A Biblical Response to Racism

A few days ago, I read an article by CNN which had a title, "2020: The year America confronted racism". Last couple of years, we ignored this reality but as the article says, this was the year where America was forced to confront it and move a needle towards the change. After reading it, I felt the need to write something down on the issue before the year ends so would really appreciate if you can spend the next 7-8 minutes and go through it.

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

This was a quote made by Desmond Tutu who is a South African Angelical cleric, theologian, and human rights activist. Most of us including me do try to hide in our comfort zones when it comes to public injustice maybe because of our situations, inability to speak up or because it may not affect us directly. But as the quote says, being neutral in a way fuels the injustice. Racial hatred and discrimination are more than just glaring social injustices. They are also a direct offense to God and an insult to the entire human family. Racism runs directly counter to everything the Gospel represents. I know this is not an easy subject to discuss but just want to try to provide some biblical insights that pertains to the topic. We will traverse through couple of verses and explain briefly how it might speak to our current situation. So first lets start from Old Testament, travel a bit there and then go to New Testament.

Scripture doesn't begin with the creation of a people that belong to a special race. In the Bible, we see Genesis 1:27-28 tells us that God created “humankind” in his own image. This truth has intense implications, for it insists that people of all races and ethnicities are created in the image of God. And since we bear his image, all of us deserve to be treated with special dignity and respect. The nation of Israel was ethnically diverse and the greatest example was Abraham. Abraham, for example, was from Mesopotamia, and ethnically he was probably an Chaldean. He and his family migrated to Canaan, where two of his descendants (Judah and Simeon) married Canaanites, while their brother Joseph married an Egyptian.

Here is another interesting part: Africans were part of Gods redemption plan. Have you heard of Cushites? Cushites had an active role in the political scenario and economical situation of the ancient East throughout the period of Old Testament. They even dominated Egypt for a while (during Isaiah's time) and associated with Jerusalem against the Assyrians. Later, Ebedmelech who was an African played a critical role in Judah’s history, saving the prophet Jeremiah thereby representing the inclusion of future Gentiles who will come to God by faith (Jer 38–39).

If there was human ever lived free from bias, that was none other than our Lord Jesus Christ. He was "no respecter of persons." He treated all men and women alike: the woman who was a sinner, Lk. 7: 36-50; tax collectors and sinners, Lk. 15: 1-2. Sometimes he went out of his way to show that his mission was for all people (a Samaritan woman, Jn. 4: 4, 9-10; a tax collector Lk. 19: 1-10). It is true that during his earthly ministry he appears to restrict his activity to the Jews (Mt. 15: 24; cf. Mt. 10: 5-6). Still he never turned away a believing Gentile (the Canaanite woman, Mt. 15: 21-28; the centurion, Mt. 8: 5-13; the Greeks, Jn. 12: 20-35). And in his teaching, he often used affirmative Gentile examples to shame the Jews for their lack of responsiveness (Mt. 11: 20-24; 12: 41-42; 21: 31, 41, 43). It is interesting to note that even Jesus' enemies recognized his lack of prejudice. "You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth" (Lk. 20: 21).

Jesus the King comes to reign in justice. This means that he is the great leveler (Lk. 1: 51-53). He predicts that God's final justice will do so by bringing down the proud and exalt the humble (Lk. 16: 19-31; 6: 20-26). He inaugurates his reign of justice by calling for repentance and in that way declaring that all men have the same negative identity: sinners in need of salvation (Mk. 1: 15; 2: 17; Mt. 9: 11-13; Jn. 9: 39-41). Jesus also declares a new identity in Him which for all, who will accept it, supersedes all previous racial or ethnic distinction. He tells some Greeks that in his death, if he be lifted up from the earth he will draw all men unto himself (Jn. 12: 32). The new identity not only supersedes but eliminates in the spiritual realm racial and ethnic distinctions. It is an identity rooted in a spiritual rebirth from a common heavenly Father. Christians are all sons of God (Jn. 1: 11-13; 4: 9-11) and hence all have Christ as brother (Mt. 12: 49-50). And most importantly, they have one another as brothers (Mt. 23: 8).

The first non-Jewish believer in the New Testament was an African. The “Ethiopian Eunuch” in Acts 8 was a Black African from the region along Nile River, south of Egypt. He was the first non-Jewish believer in the New Testament and, like Ebedmelech in the book of Jeremiah, he seems to foreshadow the approaching Gentile inclusion in the rest of Acts.

Galatians 3:26-28 says :

“In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”.

As we all know, Galatians was written by Paul and a strong majority of Paul’s audience were Gentiles who were not yet circumcised. Remember there were Judaizers (Jewish Christians) who tried to teach that to be saved, they needed to adopt Jewish customs and practices and some of the Gentiles got attracted to the idea. At the same time there was a confusion that prevailed among other Gentiles who opposed the idea of Judaizers. That is when Paul comes and say they were all one. He tried to explain Faith and Works of the Law in the previous verses. Paul says:

24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.

Then he comes to v26 and says in Christ Jesus we all are children of God through faith for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. To be saved, all we need is faith. Paul clearly says, Faith alone in Christ is enough to be saved. And then he says in the sight of God no one is superior/inferior to other but all are one in Christ Jesus irrespective of their race, status or gender. There is a reason why Paul highlights these three in the letter to Galatians. A slaveholder might honor slaves final wishes but a slave’s testament was not legally binding. In Rome, a slave could be freed in a slaveholder’s will or even left a bequest, but children and friends were much more frequent heirs. They were marginalized in the society so were the women too. Rules regarding women’s inheritance varied based on location. Another reason was circumcision. Women could not be circumcised, and slaves had no personal say in being circumcised. Now coming to race, many scholars point to a benediction attributed to first and second century rabbis: A Jewish person would recite three benedictions every day :

Praise be to the Lord who did not make a me a gentile. Praise be to the Lord who did not make a boor.

Praise be to the Lord who did not make me a woman.

From our current perspective, I could not even imagine about such a benediction in my dreams which violates all what Bible teaches about racial/sexual equality. Jewish Christians clearly discriminated the Gentile Christians and we see this as a common theme in Pauline letters. Jews were not ready to accept Gentiles. But Paul instructs them that Christ has removed the barrier of any distinctions of whether ethnicity or gender or social status and he has reconciled everyone to God through his atonement. It also seems Paul had Joel 2:28-29 in mind based on what he says in Gal 3:2-5 and 14:

“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. (Joel 2:28-29)

Joel prophesized that the Spirit would be poured on all people regardless of race/gender/age. And we see the fulfillment in Acts where though initially the Spirit was received by Jews, the gospel spread throughout the nations and reached Rome which was considered the end of the world at that time. In Acts 10, we see Cornelius and his family were the first Gentile believers who received the Spirit. In this instance, the tongue-speaking of the Gentiles convinced Peter and the other Jews that Gentiles were now part of the Christian church.

Couple of other passages I wanted to mention where Paul rebukes the idea of racial/ethnic distinction are:

There is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all” (Colossians 3:11).

There is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him” (Romans 10:12)

In one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13).

So throughout Pauline letters, Paul is arguing against ethnic differences. And remember he is not eliminating such difference but rather focuses on the unity in Christ that encompasses diversity. Christians of other races are not just equal to us; they are joined to us. As Christians, we are all part of the same body, united by the presence of the Holy Spirit who indwells us all. We all are brothers and sisters in the same family of Christ Jesus.

Finally, in Revelation we see at the consummation of history, people from every tribe, language, people, and nation worshipping the Lord. The difference in tribe, language, and nation shows the ethnic diversity of the people of God who will worship around the throne. It is a picture of the climactic kingdom of Christ, and, as such, provides a model for us to strive toward. The kingdom of Christ is comprised of a multi-ethnic congregation in Revelation.

I remember once an Anglican Priest say this :

We know many people who lose their lives to coronavirus are dying because of of an infection in the respiratory system. They die due to lack of breath. But casteism, racism, sexism, and xenophobia are viruses that are more dangerous than coronavirus because they choke the world to death.”

Unfortunately what he said is right. These issues are far more dangerous than COVID and it divides people. So as people of God let us show compassion, love and care to our fellow beings irrespective of any distinction as we all are made in the image of God and reconcile them to God by sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Politics, Culture and Social Status may divide us but at the end of the day there is only one thing that unites human race and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. So as true Christians, let us pledge allegiance to the gospel through active obedience.

Credits :

J. Daniel Hays- 6 Ways the Bible Changed My Perspective on Ethnic Diversity-TGC -03/27/18

William J Larkin - The New Testament Instruction on Race and Race Relations - 02/15/84

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/