Discrimination is not of God

Scripture: Acts 10:34 -35 - Then Peter opened his mouth and said, “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 35 But in every nation, whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

Prejudice, by definition, is about making judgements or having an opinion about the characteristics of a person, place, or thing in order to rate them as inferior, superior, good or bad. Racism, however, is prejudice combined with social and institutional power by a group that has power financially, economically, socially, and relationally. It is a system of advantages and disadvantages given or not given based on skin color and/or gender. We all have experienced and or practiced prejudice even in the church. Sadly, there are people that refuse to go to church or have turned away from God because of mistreatment they have experienced by someone claiming to be doing God’s work. This is not new. For centuries, slavery was justified by the misuse and misinterpretation of God’s Word. Today, some reject Christ because they don’t understand the Bible’s use of the words master and slave. We are aware that slavery existed in Biblical times because we know that the Israelites were slaves and that Joseph was sold into slavery. As a result, it makes sense that the Bible speaks about how to treat slaves. We know that there were prejudices during Biblical times because the Jews thought they were better than the Samaritans and the Gentiles. The Pharisees thought they were better than everyone. We know that men felt they were superior over women. These were the sign of the times and God’s word addresses these things. But, what about racism? Was there any group in the Bible that had financial, economical, and social power who felt they were superior to another? The Egyptians did. Moreover, when the Egyptian Pharaoh felt that his way of life was being threatened simply by the number of Israelites, the Egyptian Pharaoh set out to fix that problem. He used his power to control the number of Israelites, he used his power to work the Israelites into submission, and he used his power to control the Israelites financially and socially. Pharaoh evoked fear into them so that even the thought of protesting this mistreatment was resisted. As a result, God gave them Moses, and Moses with God’s guidance led them out of Egypt -- out of bondage. Therefore, we know that there was race and favoritism issues in Biblical times. Despite those things, the Bible gives us guidance on how to respond to them.

I ask you, does God discriminate? No, He does not! God is no respecter of people. The Bible actually backs this up in Acts 10:34-35. As believers, we must remember that we are no better than anyone else whether you are pastor, parishioner, or church leader. The Bible tells us that God cares about all people regardless of ethnicity, nationality, education level, or social status (Deuteronomy 10:17-19). The Bible tells us that God is not partial but accepts everyone from everywhere as long as they do what is right and fear him (Acts 10:34-35). The Bible tells us that Jesus came to remove hostility and promote harmony (Ephesians 2:14-18), and that all believers are baptized by one Spirit (Corinthians 12:13). So, why do we have such separation in the church of God? Why do we have white churches and black churches, Hispanic churches and Korean churches all claiming to love the Lord but refusing (by member behavior) to accept people that look different. If God says we are all one, why is there separation? The answer is simple – sin. There is verse after verse in the Bible, that speaks on discrimination, hate, and love but many times, churches continue in the segregatory methods of our ancestors. Today, many churches are divided like the musical venues of the past. In addition, in so called multicultural churches there still seems to be a power structure where one race is seemingly superior to another. 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. James 2:2-4 tells us that we should not judge people based on their social status. Matthew 5:44 says, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Wow, does God really expect us to love those who hate us? Yes, He does. The only way this is possible is with the help of the Holy Spirit. God has given us His Word and the Holy Spirit to help us. Proverbs 6:16-19 says, there are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. Are you fighting the good fight God’s way? Somedays I fight God’s way but some days I don’t and don’t even desire to do so. It is those days that I depend on and appreciate God’s grace and mercy.

Prayer: Dear Father, in these times where it seems the world and the church are divided in a racial war, I pray for love and understanding. In these times, when injustice and lawlessness are running rampant, I pray for protection and restraint. Lord, in these times where it seems the church and the world look the same, I pray for assistance in setting ourselves apart. In these times when anger wells up inside of me and other believers because of the blatant disregard of life I pray for wisdom. Your Word says that we should not be conformed by the world but transformed by the renewing of our minds; and in times like these when not conforming can be difficult, I am thankful for the armor of God and the Holy Spirit. Lord, please forgive us for our sinful thoughts, words, and actions. Lord, please continue to guide us so that we can represent You properly even when persecuted. Lord, thank You for Your Word that acts as a lamp unto our feet. Thank You for Your Son Jesus Christ who faced persecution, faced discrimination, faced unlawful jailing, faced undeserved beatings but did not sin and was faithful even unto death. Furthermore, Lord I thank You for and ask if You would put a hedge of protection around the ministers who are delivering the unpopular word of love and righteous behavior in the midst of a troubled time. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

(by Pat Towns)