In Christ

It's been said that since we will all be in heaven together, we can get a head start here on earth in loving one another and learning to serve God together as one body.  Revelation 7 describes an
incredible scene:
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"

In the body of Christ, we realize that His blood flows toward and through all of us.  In fact, Acts 17 points to the fact that we have been made "from one blood" by God our Creator.  He has a blessed intent to see His people one, functioning as one entity for His purposes.  Now, we have a variety of differences - physical, cultural, spiritual - there is only one you, and He intends to use your unique gifts, calling and makeup as part of His overall Kingdom plan.

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The perspective of the Scriptures is that we are all created by God, in His image.  We are all related
by one blood, according to Acts 17:
25 Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.
26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,
27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;
28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.'

I think it's extremely helpful to focus on how the Church can lead the way in matters related to race.  And, as one of my recent guests, Garland Hunt, has said, quoted in a press release about this Saturday's potentially catalytic event at Stone Mountain, "God’s solution for a divided nation is a united church..."

But, within the Church, the approaches to such matters have become not only diverse, but divisive - it is certainly ironic that in attempts to promote reconciliation, there is a division that has occurred.  The most recent evangelical leader to address issues concerning the area of so-called "social justice" is John MacArthur, who is heard weekdays on Grace to You on Faith Radio.

Dr. MacArthur, after establishing credibility on the issue by documenting his work alongside John Perkins in rural Mississippi in the 1960's.  MacArthur declares:

I deplore racism and all the cruelty and strife it breeds. I am convinced the only long-term solution to every brand of ethnic animus is the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Christ alone are the barriers and dividing walls between people groups broken down, the enmity abolished, and differing cultures and ethnic groups bound together in one new people (Ephesians 2:14–15). The black leaders with whom I ministered during the civil rights movement shared that conviction.

However, MacArthur warns against embracing worldly solutions to what is an admittedly spiritual problem.  He writes:

The evangelicals who are saying the most and talking the loudest these days about what’s referred to as “social justice” seem to have a very different perspective. Their rhetoric certainly points a different direction, demanding repentance and reparations from one ethnic group for the sins of its ancestors against another. It’s the language of law, not gospel—and worse, it mirrors the jargon of worldly politics, not the message of Christ. It is a startling irony that believers from different ethnic groups, now one in Christ, have chosen to divide over ethnicity. They have a true spiritual unity in Christ, which they seem to disdain in favor of fleshly factions.

I would submit that when one group of people attempts to cast blame and interject shame toward another group of people for past sins, dividing people-groups into victims and victimizers, there is a problem, and I agree with MacArthur that this is a threat that he describes as "subtle and dangerous." And, unfortunately, MacArthur is receiving criticism from fellow Christians because of his appraisal. There are some who claim to hold the mantle of racial reconciliation, who seem to be quite skilled at fanning the flames of division.

Unity cannot be brought about through man's ideas - Biblical justice and reconciliation occur when we embrace the fullness of the gospel.  You don't unify groups of people by bringing more division.  Tony Evans, heard on The Alternative on Faith Radio, in a Gospel Herald piece, is quoted as saying, "God has a kingdom. It's made up of citizens. Some black, some white, some red, yellow, Spanish backgrounds. His intention was never that the individual uniqueness would cause them to lose sight of the flag flying over them. The flag of the cross..."

Blogger and podcast host Darrell B. Harrison, who is African-American tweeted this morsel:

I'm amazed that people will call for an "end" to the sin of racism, yet deny its spiritual origins. All sin has a spiritual genesis, so why would racism require any solution other than a spiritual one? Racism must first be addressed from the inside-out, not the other way around.

Billy Graham wrote:

Racism, I’ve found, is almost universal—but that doesn’t make it right. In fact, in God’s eyes racism is a serious sin. The reason is because God created every human being, and God made every one of us in His image. Yes, sin has marred and defaced that image, but no matter what our ethnic or racial or cultural background may be, we are all God’s creatures, and God has implanted within each of us a soul. The Bible says, “From one man he made every nation of men” (Acts 17:26).

The great evangelist emphasized the importance of changed hearts in order to combat racism, which "has its roots in human pride and sin, and these will never be completely erased until Christ comes again."  Bottom line: We have to look inward, to search our own hearts, and become agents of unity, seeking to build relationships, depending on God's principles and not man's social constructs.

Even the Babylon Bee, understanding that satire is a device that can actually be used to challenge and provide a fresh perspective on truth, got it in a recent piece on this concept of social justice. It posed the question, "What’s wrong with plain old biblical justice?" The answer:

Biblical justice doesn’t account for all of the unique oppressions that different groups today face. The God of the universe couldn’t have possibly seen this far ahead. So we’ve got to fill in the gaps. When Paul wrote that Christians are all one in Christ Jesus, he pretty obviously meant that we should be divided along racial lines and work hard at stirring up resentment.

Yes, a bit sarcastic, but brilliant.  Another question, "Is the gospel enough to redeem sinful society?"  The answer:

I mean, the gospel is just alright with us, but is it powerful enough to turn sin on its head and begin reforming society from the inside out as more people see the glory of Christ? Meh. Better institute some coercive social programs to help out, just to be sure.

The gospel is enough.  You can't persuade people to do better by pointing fingers of condemnation. You improve relationships by living truth and practicing love; charity toward one another.  Sure, there is plenty of blame to go around, and yes, admittedly, the Church has been complicit in inhibiting race relations.  But, one can choose to either move forward in Christ and seek ways to build unity or can remain trapped in the divisions of the past and continue to assign blame.

Heart changes come through confession and repentance; then it's time to face the future.  I am thankful that church leaders in Atlanta have united across racial and denominational lines to seek Biblical unity.  In Nashville, Michael W. Smith is bringing people together for an event called, "Surrounded," which is intended to bring God's people together in unity.  In Montgomery, the "Awaken" event was one of those catalytic events that enables the Church to come together.  Events are great, but we also through those occasions can be challenged to build relationships, which result in unity of the body of Christ - and when we are unified, there are no limits to what God can do through His people.