December 19, 2022

Romans 10: 12 (NIV)

For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him.

No one taught people of other color and cultural backgrounds to love one another like Jesus.*

Racial prejudice and distrust are ancient but lasting deviations of God’s original plan for humanity. When we look as far back as the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11: 1- 9), we see what God set in motion when people got along too well. Their ambition strayed from God’s plan so he separated them by language. Centuries later, God further divided mankind when he told the Israelites, “Although the whole world is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19: 5 and 6) There may be more violent racial tensions in the world but the gulf between Jews and the rest of the world may be the widest in history.

God had his reasons for setting his people apart – and even going so far as to command genocide of the evil nations residing in Canaan. But what God expected of the civil/military/religious leaders as they conquered the Promised Land was not the same as what he required of individuals. Throughout the books of Exodus and Leviticus, God required that foreigners be treated with compassion, dignity, and fairness.

So now Paul calls attention to a truth that had been forgotten: the same Lord is Lord of all. The Jews and Gentiles needed to be reminded of it back then and we need to be reminded now. Christians are called to be separate from the world – different – but Jesus never intended for us to be divided along racial lines. As Americans, our accents and customs may vary according to which of the 50 states we were born in but we are all Americans. Likewise, God’s people may not speak or look the same but we all belong to him, and that common thread binds us together.

It is easy for me to love my brothers and sisters in Christ who are red and yellow, black and white, no matter what our cultural differences might be. When it comes to those outside the family of faith, it may be more challenging to see them through color-blind eyes. But the gospel transcends racial and cultural differences. Taking the gospel to all the nations is not just a challenge to overcome – it is a command to be obeyed.

God’s gospel is race-neutral. God’s commission is race-neutral. Is our Christianity race-neutral?*