Why Is It So Hard for Christians to Talk About Justice and Greed?

[jacks]

I’m preparing a video on this topic and would truly appreciate hearing a range of Christian perspectives!

It's a worthy topic and would like to see the video. My only comment would be not to couch it with this statement.

Why do you think discussions about justice and greed create such tension among believers?

Do you find it hard to discuss? It hasn't been my experience that Christians shy away from the subject. So instead of engaging on this important subject, you get people reacting to the comment that they shy away from it. Perhaps just discussing the subject, without a judgement on how people view it, would be more effective. Just a thought.

 

[Mercy Shown]

I’ve been reflecting lately on how often Scripture warns us about greed and how closely that warning is tied to God’s call for justice and care for others. Jesus speaks about money and the dangers of wealth more than almost any other topic, yet many Christians today find conversations about justice uncomfortable or “political.”

So I wanted to ask the community here:
Why do you think discussions about justice and greed create such tension among believers?
Is it a matter of theology, culture, politics, or something deeper in the human heart?


I’m preparing a video on this topic and would truly appreciate hearing a range of Christian perspectives!

Because what you might call greed and what you might call justice may look very different from what I would call greed or justice. Our standards aren’t the same—and that’s exactly why Scripture warns us to be careful about judging the hearts and motives of others.

Jesus said plainly, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (Matthew 7:1). When we label someone as greedy, corrupt, or unjust, we may be stepping into territory God didn’t give us—the territory of judging motives we can’t see (1 Samuel 16:7).

And this matters for a deeper reason: God has already judged Jesus in our place.
Isaiah writes, “The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6), and Paul adds that “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Our guilt, our failures, our inequities were placed on Christ.

So if God has dealt with our sin by placing it on His Son, who are we to turn around and point the bony finger of indignation at our fellow human beings? Instead of condemning, Jesus calls us to humility, mercy, and reconciliation (Matthew 5:7; Romans 12:18).

Because at the end of the day, God alone judges perfectly—and God alone saves.

 

[fhansen]

Yeah, that seems like a reasonable explanation. The 'brain-washing' of capitalist values starts young, and doesn't stop when we grow old. We really do need to be "born again" to start to change our perspective.

Yes, and it's not just capitalist values. Coveteousness is as old as the Fall of man. It comes down to this bottom line: do we love, first of all, as God both models and calls us to and as only union with Him can accomplish in us, or do we carry on the family tradition of self above all else which requires-which is intrinsic to-remaining apart from Him and wallowing in our greed, our sin, and the pride that drives it.

 

[BNR32FAN]

That is the point of vetting.

It costs money and it’s not cheap. If they could afford to go thru USCIS they probably wouldn’t need to come here in the first place. The whole reason people are coming here is because they can’t make a living where they are now. And ultimately that is their goal, to come here and work to save up enough money to get vetted because they actually want to be here legally, they just can’t afford it.

 

[BNR32FAN]

Because what you might call greed and what you might call justice may look very different from what I would call greed or justice. Our standards aren’t the same—and that’s exactly why Scripture warns us to be careful about judging the hearts and motives of others.

Jesus said plainly, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (Matthew 7:1). When we label someone as greedy, corrupt, or unjust, we may be stepping into territory God didn’t give us—the territory of judging motives we can’t see (1 Samuel 16:7).

That’s taking what Jesus said in Matthew 7 out of context. What He was saying is don’t be a hypocrite, don’t judge others for unrighteousness if you yourself is unrighteous.

““Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

He’s illustrating judging others with taking the speck out of your brother’s eye. He’s not saying not to judge others, He’s saying don’t judge others without judging yourself. Get the beam out of your own eye before you judge others. Right after this He goes on to warn about false prophets and knowing how to identify them. This is another example of judging others by their actions or fruits.

““Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭15‬-‭20‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

 

[Mercy Shown]

That’s taking what Jesus said in Matthew 7 out of context. What He was saying is don’t be a hypocrite, don’t judge others for unrighteousness if you yourself is unrighteous.

““Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

He’s illustrating judging others with taking the speck out of your brother’s eye. He’s not saying not to judge others, He’s saying don’t judge others without judging yourself. Get the beam out of your own eye before you judge others. Right after this He goes on to warn about false prophets and knowing how to identify them. This is another example of judging others by their actions or fruits.

““Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.”
‭‭

I appreciate your point about context, and I agree that Jesus is absolutely confronting hypocrisy in Matthew 7. But the principle He’s teaching goes even deeper than simply “don’t be a hypocrite.” Jesus is warning us about assuming a posture that belongs only to God—the posture of judge.
In the passage, He emphasizes that when we judge others, we end up being judged by the very same standard we apply.That’s not just about hypocrisy; that’s about the danger of stepping into God’s place and setting ourselves up as the ones who decide whose “speck” counts and how severe it is. When we do that, we inevitably judge people according to ourstandards, not God’s—and Jesus says that doing so invites judgment back on ourselves.

 

[fhansen]

I appreciate your point about context, and I agree that Jesus is absolutely confronting hypocrisy in Matthew 7. But the principle He’s teaching goes even deeper than simply “don’t be a hypocrite.” Jesus is warning us about assuming a posture that belongs only to God—the posture of judge.
In the passage, He emphasizes that when we judge others, we end up being judged by the very same standard we apply.That’s not just about hypocrisy; that’s about the danger of stepping into God’s place and setting ourselves up as the ones who decide whose “speck” counts and how severe it is. When we do that, we inevitably judge people according to ourstandards, not God’s—and Jesus says that doing so invites judgment back on ourselves.

And yet we can, and must, be able to discern between right and wrong, justice and injustice.
“Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” John 7:24