Thinking Biblically About Race

Thank you, Georgia, the singer and the poet.

How did you celebrate our country's 244th birthday yesterday?

Probably in a different way than you have in the past,

since we're not supposed to be gathering together

for all kinds of outside events, or inside in particular.

Yesterday was supposed to be,

and for many people was, a celebration.

But the reality is the mood of this country

is anything but celebratory.

And it's because of two major crises

that we're involved in right now.

One is a health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic.

The other is a social relational crisis, racial division.

Now, concerning the health crisis,

there is a lot of people saying the same thing.

There's a consistent message of how to deal with the coronavirus.

Things such as wash your hands frequently,

practice social distancing,

wear a mask,

stay home if you're sick.

We're hearing these and some other things.

It's a consistent message, isn't it?

Well, concerning this social relational crisis,

we are far from even being able to identify

a consistent message on how to deal with the racial division.

So the question comes up,

at least I think about it,

is there any hope?

And if you watch the news,

if you read,

things are looking bad.

Is there any hope?

If so, where do we look?

Well, before we try to answer that question,

I want to be clear about where we are not to look.

Don't go to social media.

That will only give you an unfiltered,

an unhealthy personal opinion

from people who have absolutely no platform from which to speak.

And a lot that you're going to read on social media

is going to only add fuel to the fire of controversy and division.

Don't write inflammatory things on social media yourself.

It is a terrible witness as Christians.

Number two, don't turn to mainstream media.

Places like CBS, NBC, ABC, CBS,

they are committed to giving you a very one-sided,

liberal perspective on the issues,

and they won't even deny it.

And they seem determined

to keep fanning the flames of racial hostility.

Now this third one is going to surprise some people,

but I think it's the most important place not to look.

Don't look at your own heart.

You know, one of the dumbest things,

statements that have ever been put together is,

follow your heart.

The Bible repeatedly points to,

even explains the root cause of all evil,

including racial division and hostility,

is the sinful hearts of human beings.

I'll give you two examples.

Some of you know both of them,

but look at this from Jeremiah.

The heart is deceitful above all things

and desperately sick.

Who can understand it?

And then Jesus made this statement.

For out of the heart come evil thoughts,

murder, adultery, sexual immorality,

theft, false witness, slander.

And if the subject had been on racial division,

he would have said racial division.

When it comes to the seeking solutions

to our social relational problems,

the first and best place to look is the Bible.

And as Christians, that should be automatic for us

because we should be convinced,

have no doubt that God's word is true and trustworthy.

This morning, as you can see the title,

I want us to think biblically about race.

Last week, went along with this,

thinking biblical about government authority,

with a special emphasis on how law enforcement officers,

they're agents of governmental authority

who enforce laws,

who protect and serve their communities.

As we looked last week,

while there are a few

who do not administer justice fairly,

who are racially prejudiced,

the overwhelming majority

are men and women who are committed

to protecting and serving their community,

upholding and serving justice.

And they do it not flawlessly,

not perfectly,

but they do it consistently.

And they do it fairly.

But this morning,

we're focusing on a different subject,

sub-subject,

thinking biblically about race.

Let's begin at the beginning.

And what I'm talking about is creation.

Creation reveals the foundational oneness

of all human beings.

I truly believe this is the place to begin

when talking about racial issues,

racial division.

Look at the very beginning

of how God started this world.

All human beings can trace their origin

to one common source.

Look at this.

The one common source of human beings

is the creative work of God.

This is in the end of Genesis chapter one.

Look at what it says.

Then God said,

let us make man in our image after our likeness,

and let them have dominion

over the fish of the sea

and over the birds of the heavens,

over the livestock,

and over all the earth,

and over every creeping thing

that creeps on the earth.

Humanity, mankind,

is in charge.

God's stewards of the world.

Look at the next verse.

So God created man in his own image.

In the image of God,

he created him.

Male and female,

he created them.

God created mankind,

humanity,

both male and female,

in his image.

That's unique.

Nothing else in all creation

was created in God's image.

That gives every individual

significance,

worth,

dignity even.

Every human being who has ever lived,

who ever will live,

is made in the image of God,

and that makes them important.

Creation also reveals

that all human beings

have one common ancestry.

Look at this.

The one common ancestry

of human beings

began with the first man

and first woman

God created.

Verse 28 in Genesis 1.

And God blessed them.

And God said to them,

be fruitful and multiply

and fill the earth

and subdue it

and have dominion

over the fish of the sea

and over the birds

of the heavens

and over every living thing

that moves on the earth.

That verse is telling us

that if there were written records

of all births

that have taken place

in this world

back to creation,

everyone would be able

to trace their ancestry

to that first couple.

That would blow up

ancestry.com,

wouldn't it?

to have that many records.

The Bible makes this clear

in two other places

at least.

We'll look at it this way.

Adam is the father of us all.

Luke records Paul preaching

and he made from one man

every nation of mankind

to live on the face

of the earth.

And then back in Genesis 3.

And verse 20,

Eve is the mother of us all.

Adam named his wife Eve

because she would become

the mother of all the living.

I want you to understand

that the opening pages

of the Bible

clearly tell us

that the way God created

human beings

makes two things true

about everyone.

number one.

Every person who's ever lived

is of equal worth,

equal importance

because they were created

in the image of God.

That means

every person

you see,

every person you know

you see,

every person you like

and don't like,

every person who is just like you,

everybody who is different

from you,

you should treat them

with dignity

and respect

for one reason.

They're created

in the image of God.

That's what gives

a person significance.

Number two,

every person who's ever lived

is a descendant

of Adam and Eve

which makes every person

a member

of the same original race,

the human race.

And the application

of that is

we should embrace

every single human being

as our blood can.

If the Bible's true,

this is how it begins

with these clear statements

and I want to emphasize here,

Jesus,

the way he talked about

Adam and Eve

and what happened

at creation,

Jesus understood

that Adam and Eve

were literal people.

That God created

this man

that he named Adam,

that God created

this woman

he named Eve

and from Adam and Eve

have come

all human beings.

So what the Bible teaches

about the way

God created human beings

makes a very powerful

statement

about our country's

racial problems.

Listen,

all human prejudice,

all human hostility,

divisiveness

is based on

anything like race,

nationality,

ethnic group

or any other

human distinction.

That is contrary

to the way

God created

human beings

to live.

And we have

prejudice

toward people,

discriminate against

people based on

the way they talk,

the way they look,

something like this.

we are treating

the person

contrary to the way

God intended

for them to be created

and you can look

at creation

and see that.

All this means

is the root cause

of all human

relational problems,

including racial problems,

is sin.

Going against

God's revealed will,

acting contrary

to what God

has ordained,

ordained.

If God created

everyone in His image

from one man

and one woman,

how in the world

did people

get so divided?

Not just today,

but throughout

history.

Well,

the Bible explains

the source

of these divisions.

The Bible explains

the problem,

what went wrong

shortly after creation.

Look out of here,

we'll call it this,

the fall broke

the foundational

oneness

of all human beings.

Now this is found

in Genesis 3.

I'm not going

to turn to it.

We've looked at it

on several occasions

over the years.

Most of you

should be familiar

with Genesis 3,

how it explains

how Adam and Eve

sinned against God,

they disobeyed Him,

they ate the fruit

He said not to eat of,

they sinned

against God,

which immediately

resulted in

broken relationships.

If you read

Genesis 3,

as soon as

Adam and Eve

sinned,

they hid from God.

They had enjoyed

a close relationship

with Him

in the Garden of Eden,

but after they sinned,

they hid,

they were afraid.

their relationship

with God

was broken

as a result

of their sin.

It also tells us

there in the first

few verses of Genesis

that their relationship

with one another

was broken.

It wasn't what

it once was.

When Adam and Eve

sinned

and God confronted

them,

Adam

actually blamed

God

for giving

him Eve

who gave him

the forbidden fruit.

That not only

is an example

of God,

of Adam

blaming God

for his sin,

he blamed

his wife.

Adam

demonstrates

great

male

weakness

in not

accepting

his own

responsibility.

That's what

sin does.

Sin blinds us

to the truth.

Sin causes us

to be selfish,

to protect

ourselves

no matter what.

Even we have

to lie,

cheat,

steal,

or whatever

it takes.

From Genesis

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3

until you get

to the book

of Revelation

Revelation 20 · chapter mention

chapter 20,

you see

every kind

of human,

broken human

relationship

you can imagine.

Throughout the

Old Testament,

between individuals,

between family

members,

between families,

between tribes,

between nations,

between ethnicity,

and the

Old Testament,

especially,

you see,

in the Old

Testament and

New,

broken relationships

between Jews

and Gentiles,

or Jews

and non-Jews.

God's solution

to this problem

of broken

relationships

is found

in one place,

in the gospel

of Jesus Christ.

The gospel

explains

God's plan

for restoring

unity

and harmony

between people

of all races

and ethnic groups.

The gospel

really explains

the way God

intends for

harmony to be

restored in

every kind

of broken

relationship.

Our relationship

with Him,

our relationship

with other people,

but it also

applies for our

relationship

with people

who look

or act

differently from us.

Now,

let's look at how

Paul explains this.

Here we're going to be

in Ephesians chapter 2.

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

God used the death

of Christ

to unite

His people,

all His people

in Christ,

by tearing down

walls of racial

and ethnic

prejudice

and hostility.

There's an extended

passage,

Ephesians 2,

11 through 22,

but I want us,

for sake of time,

just to focus on

most of

verses 13

through 16.

Look at this

with me.

But now

in Christ Jesus,

you

who once

were far

off

have been

brought near

by the blood

of Christ.

For He Himself

is our peace

who has made

us both

one

and has broken

down in His flesh

the dividing

wall of hostility

between Jews

and Gentiles,

that He might

create in Himself

one new man

in place of the two,

so making peace,

and might reconcile

us both to God

in one body

through the cross,

thereby killing

the hostility.

One of the tallest

and strongest

walls of separation

that has ever

existed,

existed between

Jews and Gentiles.

It was a

wall

that

no one

could penetrate

basically.

Now the Jews

were responsible

for building

this wall.

They were God's

chosen people,

but God

chose them

for a purpose

more than

a privilege.

God chose

the people

of Israel

to be

His agents

in this world

through whom

He would work

to call

other people

to Himself.

But the people

of Israel,

the Jewish people,

they only heard

and acted

on that part

about being

chosen

by God.

It went

to their head.

They became

arrogant.

They became

condescending

toward everyone

else in the world

who was not Jewish.

So instead

of becoming

agents of peace

and reconciliation,

they became

agents of hostility

and division.

The walls

of division

that Jews

built

also became

the Gentiles'

walls.

The Jews

erected these

walls.

We're God's

chosen people.

If you're

not one of us,

you're nothing.

Well,

the Gentiles

embraced that wall.

We don't want

to be a part

of you.

And persecuted

Jews.

Both groups

embraced

a common

hostility

and hatred

for one another.

Neither

was innocent.

Now,

it's not just

Jews and Gentiles

who build

such walls,

is it?

And it's not

just something

that happened

in the past,

is it?

We all know

in this room

there are

all kinds

of walls

that divide

people.

You've got

some walls

in your life

that you've

erected

to keep

certain people

away from you.

We all do.

And it may

have nothing

to do with race.

It may be

other factors

that we've

built walls

over.

But let's

go back

to our subject

matter,

the race issue.

Like Jews,

white people

in this country

are responsible

for building

the walls

between black

and white

in this country

to start

with.

There are,

there's a

major wall

division today

between blacks

and whites

in this country,

between black

Americans

and white

Americans.

We have

something in

common with

the Jews

as white

people.

we built

the wall

of separation

and division

to start

with.

Walls were

first built

by the

institution

of slavery.

It thrived

in this

country for

over 200

years

during

colonial

America

and then

the first

90 years

after our

country was

established.

these walls

were reinforced

by the

legal

lawful

discrimination

and segregation

that took

place in

this country

for 100

years

after the

end of

slavery

or until

the mid

to late

1960s

we'll say.

That's the

Jim Crow

era.

Now

this is a

fact

that we

cannot

ignore.

and it

is a

fact

that cannot

be

denied.

But

like the

Gentiles

black people

in this

country

have taken

ownership

of these

walls

of division.

Racism

and prejudice

are

it's a

two way

street.

I want to be

clear.

There are some

people

black and

white

who will

argue

that it's

only white

people in

this situation

who can be

racist.

That is not

true.

It is not

true in

theory.

It is not

true in

practice.

Racism and

prejudice are

two way

streets.

There's

racism and

prejudice white

toward black.

There's racism

and prejudice

black toward

white.

Now,

racism is a

term that's

really hard

to define.

You think

about it.

All that you

are hearing

about racism

in this

country,

all that you

have read,

have you

heard a

common

definition?

Have you

heard it

actually

defined or

even clearly

described?

It's hard to

find that.

truth is

many different

people have

many different

definitions.

Here's a

definition that

was adopted

by the

Presbyterian

Church in

America,

PCA

denomination,

that I

think is

academic,

technical,

but it

helps us

see what

we're

talking

about.

Racism is

an explicit

or implicit

belief or

practice that

qualitatively

distinguishes or

values one

race over

other races.

Racism,

it may not

be overt,

it may be

something that's

just sort of

subtle,

inward, you

don't think

about it that

much, or it

may be very

much you have

embraced it and

you talk about

it, but it's a

belief that you

really believe

your race is

better than

another race,

that you're

superior than

another race.

D.A.

Carson, the

New Testament

scholar, adds

the idea of

exclusion to

the definition

of racism,

and he says

this, but if

racism is

defined in

terms of

exclusion, then

racism occurs

wherever anyone

is dismissed or

disowned or

demeaned or

stereotyped for

no other reason

than his or her

race or

ethnicity.

racism.

Now, based on

those two

definitions, anyone

from any race or

ethnic group can

be guilty of

racism.

Now, while we're

on the subject of

definitions, let's

address the

definition of

systemic racism.

That dominates

everything today.

If you look at

news online, listen

to it, read it in

the paper.

You can't read a

paragraph without

reading something

about systemic

racism.

Very few people

define it, by the

way.

But I want to use a

definition proposed

by Derek Johnson,

who is president of

the NAACP.

It was reported in

the USA.com

news.

Johnson defines

systemic racism,

also called structural

racism, or

institutional racism,

as systems and

structures that

have procedures or

processes that

disadvantage African

Americans.

Now, it is without

debate that during

the days of slavery

and Jim Crow, racism

in this country was

systemic as well as

evil.

But since the

Civil Rights Acts

were passed in the

mid to late 1960s,

systemic racism has

actually been illegal,

unlawful in this

country.

Thomas Sowell, he is

one of this country's

leading economists and

commentators, or at

least he was until his

retirement of just a few

years ago.

He is also, by the

way, a black man.

He said in a recent

interview, look at this,

that he has no idea

what the proponents of

the existence of

institutional racism

mean, and that they

themselves do not know

what they mean.

There's a lot of things

being said about

systemic institutional

racism in this country.

But very little

definitions, examples,

proof has been given.

Now, I want to be

clear.

There are definitely

groups of people and

individuals in this

country who are pure

racists to the core.

Some of them have such

evil hearts that they are

proud and public about

their hatred for certain

people whose race or

language or culture is

different from their own.

But what is being said

about systemic racism

being the predominant

attitude of this country,

that is by far

overstating the problem.

It is not accurate.

It is not accurately

describing the issue.

Now, one more thing

needs to be clarified

about the current

racial situation.

The organization,

Black Lives Matter,

does not have the

solution.

It is true that the

lives of black people

matter just as much as

the life of every other

human being in this world

because as we have

already noted, all human

beings are created in the

image of God.

That means every life

matters.

Every life is of equal

worth and dignity.

But the organization

called Black Lives Matter

rejects the Bible's

teaching on family, on

sexual orientation and

gender, and on abortion.

Black Lives Matter, the

organization also promotes

radical socialism and

opposes democracy.

If you have any doubts,

go to their website.

Go do a search.

Black Lives Matter, the

organization, it is there

in black and white, very

clear what they believe.

They make no bones about

it.

This organization, as a

result of these kinds of

beliefs, they are not only

not providing a solution to

our current racial problem,

they are compounding the

problem.

They are fanning the flames

of this problem.

If we are serious about

wanting the walls of racial

division torn down in this

country, then both black and

white Christians must be

willing to assume responsibility

for these problems.

And both black and white

Christians must be willing to

work together for the glory of

God and the good of all.

But the walls will never be torn

down and reconciliation, unity, and

loving relationships will never

take their place without God's

gracious intervention.

Paul tells us that the only way

years of distrust, prejudice, and

outright hatred can be overcome is

by the blood of Christ in verse 13.

And when he talks about the blood of

Christ, he's referring to the Lord's

death on the cross to pay the

penalty for our sins.

As I pointed out earlier, sin is

the foundation that the walls of

division in this country about race

are built upon.

These are sins like pride, like

prejudice, like selfishness, like an

unforgiving spirit.

When we, when anyone turns to

Christ in faith, the response to the

gospel is we must simultaneously turn

from sin.

That's what repentance is.

The gospel, the good news is that

Jesus came into this world to die on

the cross to pay the penalty for our

sins.

He arose triumphantly by the power of

God to prove he has conquered sin,

death, and the devil.

He's ascended into heaven.

This good news, the Bible tells us we

respond to it by admitting we are

sinners in need of a Savior, changing

our mind about the way we've been

living, turning from our sin,

repenting of our sin, and then

turning to Christ in faith.

Now, I want to make it clear what

repentance means.

I can only repent of my sins, not the

sins of what someone in the past has

done.

I'll be more specific.

I cannot repent of the sin of slavery

because I have never owned a slave.

It is impossible for someone living

today to repent of the sin of slavery

that was abolished in 1865.

I want to go further because some

evangelical writers are going further.

Being white is not a sin.

I read just recently an evangelical

pastor made the statement that white

black people need to repent of their

whiteness.

I am not lying.

Google it.

You'll see it yourself.

Being white is not a sin.

Being black is not a sin.

Being brown is not a sin.

Let's go even further.

God made me white.

God made every black man or woman

black.

He made every brown person brown.

That's the sovereign work of God

to make us who we are, put us where we

are.

So we don't repent of other people's

sins.

White people do not have to repent of

being white because it is not a sin.

Black people do not have to repent of

being black because it is not a sin.

Let's go back to what we are talking

about more personally.

But I can and must repent of my

personal sins.

You must, to be a follower of Jesus

Christ, own your sins.

Confess them.

Agree with God.

They are there.

They are real.

People hate them and then turn from

them.

If I have been prejudiced against

someone because of the color of their

skin, in either attitude, word, or

action, I have sinned against that

person.

I have sinned against God.

And that is a sin I must own and

repent of.

The truth is, not a single person in the

world, not a single one of us in this

room, can be right with God and refuse to

repent of any sin that he convicts us of.

We can't make excuses for our sin.

Sin is an offense against a holy God,

punishable by death and ultimately hell.

And the only reason all of us are not bound

at this moment to hell is God sent his son to

this world because he loves us to pay the

penalty for our sins when he died on the

cross so that through faith in him we're

forgiven, made right with God.

And when we die, we go to heaven instead of

the place we deserve called hell.

There will never be complete unity and

agreement on how we as Christians actually do

do the hard work of racial reconciliation and

bring it about unity.

There's always going to be differences in how

we look at the problem, how we identify with

the problem, and how we go about dealing with

the problem, but we can work together.

It won't be easy, but by God's grace, it is

possible.

So we've got to try.

We've got to seek God to help us.

I want you to look at something Billy Graham said

years ago when talking about racial and ethnic

problems.

He says, the issues that face us are complex and

enormous, and simply wishing they would go away will

not solve them.

I do not pretend to know the full answer, but let

those of us who claim the name of Christ repent of our

past failures and relying on the Holy Spirit demonstrate

to a weary and frightened world that Christ indeed has

destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility

through the cross by which he put to death their

hostility.

Right now, I don't want us to think about what's going on in

the world.

I don't want you to think about any other person that you know

or even know of.

I want you to think about you for these next few minutes.

Do you have any walls of racial or ethnic hostility that need to

be torn down in your life?

You may not have built those walls.

You may have inherited those walls.

You may have grown up in a family.

You may have grown up in a circle where those walls were

already in existence, but you embraced them.

The place to begin in racial reconciliation is to admit that

those walls exist, if they exist in your life.

They may not.

But God knows, and you know, because God will make it clear to

you.

The place to begin with reconciliation is to admit there's

walls if there are walls.

Then repent of your specific sins.

Will it be attitude, words, or actions?

That which God has convicted you about through this message.

Or maybe as you watch the news, maybe as you read the Bible, maybe

as you're just going down the road thinking in the spirit of God, if

you're a Christian, has got a hold of you.

Admit the walls exist.

Change your mind.

Change your attitude.

Change your vocabulary.

Change the way that you live.

Turn to Jesus Christ in faith, trusting that he's paid the penalty

for your sins.

Trust that through faith in him, you're right with God.

But also understand that everyone else who puts their faith and trust in

him is your brother or sister in Christ, as well as a fellow member of the

human race with you.

If you're a Christian and you need help overcoming some racial barriers, cry out

to God to change your mind, change your heart, change whatever needs to change.

We all need to ask God to work in this country, to tear down walls, to help people see that

there's a lot, just as human beings, we have in common regardless of our color.

We need to pray that God will also work in our country that people will be able to forgive

and move forward and leave the past in the past and truly experience reconciliation,

oneness in Christ if we're Christians, and brothers and sisters in Christ if they're Christians.

But we need to also pray that people learn to live as brothers and sisters, as fellow human beings.

I want us to pray together, and I want us all to pray about ourselves and the response we need to make.

And then you make it to God right now.

Let's bow.

Let's bow.

Let's bow themselves.

How to bow?

Now let's bow as brothers and sisters, who have we be concerned.

Let's bow.

All right.

Bye bye.

My baston.