Christ is the King of Kings and the Lamb of God whose shed blood has purchased His people “from every Tribe and Nation,” Revelations 5:9. The Gospel makes race insignificant. The only two groups who figured into the history of redemption are covenant-keepers and covenant-breakers, believers and non-believers. Since Christ, as Lord of His church, has given us such great promises—we should expect that the scriptures would prohibit racist practices and attitudes. If one is looking for a Biblical argument against racism, look at the sixth commandment forbidding us to take the life of another. Christ argues that the implications of this commandment are far deeper than simple murder. The Lord teaches us that the commandment also condemns vile mockery and an unexpressed hateful heart attitude (Matthew 5:21,22).
Christ opens up this law from those who had clouded it with human traditions. It now reveals “sinful anger, hatred, envy, desires of revenge, provoking words, oppression, striking, wounding, and whatsoever else tends to the destruction of the life of any.” If we are forbidden to have or act on hateful attitudes toward anyone, then we are forbidden from doing such things to an individual of another race. The sixth commandment obligates us to preserve the life of others, “by charitable thoughts, love, compassion, meekness, gentleness, kindness, peaceable readiness to be reconciled, and doing good for evil.” Racist attitudes stand in stark contrast to these prescriptions.
The law of God goes to the heart of the issue. To be a racist is to be a killer. Since all of mankind has descended from the original parent, and the parents were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), all of their descendants reflect the image of God as well. To treat a member of another ethnic group as inferior is to despise the face of God, and to despise the face of God is to invite His wrath.
My weekly prayer is that the reader of this commentary becomes spiritually inspired of God. Send for a copy of our Intercessory Prayer and re-dedication of life, with a copy of ‘How to Walk in the Spirit’ everyday of your life. Contact Expressions of Faith at: P.O. Box 330127, Nashville, Tennessee 37203; or e-mail <w310watson@aol.com>.
