What is the Christian response to Racism?
I think there is very little doubt that racism is wrong and most believers would agree with this. In South Africa this is a very important matter. Since there has been an uncomfortable history of racism in our country, and because there are still, without a doubt, indications that it still exists. Racism is of course not just a 'South African' problem, it's a social issue that can be seen all over the world.
The question is, how should the believer respond to this? What is a biblical and Christian response to the sin of racism? Most believers responds by following the pattern of today's media. They criticize racism on the grounds that it discriminates and promotes inequality. But the believer needs to base his understanding and rejection of racism on Biblical and Christian grounds.
It is therefore necessary that we begin to think Biblically
about the matter and put together a Christian ethic on this from a Biblical
foundation.
1. What the Bible says about racism
a.Just one race, not many
In reality, there are not many different races, but only one race: the human race! Caucasians, Africans, Asians, Indians, Arabs and Jews are not different races, but rather different ethnic groups of the same race (Acts 17:26). All people, with minor differences, have the same physical characteristics. All people are also created equal by God, in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). Therefore to look down on someone who is different from you in small unimportant ways is to despise the image of God in them. It's not an attack on the person, it's an attack on God in whose image that person is made. We cannot base our view of a person on the colour of their skin or any other insignificant detail. We must see all people for who they really are: One made in the image of God and a descendant of the same man, Adam.
As descendants of Adam, each person was of cause conceived and born in sin (Romans 3:10-20; 5:12-21). The result is that people are naturally prone to sin. It was sinful thoughts about race that resulted in the curse of Babel (Genesis 11:7-9). The events at the tower of Babel are not the origin of different races, it was the origin of racism, which is man's sinful reaction to insignificant differences between people.
However, the Scriptures tells us that God shows no partiality or favouritism. In Deuteronomy 10:17 we read: “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.” In the same way we read in Romans 2:11 “For God shows no partiality.”
b.The believer's responsibility
The Lord also expects from the believer that we should make no distinction between people on the basis of such trivial things. James 2:4 warns us to discriminate and pass judgment with 'evil thoughts', and in verse 8 of the same text he commands us, ‘If…you shall love your neighbour as yourself, you are doing well.’ We should love people regardless of the colour of their skin or the place of their origin.
Furthermore, it is our responsibility to preach the gospel to all people without distinction. The Great Commission does not exclude any specific population group or nation. Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” There is no group of people excluded from this. All people from all people groups are sinners and all of them need the gospel. This includes the people group which you are a part of just as much as any other people group. No 'race' is excluded from the universal curse by which all men were conceived and born in sin, and therefore they all need to repent of their sin, without exception.
Treating people with partiality based on something as trivial as skin colour is a sin (James 2:1). The instruction of our Lord Jesus is that you must love your neighbour as yourself (Matthew 22:39). Instead of looking for a reason to find distinction between you and others, love them and share the gospel with them, so that you can be united in Christ.
c. All Believers are united in Christ
Jesus Christ came for this very reason: To tear down all the walls of separation that people have erected among themselves through sin. In the church, racism cannot exist (Ephesians 2:14). Racism, prejudice and discrimination in the faith community is an insult to Christ's work on the cross. All believers are united in Christ, as Galatians 3:8 teaches us “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’” Thus we see that the curse of Babel (Genesis 11:7-9), which confused and divided people, was nullified in the church on Pentecost by uniting us in Christ (Acts 2:5-11). It makes no difference whether the believer is a man or woman, American or Russian, black or white, Afrikaans or Zulu, if they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ we are united with them through faith which is greater than any distinction that we can make.
Already in the first century, the church of Christ consisted of Jews, Greeks, circumcised and uncircumcised, wise and foolish, slaves and freemen, but all of them were united in one body in Christ, so that there was no longer any distinction (Colossians 3 :11)
In his first letter, John says that it is murder to hate your brother (1 John 3:15). While this is not necessarily physical murder, your unwillingness to accept or welcome them is a form of 'murder of the heart'.
In heaven there will be no racism (Rev. 5:9-10; 7:9-12; 22:1-5). As heirs of eternal rest, we must strive even now to have the same attitude here on earth as we will have in glory forever. To be antagonistic towards people based on language, colour, or ethnic background is to be at odds with God's eternal plan and design.
The believer must therefore fight
any forms of racism in the church, and in his own heart as part of his
responsibility to die to all sin and in his endeavour to seek and do the will
of God.
2. A Christian ethic
Ian von Memerty once described himself as a 'recovering racist'. He said that he has been relatively clean for 30 years now, but sometimes relapses. Then he must repent and remind himself that all people are made in the image of God and are therefore valuable. I think there is great truth in his description. Racism is a sin, and all people, including believers, are sinners and we must therefore constantly guard against falling into this sin.
a.Racism is wrong
-
Racism
is sin
To define people based on
something as superficial as biological character traits is contrary to the
Christian faith. We should be concerned with people's spiritual condition
rather than their biological characteristics. Every person is an image bearer of
God and therefore we must realize that all people are worthy. Racism is not
only contrary to Christianity, but it is inhumane.
Furthermore, racism destroys
communities because some people are despised and humiliated by others based on
insignificant differences. There is no shortage of examples of this in our own
country's history. Not only does racism cause sinful political views, but it
causes inequality of rights and therefore harms one group at the expense of
another. Some examples of this harm is
found in education and income.
-
Racism
is lovelessness
Because racism makes distinctions
on unrealistic grounds, the result is that, for instance marriages between
persons from different ethnic backgrounds are looked down upon. It furthermore
causes unnecessary discomfort and dissatisfaction with a neighbour who comes
from a different population group than you. There are countless other examples
in which racism makes people prejudiced and causes people to judge others on
inappropriate grounds. To love your neighbour, as the Word of God asks of us,
shows us that racism is loveless.
b.Christianity requires love
-
Love for all people. We cannot discriminate
based on a person's ethnicity. The Lord requires us to love our neighbour. Our
neighbour are all people who we come into contact with, regardless of who they
are. In love and concern for their souls we must share the gospel with them,
regardless of who they are or what their origin is. There isn’t a different
gospel for one people group and another for others. Nor is there one people
group that, based on who they are, needs the gospel less or more. All people
are by nature conceived and born in sin and therefore need to come to faith.
-
Racism in the church is totally contrary to the
message of the gospel which bridges all distinctions. The church is made up of
every tribe, nation, people and language and all who have come to faith in
Christ are united into one body. While the language in which the gospel is
delivered will sometimes inevitably bring a certain group of people together,
this should never become the reason why a certain language is chosen. The same
Spirit that lives in the believing Afrikaner also lives in the believing Xhosa
and Chinese.
c. Christianity expects a difference
The Bible expects us to be 'salt
and light' in order to bring about change in the community. Our approach and
attitude towards persons from other people groups should be different from others
in our community who behave sinfully.
-
Your treatment of your employee (gardener and
domestic helper included) should reflect your Christianity. You should be
concerned about their family, their health, their financial condition. You
should also share the gospel with them.
-
Your vote on Election Day should reflect your
Christianity rather than your race. In Matthew 5, the Lord teaches us how we
should act in the world and how we should make a difference in the world. This
requires that our vote should not be based on ethnic differences, but spiritual
differences. Our influence in the community is driven by our Christian ethics
rather than our physical ethnicity.
-
Your treatment of strangers should not be
influenced by the colour of their skin. Criminals and evil people are found in
every people group. While we need to be careful of strangers, this does not
mean that we may be unfriendly or that all persons from a specific people group
are equally wicked or good.
The question is that we must be followers of the Lord Jesus. He gave his life for people from every tribe, people, nation and language. He expects us to carry the gospel to all people. While the believer must approach unbelievers differently than fellow believers, the expectation in both cases is that we will act in love. Your love for Christ requires that you treat all people, who are made in the image of God, without prejudice or discrimination.
It is important to be constantly
aware of our natural inclination to sin and desire to discriminate against
persons who are different from us. Part of the fight against racism is to admit
that you in your sinful nature are not only capable of this, but prone to it,
and perhaps even guilty of it. As believers we do not deny our sinfulness, we
confess it, resist it and strive to overcome it.
3. Racism against me
Of course, we should not fall into the trap of thinking that racism always only happens in one direction. All people are descendants of Adam and therefore capable and prone to sin which also includes racism. But how should I act as a believer when others act racist towards me, or if racism causes any form of discrimination against me?
a.Follow the example of Christ
In 1 Corinthians 11:1, the
Apostle Paul asks of us “Be imitators of
me, as I am of Christ.” In Ephesians 5:1-2 he requires us to be imitators
of God who walked in love, and love like Christ's loved us. The Lord Jesus did
not open His mouth in protest when they unjustly accused Him, beat Him and
crucified Him (Is. 53:7). But like a Lamb, He endured these attacks against Him
and even prayed for the forgiveness of those who attacked Him in this way (Luke
23:34). The Lord also expects similar actions from us (1 Peter 4:13).
b.Love your enemies
In Luke 6:27-29 lays down
the principle of how the believer must act towards anyone who wants to harm him.
“But I say to you who hear, Love your
enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray
for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the
other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic
either.”
The principle to be learned from
this is that we should not treat others based on the way they treat us. Instead
of counter attacking or hurting them back, or even getting angry, the Lord
teaches us to act in love towards those who mistreat us. Vengeance for sin does
not belong to us, but to the Lord.
c. Admonish the sinner in a spirit of
meekness
In Galatians 6:1 we are taught to help those who are overtaken by sin in a spirit of meekness and at the same time to guard against falling into temptation ourselves. While this text is most likely only applicable between believers, there are other texts that show that this should be our approach towards any person who sins, because James 5:20 says 'let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.'
I realize that racism has done a lot of damage to relationships between people in our country and that it still continues to do damage. While the people of this world and worldly institutions make their plans to correct these injustices in their own ways, the believer is expected to correct them in a Biblical way. It calls for us to follow the example of Christ by resisting and to kill it off. It requires that we recognize the injustice we have been guilty of, repent and ask for forgiveness. It requires that we constantly guard against our own sin-prone nature and reactions. It demands that we see all people as equal image bearers of God. It requires that we treat all people with love and have a serious concern for their souls. It calls us to stop all selfish and self-exalting thoughts in which we seek to elevate ourselves or our people group above any other. It asks that we be tolerant of all people who are sinners, just like us. It calls us to act in love towards those who act hatefully and contemptuously towards us.
Ultimately, the reason why the believer must resist Racism above all other reasons is because it brings dishonour to God who himself, in His grace, made every human being in His own image. It's to return to the sin of Babel, which was graciously restored among believers on Pentecost. As followers of Christ, we must show the love He showed when He gave His life for people from every people, tribe, nation and language.
ds. Leon Harmse