gods. Which is right?

The answer is both.

Idolatry and social injustice are two sides of the one coin. Where social injustice exists it shows that people are so wrapped up in their own idolatry of money that they are ignoring God and their fellow human beings.

Where people are busy worshipping idols you can be certain that their false religion will be assuring them that poverty is always the fault of poor people. It's their bad Karma, the caste they were born into, it's their own fault for being too stupid, feckless, drunk or irreligious, god doesn't like them, etc. Idolatry finds excuses to keep poor people poor and our kind of people rich.

Is following Jesus about salvation or social justice?

According to Jeremiah?

The answer is both.