JUST LOVE is a Book that Wayne and Tobie van der Westhuizen of South Africa are finalizing for publication. You cannot pre-order it yet, but when we get everything set, we will announce it on my blog at lifestream.org. This book makes the case that our English translations distorted the text by substituting a made-up religious word, “righteousness,” for a Greek word that actually means “justice.” The way we use “righteousness” today is not a concept that would have been in Jesus’s mouth or Paul’s. How this happened and why it matters is what JUST LOVE is all about.
Excerpt from the first chapter:
At first glance, that would seem a minor distinction, but throughout this book, we will show you it is not. Why translators got that wrong and what it did to diminish our view of the life in Jesus is a compelling tale and opens the door to a more powerful gospel than what many embrace today. If true, this wouldn’t change the Gospel we’ve come to know, but it would give it a very different emphasis, making it richer and more transformative.
Did Jesus say, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well?” Or did he say, “Seek first his kingdom and his justice, and all these things will be given to you as well.” The first naturally draws our eyes inward to focus on our personal piety and individual morality. The second focuses on how I consider others around me. Am I seeking to be just in my dealings with them, or do I exploit them to get what I want?
That’s how we’ll speak of justice in this book. Many people think of justice as punishment for crime. When someone is convicted and sentenced to death, we say the family of the victim got justice. Others think of it negatively because it has been co-opted by the political left to talk only about their view of social justice. But the Bible speaks early and often about being just in our dealings with people, and all the more so if righteousness is a mistranslation.
C. S. Lewis provided a powerful definition of the justice we’re discussing by listing his seven virtues in Mere Christianity: “Justice means much more than the sort of thing that goes on in Law courts. It is the old name for everything we should now call fairness; it includes honesty, give-and-take, truthfulness, keeping your promises, and all that side of life.” This is the justice of God that cannot be institutionalized in governments or religion by simply encoding it in rules.
As we’ll see, only the love of Jesus working in us can make us just. This isn’t something we can accomplish through human effort. When we experience His love, we’ll find ourselves increasingly treating others with compassion, integrity, honesty, fairness, and mercy. This is how the kingdom of God becomes visible in our world. The just person living in an unjust world will carry a weight of character and graciousness wherever he goes and will also scandalize a world built on selfishness.
We can’t wait to share this with you and show how it redefines the Gospel as not only forgiving but also transformative. This book marks the intersection of two journeys. Here’s Tobie’s journey to discover a more powerful Gospel.
Back Cover Copy:
This Changes Everything
Why is the influence of Christianity in the world a mile wide and an inch deep?
Jesus invited us to a kingdom of love that would transform his followers from the inside out and display his glory in the world. How did we trade that for a preoccupation with sin, religious works, and trying to find our way into heaven?
One simple word, mistranslated in our English Scriptures, distorted our understanding of God’s purpose throughout history and emptied the Gospel of its power to transform lives. Walk with coauthors Wayne Jacobsen and Tobie van der Westhuizen as they show you what we’ve missed, and how we can have the same emphasis on the Gospel as Jesus did.
No doubt, it will change you, too, in ways you can’t imagine. It may also just change the course of Christianity.
Endorsements from Pre-Publication readers:
- “A phenomenal read—justice written on our hearts! Perhaps the most important book written for our time.” Mike Rea
- “The most significant book on theology I have read in the past 30 years. A great read for anyone who hopes for a better tomorrow.” Ron Vincent
- If you only read one book this year, make it this one! And while you’re at it, buy a few copies; you’re going to want to give them away so people will understand what you’ll soon be unable to stop talking about!” Samantha Schmeltzer
