Racism has no place in the Church or in society. The Bible tells us God hates it and so should we. If more people understood this I believe our society would be able to find a way to recover from our troubled past. The solution can only be found in the Good News of Jesus Christ because it humbles everyone equally. If the Church does not clearly communicate the solution to racism then society will create its own solutions, which will be defined by humans, instead of being defined by God.
The modern definition of racism addresses the issue differently than the Bible. The Oxford dictionary explains it as, “The belief that different races possess distinct characteristics, abilities, or qualities, especially so as to distinguish them as inferior or superior to one another.” Instead of viewing a person in relation to how God values them, a racist person views others according to his or her own value system. The Bible defines this as the sin of pride. Racism can arise out of pride because someone views themselves as superior to another group. Most would agree that this is wrong. Yet there is another aspect of racism that the Bible would also define as sin. Racism can also lead to a sinful response because people who experience racism against themselves are often unable to stop being vengefully angry at the other group. The Bible defines both pride and anger as sins that need to be dealt with.
God’s word does not mention racism, but it clearly leaves no room for any professing Christian to foster hatred towards another human being, whether from pride or anger. Jesus Christ cut to the heart of the issue in the Sermon on the Mount, “You have heard it said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” (Matthew 5:21-22 ESV)
God’s solution for dealing with racism is the same as it is for every sin. Each person must confess their sin and see it the same way God does. They must repent of it and call out to God to forgive them. They must trust that the only way for their sin to be forgiven is by Jesus Christ dying on the cross and rising from the dead. They must commit to living a life of love by the power of the Holy Spirit for the glory of God the Father!
One of the most difficult aspects of dealing with racism in any society is that it arises from the human tendency to judge others by how they look. One of the reasons Adam and Eve were tempted to eat the forbidden fruit was because they judged it to be “pleasing to the eyes.” Racism does the opposite. It judges someone as “not pleasing to the eyes.” This is often done for something as superficial as the color of their skin.
In order for Christians to deal with racism we have to train ourselves to see others the way God does. God sees past someone’s physical form to the heart of the person. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” We have to constantly remind ourselves that human life has value because every person is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Each person has a body, mind, and soul, which makes it possible for them to reflect God’s sense of morality, justice, creativity, and beauty. This is true even though we live in a fallen world (Genesis 9:6). All human life has value regardless of how someone chooses to live.
The Bible gives a wonderful solution for overcoming the poison of racism. It is agape love. Agape love is the supernatural love of God that was shown to humanity in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This kind of love is the antidote for racism because it replaces pride and anger with selfless, unconditional love. A Christian can not see himself as superior to others when he is humbled by the gospel. A Christian can not remain angry at others when he realizes that his anger is one reason why Christ died on the cross. A Christian can not be racist if he has 1 Corinthians 13 coursing through his veins, ““Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.”
The truth about racism is that God’s love and God’s love alone is powerful enough to overcome it. God’s love and God’s love alone can bring healing to those who have suffered from it. And it is God’s love and God’s love alone that can bring the proud person to a place of humility and repentance.
