by Dick Blackford
Synopsis: As our society experiences a renewed period of civil unrest, we are reminded that there is something more important than race that needs our undivided attention—namely, the cultivation of one’s character.
It’s about race, all right—it’s just not all about race. There’s a bigger picture that we don’t need to miss. It’s a delicate subject that deserves the utmost of dignity.
We read of the unjust killing of some black people with soberness and sadness. Each victim was somebody’s son or daughter, brother, sister, or parent. It’s difficult to imagine the pain for their families. People of the same race or ethnicity often kill one another.
Yet, in cases of white on black homicide, we must ask, was it the victim’s blackness that caused them to be killed, or was it the perpetrator’s whiteness that caused them to do it? In cases of black on white homicide, we must ask, was it the victim’s whitness that caused them to be killed, or was it the perpetrator’s blackness that caused them to do it?
Jesus goes far deeper: “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder. . .” (Matt. 15:19). “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil. . .” (Luke 6:45). This applies no matter what color you are—to the whole human race. It is a mistake to make race the cause of one’s evil or good. Jesus placed people in two categories unrelated to skin color: (1) the good person with a good heart who produces good out of his good treasure; and, (2) the evil person who produces evil out of his evil treasure. Jesus said there really are such people.
Until we get on the same page with Jesus, we’re wasting our time. He has the answer. He’s the only One who has the answer. Evolution doesn’t have the answer. It’s been used to argue for the superiority and inferiority of certain races.
The Bible says nearly nothing about skin color. Here is the total: First, Esau and David are described as having a red or ruddy complexion (Gen. 25:25; 1 Sam. 16:12; 17:42). Second, the Shulamite woman said she was black. She explained it was because “the sun has scorched me” (Song of Sol. 1:5-6). Neither is a racial comment.
Skin color is just not important to the biblical narrative. This shows just how little God thought of it. It was so unimportant that He never told us where the races began. Men have deduced that different races are probably related to the confusion of languages at the Tower of Babel, and the subsequent separation that occurred. That sounds reasonable, but we must stop short of saying when or where the races began. Neither science nor the Bible tells us.
There is one other biblical reference to skin: Jeremiah 13:23 asks, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots?” Rather than being a racist statement, this was a description of those who harden their hearts to the point of no return. They reach the point where they cannot change any more than a leopard can change his spots or the Ethiopian the color of his skin. This was a proverbial expression that describes a seared conscience and is not racially derogatory.
The fact is, not all black people are on the same page. I know some who produce good things from the good treasure of their hearts. They are on the same page as Jesus.
Another fact is, not all white people are on the same page. They produce good things from the good treasure of their hearts. They are also on the same page with Jesus. In some cases, skin color may be the only thing some have in common because their hearts are in different places.
Then there’s this fact: not all policemen are on the same page. The vast majority of law-enforcement personnel condemn unjust killings. It’s unfortunate that some have perverted the purpose of their job and made it really hard for those who are doing the right thing. They’re hard-working and risk their lives for us every day. Those who have misused their authority and have gone off the rails should be dealt with as any other violators of the law. It’s related to race, but it goes far deeper. Until we start talking about the heart, we’re talking about the symptom, not the source.
There’s another fact: Not all people who say “Black lives matter” are on the same page. Ponder that. My fellow Christians and I believe black lives matter, but we’re not on the same page with those who say this but also chant for “Dead cops.” Some people acted that out and killed innocent police officers, including black ones. True Christians are definitely not on the same page with those violent arsonists, looters, and murderers who advocate anarchy or who promote immorality in the bylaws.
God has given the civil government the responsibility to deal with the lawless. They need to be rooted out, the same as bad cops (Rom. 13:1-5). We should hope the day never comes when we don’t have policemen (black and white), where society collapses and the only rule is the law of the jungle! The fact that some go off the rails doesn’t change what the Bible says about the purpose of government.
There are black people who have been violently mistreated. We have seen the list of names. There are police who have been violently mistreated. We have seen that list of names, too. However, no group should be painted with a broad brush as represented by the worst of its characters.
Thinking “skin deep” is too shallow. Cain killed Abel, which shows people couldn’t get along before the races began! The real issue is deeper than the skin. Each person will be held accountable, individually, on judgment day, regardless of skin color (Rom. 14:12-14). Jesus said the problem was in the heart. Who can dispute that?
As long as people continue to ignore what Jesus said about the two groups (the good person out of the good treasures of his heart, and the evil person out of his evil treasure) we can get diverted away from the real issue. As long as we ignore what Jesus said, we will continue to have racism. We’ve known that violence is not the answer since before Rodney King. Even now, I can hear him asking, “Can’t we just all get along?”
Violence adds fuel, not water, to the fire. Skin color doesn’t cause anybody to do anything. That’s Satan’s diversionary tactic. Stop looking away from what Jesus said was the real problem and getting drawn into things over which none of us has control, such as skin color.
We hear people say, “Two wrongs make a right.” No, two wrongs make two wrongs. If everybody lived out of that philosophy, we would have double the evil we already have. Is that what we need?
Let’s not just deal with the symptom. Let’s talk about the heart. The answer is found in the gospel of Christ. It comes through one conversion at a time—one heart changed at a time. Jesus came to change people from the inside out. God said to Samuel, “The Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart”—not skin color (1 Sam. 16:7).
All of the most intelligent people in the world together cannot solve the problem of racism. They will get it wrong—until they get on the same page with Jesus. He made us. We come with a manual!
Regardless of skin color, if there is prejudice in your heart, you need to get on the same page with Jesus. If all the categories of people we’ve identified would get on the same page with Jesus, then we’d all be on the same page!
“Where Did The Races Begin?” The Christian and Racism. The Guardian of Truth Foundation, 2008, p. 5.
