A Review of Tim Keller's Generous Justice

There has been a move afoot for the last thirty years to recapture the biblical gospel from the ravages of a man-centered, therapeutic, easy-believing, corrupted American church. Some of the names important to the reestablishment of a God-centered approach to preaching, evangelism, and counseling include John MacArthur, Jr., John Piper, Mark Dever, Jay Adams, the Tripp brothers, and R.C. Sproul, to name just a few. Tim Keller, the gentle pastor-scholar of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan belongs on this list.

Generous Justice is really a book about the Lordship of Christ as applied to the care of the vulnerable. Keller demonstrates from the Old and New Testaments that God has always been concerned about the disadvantaged in society. He points out that Old Testament Israel was castigated for not providing for the care of the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the stranger. Always exegetically careful, Keller shows that Jesus Christ has the same concern for His church.

The major thesis of the book is revealed on page 99, and comes only after Pastor Keller has walked through the biblical evidence of both Testaments; it is a point deserving of thoughtful consideration. After citing James 2:15-16, he comments:

If you look at someone without adequate resources and do nothing about it, James teaches, your faith is 'dead,' it is not really saving faith. So what are the 'works' [James] is talking about? He is saying that a life poured out in deeds of service to the poor is the inevitable sign of any real, true, justifying, gospel-faith. Grace makes you just. If you are not just, you've not truly been justified by faith. [Emphasis mine.]

Part of the power of this book is that Keller does not make the reader choose between biblical orthodoxy and social justice. Unlike the religious liberal, Keller celebrates doctrine and truth, claiming that it drives us to true justice. He shows that the works a genuine believer will produce are headlined by efforts to care for the most vulnerable.

Generous Justice is characterized by orthodox biblical faithfulness and a generosity of spirit. Keller is not one to critique other thinkers; he isn't polemical; it is his readers he gently critiques. Keller is very widely read, and will use insights from believer and unbeliever alike to make his points, all the while never departing from Scripture. The last three chapters are, in my opinion, a tour de force of the doctrine of common grace as applied to social justice.

Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 12:12: But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body. As a busy pastor (and a very slow reader) I feel the frustration of simply trying to keep current in my reading, including much stuff that turns out to be irrelevant, poorly done, or simply unimportant. This is not one of those books. Generous Justice is a worthwhile reality check on both your ministry and your personal life. You really ought to read it.