Many people think there’s no connection between the gospel and the fight against such social evils as poverty, racism, and sexual trafficking. They surmise that the gospel is concerned only with going to heaven when we die, so they assume it has nothing to say about the social ills of this life.

Worse, since the gospel divides Christians from people of other religions, they sometimes think it’s best to leave the gospel on the side. If they don’t mention the gospel, they suppose they’ll be able to team up with a diverse group and together fight the social ills in their community.

One problem with this line of thought is that many Old Testament passages, such as Psalm 14:4, draw a clear link between injustice and idolatry. David declares that those who “eat up my people like bread” also “wouldn’t think of praying to the Lord.”

This makes sense if you think about it. Idolaters don’t actually worship their idols; they worship themselves. They don’t pursue money, sex, or power for their own sake, but only for whatever benefit they might receive from them. Idolaters replace the true God with themselves, and because they selfishly live for their own pleasure, they inevitably hurt and abuse others.

If idolatry breeds injustice, then we will never achieve social justice until God cleanses our hearts from idols. And that job requires the gospel. The gospel reconciles us to God and reorders our love. It enables us to love God and others more than ourselves, which then prompts us to seek social justice for the poor and oppressed. And as we share the gospel with others, its divine power sweeps the idols from their hearts also, empowering them to love their neighbors.

If we want to see lasting improvements in our society, we must tell people about Jesus.

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Numbers 12:1-16