Let's Talk About Racism

“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.” -Galatians 3:28

With all of the “Black/White/All Lives Matter” talks going on and the focus on race-motivated police violence in the United States, I felt that it was important to talk about racism from a Christian perspective. Christians should be at the cutting edge of this issue, speaking life into death, disorder, and chaos.

First, what is racism? Racism is hate, discrimination, or prejudice against a race of people stemming from the belief that one’s race is superior to another. Are you racist in what you say, the jokes you make, or your attitude toward certain people? I can tell you with 100% certainty that this is not Christ-like. Galatians 3:28 says, “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.” In Christ’s eyes, there are no differences between races. We are all called to be unified in Christ. James 2:8-9 says, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” Do you show partiality to the people who are most like you, even unintentionally? If that’s the case, then I call you to a higher standard as your brother in Christ. Do not show partiality.

We really are just called to be like our Lord. If we love like he loved, then we will find that racism is inconsistent with that love. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son.” (John 3:16a) This does not say that “God so loved the Jews,” or, “God so loved Caucasians.” No, it says, “God so loved the world.” This is inclusive of all of the earth’s ethnicities. We have all been saved by grace (Ephesians 2). We are all invited to the Kingdom of God.

To simplify this, we are called to “...love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) Show love to all people, and speak life into these violent clashes of racism in our country. Notice that I did not say, “Speak more violence,” or, “Brutally condemn all racists.” I said to speak life, even to those who are in the wrong. If you sow life, you will reap life in the end.