Liberation Theology – What is it?

from the old testament

• God’s heart for those in need is seen in His care for vulnerable populations. He commanded His people not to reap the harvest to the edges so that the poor could glean that part to provide for themselves (Leviticus 19:9-10). This and other provisions for the poor are examples of the overriding command “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). But these are provisions for a broken world. They do not resolve the most important problem of sin. Only Jesus could do that.

from the new testament

• The primary focus of Liberation Theology is the struggle between oppressors and the oppressed and the focus on helping the oppressed. But the New Testament makes it clear that temporary circumstances here on Earth are not as important as the eternal life that Christ offers.Scripture teaches that humanity’s fundamental problem isn’t our material situation on Earth but guilt before God because of sin. Salvation from God’s wrath comes through Christ’s atoning death and resurrection (Romans 3:23–26; 1 Corinthians 15:3–4).
• Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10), not to save people from specific political or societal situations. When liberation from social conditions replaces forgiveness of sins and new life in Christ, the Gospel is changed (Galatians 1:6–9).
• Those who are in Christ will be Christlike, sharing the Gospel but also loving others by caring for the vulnerable with true faith expressing itself in compassion for the needy (James 1:27; Galatians 2:10). But Scripture consistently addresses injustice by calling individuals to faithful obedience to God rather than in correcting a society’s imbalances. In fact, believers are instructed to live well within existing structures (masters and servants, rulers and citizens, etc.) while displaying Christlike love and integrity (Ephesians 6:5–9; Colossians 3:22–4:1; Romans 13:1–7). Care for the poor flows from the hearts of those changed by the Gospel, but never is the gospel.

implications for today

Stand too close to a painting, and you likely can’t describe what’s in it. Step back a couple of feet, and the painting’s subject becomes clear. That’s what life is like. Sometimes, we miss the big picture. This could describe liberation theology, a Marxist-inspired ideology developed in the mid-twentieth century that interprets Christianity through the experience of economic and political oppression. Christian doctrine is framed around social struggle, with sin defined as societal oppression and redemption as political or economic change.

But liberation theology misses the bigger picture: the Gospel. God created humanity to know Him, yet all people have sinned and stand guilty before Him. Jesus came into the world to bear that guilt, dying in the place of sinners and rising again to offer forgiveness and new life to those who place their faith in Him. The Gospel’s call is not to reform society but to call people to repent of their sin and trust in Christ alone for salvation.

Believers today should be the “light of the world” and show people Christ through loving our neighbor (Matthew 5:14, 22:39), which often involves helping them with material needs. But the most important way we can love our neighbors is by sharing with them what brings eternal life: the Gospel. Societies come and go, but men and women will live eternally, either under God’s wrath or with Him, with eternal life. So, restoring relationships with God is, by far, of the highest importance.