Why is Racism Sin?

Most thinking people know that racism is wrong but strange to say; not many seem to know why. Even defining racism can get pretty tricky. For example: is racism something only white people can do? Do Asians practice racism? If the inclusion of only certain ethnic groups in an activity is inherently racist then would that include The Sons of Portugal back in my hometown of Danbury Connecticut? Since it is unlikely we can overcome a problem without knowing what it is; why not start with the God who never changes and His word that points both directly to our sin and clearly to His solution?

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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 5:22

“There is only one race…the human race.” Rosa Parks

Racism actually breaks both the sixth and ninth commandments. “Thou shalt not murder.” (included by Jesus with anyone who is angry with his brother.) And – “Thou shall not bear false witness” because anyone speaking and acting hatefully is also believing and propagating a lie. God is no respecter of persons i. e. – He is more concerned about heart color than skin color!

God is not passive. He doesn’t lightly look at the death of George Floyd or any other innocent person. In fact God was so angry about sin that He sent Jesus Christ to the cross to suffer and pay the price with His own blood for our forgiveness. Without the cross there is no hope for any of us..

I draw hope from the story of Jesus and the woman caught in the act of adultery. It begins with a crowd of angry men dragging a woman into the public square and asking Jesus if He was okay with her being stoned according to the law. Jesus strange response has a lot to do with our situation today. He didn’t say a single word. Instead He stopped down and began to write with His finger in the dirt while the mob continued shouting. Then Jesus stood up and said, “Let him who is without sin, cast the first stone.” There was suddenly a silence among the men as His words found their mark. What would Jesus be saying today as He looks over America? What would He say about me and you? Maybe He is silently waiting for us to see our need and remember the love of His cross. Maybe He is praying and weeping until we come to Him with our sin and find that at Calvary enemies become brothers and sinners of every color are made true friends.

Defining Victory

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Luke 14:28

Defining victory is the key to success. As the clearest example think of the two Gulf Wars and the two George Bush presidencies. During the first encounter with Iraq our nation was given a straightforward goal: Get Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait – it lasted six months. Saddam Hussein left Kuwait permanently and the Kuwaiti people became our friends. The second Gulf war had a the fuzzy goal of nation rebuilding and has now dragged on through decades with questionable results. The current protests about racism police violence and the terrible murder of an innocent Black man in Minnesota ; sadly appear to be crossing the frontier between those two wars.

While Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil rights movement of the 60’s succeeded in attaining the voting rights act of 1964 – today’s protesters may not accomplish anything if they have no clear practical goal. Sadly racism will be with us along with all the other sins and failings of the human experience until the return of Jesus. Violence and destruction is unlikely to change a single heart.

But rather than giving up in frustration; we could redefine our victory one heart, one family and one neighborhood at a time. Jesus said that before we set out to do anything for God, we must count the cost to us personally. So instead of expecting victory because of what someone else should pay: why not bow in prayer tonight and ask God what we could accomplish in breaking through barriers of racial hatred by something that we are willing to sacrifice?

The Value of One Soul

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Mark 8:36

I have been struggling lately with the seemingly unending crisis with the Corona virus and the impending collapse of our economy. Added to the mix this week has been the horrible murder of a helpless man by the police in Minnesota. All of these bring into focus not only the loss of the many but also the value of even one single life. But when it feels like there are no human answers, God sometimes sends encouragement by His most unlikely messengers. I thought of the morning a few winters back when I stopped to clear the walkways at our church after a heavy snow. As I pulled into the parking lot I was surprised to see a squirrel sitting on the railing by the side door happily eating a roll left over from our missions banquet. I wondered if maybe his provisions of nuts were exhausted. I thought about how his plans for survival seemed slim compared to the harshness of winter. But he wasn’t at all worried that morning. As he shook his tail and ran off I realized that He seemed to know better than me, that God would take care of him!

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So if God watches out for a hungry squirrel, imagine how He cares for us. Jesus tells us that the value of a one single soul is more than everything in the world. One life weighs more on God’s scales than all the earth’s riches, natural wonders, and amazing creatures. For one single life, Jesus paid with the price of His precious blood. God remembers. God cares. God alone sets the value of every single human soul!