A BIBLICAL UNDERSTANDING OF OURSELVES AND OTHERS
Ephesians 2:14
For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall.
Because the Bible is the inerrant, infallible, authoritative Word of God, it is the only place we can go to receive a totally accurate and objective understanding of race. Whites and blacks alike have used and misused race for their own advantages. Both races have allowed popular opinion, sociopolitical structures, cultural traditions, and personal preferences to “color” their views about themselves and others. During the era of slavery whites overestimated themselves in an attempt to persuade blacks to underestimate themselves. On the other hand, during the sixties revolution black pride was sometimes taken to violent extremes. The Bible does not suffer from such human lopsidedness because its author is God, and God gives the “real deal” on who we are, what we are, and how we got to be this way.
A study of race rooted in the Bible links the pride and understanding of race with an eternal purpose, thereby expanding our understanding of missiology, as well as our understanding of ourselves and each other. For example, it is clear from Scripture that black people are objects of God’s love and grace, as are white people. The very lineage of Jesus included blacks, and Africans were among leaders of the first-century church. Through using Scripture as our basis for truth we can see that black people are an integral part of God’s redemptive agenda and have played a decisive role in disseminating that kingdom agenda to the rest of the world. A healthy understanding of ourselves and each other encourages a greater appreciation for both which can then lend itself to a broader usefulness in bettering our society.
REFLECTION: How does God help us to value ourselves—and one another—rightly? What can God’s Word show us about relating to one another? God loved the unlovely and gave us His undeserved grace. How can we love others with His love? Lord, open my eyes to see my own cultural background as You see it and to see the cultural history of those outside of my race with the value and the dignity which You view it
No Comments