Here are two loaded sentences for us to apply our minds to.

There is a pivotal relationship between our view of justification and our practice of justice. There is enormous value in exploring this relationship because it reveals the greatest determining factor of neighboring well.

If we want the rest of this message to make sense, we should slow down to make sure we are clear about what these words mean.

Justification- Being made just. Being saved. Being declared righteous in the sight of God.

Justice- Behaving in a just way. Doing the right thing. Treating people right.

Justification is our vertical relationship, with God. Justice is our horizontal relationship, with other people.

Our ability to neighbor well is fundamentally influenced by what we believe about salvation.

The parable of the good Samaritan requires us to explore this relationship between justification and justice because it ends with justice and begins with justification. Jesus’ final question to the lawyer was about justice, “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” (v.36). The lawyer’s initial question to Jesus was about justification, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (v.25). Between these two questions is a dialogue that displays this relationship and reveals the greatest determining factor of neighboring well.

The Good Samaritan is about much more than random acts of kindness to a stranger. It is not primarily about how to do justice, but how to be justified. It is not primarily about a social gospel but a saving gospel. Neighboring well is the fruit of a life rooted in the gospel.

As we follow the conversation of Jesus and the lawyer, we see two different views of justification and the vastly different kinds of justice each view produces.

Self-Justification

The lawyer presents a wrong understanding of justification. He did not get it. His question reveals a theology of self-justification, “what must I do to be saved?” He was not looking to the grace of Christ for salvation but to his own performance.

At this point in the story, I want Jesus to set the lawyer straight. To begin with, the man is testing Jesus. Then he asks a theologically destructive question. I want Jesus to tell him about grace and rebuke his self-righteousness. But Jesus doesn’t do it. He could have won the argument, but he would have missed the opportunity. So, Jesus stayed on the topic of self-justification. He essentially said, “Tell me more?” when he asked, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” (v.26).

There is a law answer to the man’s question. The man knew it. Love God and others perfectly (v.28). That is what we would have to do to inherit eternal life on our own. The trouble is that nobody has ever done it and nobody ever will. Obedience to the law is a way of life in Christ but not the way to life in Christ.

After the man admitted that perfect law keeping is what he must do to inherit eternal life Jesus said, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” Those first words about being correct might have felt good to the man. Those next words about doing it should have felt devastating to the man. The man should have admitted that he could not do it.

The parable was another opportunity for the man to abandon his ideas of self-justification. Jesus designed the story to crush the man’s self-righteousness. The extravagant and perfect love shown by the Samaritan to a stranger was too high of a standard for the lawyer to measure up to. Jesus aimed to convict the man of his inability to earn salvation when he concluded the parable with the words, “You go, and do likewise.” 

Christ’s Justification

Christ engineered the conversation to be an opportunity to tell the man of another kind of justification, Christ’s justification. The lawyer wished to identify with the perfection of the Good Samaritan. Jesus wished the lawyer would identify with the hopelessness of the dying man. If we want to be like the man who stopped to help, we must first admit that we are the man who desperately needs help.

Jesus didn’t give the man a name, so we can give him ours. He didn’t give him an ethnicity, so we can see him looking like us. He didn’t give him a title or job description. The only description Jesus gives is that he was robbed, beaten, and left for dead. That is a description every human being can spiritually identify with. The only thing we know about the man is the biggest problem we know about ourselves. We are helpless unless someone comes to our rescue. That man couldn’t do anything to save himself.

Jesus is the ultimate Good Samaritan. He came to us. He put himself in harm’s way. He cared for our wounds and brought us to a safe place. This is justification by grace.

We have seen these two views of justification, now notice the kind of justice each one produces.

The Justice that Flows from Self-Justification

We find a convicting principle of neighboring well in the lawyer’s response to the words “do this and live”. 

Verse 29 says, ^“But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’”

Self-justification diminishes our justice to others.

Since he could not justify himself with the standard of perfect love, he had to lower the standard. In asking, “And who is my neighbor?” the lawyer attempted to justify his insufficiencies by establishing a limited definition of who his neighbor was so he could be justified in not loving most people. Self-righteousness kills neighboring well.

The Justice that Flows from Christ’s Justification

Christ’s justification motivates our justice to others.

There are two great motivators: morality and grace. We are motivating to do something because it is the right thing to do. We are more deeply motivated to do something when we are full of gratitude for what has been done for us. When justice is about earning salvation, we do it with a toxic self-focus. When it is about responding to God’s grace, we do it with overflowing gratitude.

At the beginning of this message, I shared those two loaded sentences.

There is a pivotal relationship between our view of justification and our practice of justice. There is enormous value in exploring this relationship because it reveals the greatest determining factor of neighboring well.

That greatest determining factor for neighboring well is experiencing God’s grace!

Gratitude increases generosity.

What has Christ done for you? How have you been loved when you were dying by the side of the road. Dwell on that until you overflow with gratitude and cannot hold back the desire to extend the love to your neighbor that you have experienced in Christ.