A Theology of Race

by hi my name is Jamar Thisby I serve as the president of the reformed african-american Network and I do some work with Reformed Theological Seminary on their African American leadership initiative as well I want to talk to you about a brief biblical theology of race actually ethnicity is probably a better term but I'll get to that in a minute now what I find is when we talk about race some Christians get a little nervous like are we taking our cues from the culture here is this really something that the church needs to be talking about well that's a valid concern we need to think about making sure that we're leading with the Bible in and filtering everything we say think and do through Scripture at the same time as Christians we believe the Bible speaks to every issue of life in all of life including race and so we do need to talk about this and actually the bible does talk about it and so my goal here is simple I want to demonstrate that from the very beginning race and ethnicity a diverse group of people the church has always been in God's plan this isn't just some passing fad of the society today rather this is embedded in God's plan of redemption from Genesis through revelation and we get the privilege of living it so before we can really talk about race or ethnicity in the Bible we've got to make some distinctions when we hear that term race as 21st century Americans mostly we have certain categories that we think of and when we're talking about race in our context it's really a social construct and what I mean by that is race was an invention due to certain social and cultural and really economic factors folks who wanted more money more power more influence invented this concept of race in order to separate people and create unnatural divisions that would keep certain people in power and socially dominant and it would marginalize other people now race in the United States has a lot to do with some very superficial things things like skin colour facial features hair texture all of these things that really make no at all but there's visible cues and because it's socially constructed it has taken on meaning in our culture that's important to understand but it's also important to understand how the Bible talks about race the Bible does use that word race RAC II but it uses it in a much different way than perhaps we're used to hearing in the broader culture when the Bible talks about race it talked about race in a couple of ways it talks about one race so if you go to the Bible and look at acts 17:26 it says and he made from one man every nation of mankind and he made from one human being every nation of humans and so what that getting at is this idea that we have a common and strip ancestry biologically we're from the same people we are the same species all of these distinctions that we use to divide and categorize one another you really don't have much relevance if you think about it we are one race where the human race and we have much more in common than we do different and that's how God created it but the Bible speaks about race in another way as well the Bible speaks about being two races if you go to another passage of scripture first Peter 2:9 says this but you are a chosen race a royal priesthood a holy nation of people for his own possession that you may proclaim his excellency of him who called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light so the Bible calls a certain people they chosen people a chosen race what that getting at is not a physical distinction like we're used to thinking about it's a spiritual distinction being a chosen race means by God's sovereign grace in election he has chosen some unworthy sinners to be redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ and we then who have believed in Jesus are that chosen race on the flip side there are the ones who have rejected the gospel and so in a sense the unchosen race in that sense you can say there are two races the redeemed and the unredeemed and the goat those who believe in Christ and those who don't so the bible does talk about race but in very different ways than were used to so we've seen that the Bible talks about race it talks about one race meaning we're all descendants of the same human parent biologically it talks about two races the redeemed in the unredeemed those who believe in Jesus by grace through faith and those who don't but the Bible is that all the Bible says about race I don't think so race even in our modern construction is really about separating people into different groups it's about making distinctions between different people group and the Bible does indeed make distinctions between people groups but it doesn't do so using this term race it much more often uses the term ethnicity now ethnicity in the Bible is a broad and elastic term it encompasses lots of things it could encompass physical features to some extent but much more common it talks about geography language family of origin even diet to some extent by far the most prevalent categories within this concept of ethnicity are geography where you're from and ancestry who you're from and so the Bible speaks all the time about Canaanites and Kushites and Egyptians Jews and Greeks and lots of other people it's important to realize that when you read the Bible you understand that the world of the Bible is thoroughly multi-ethnic it's extremely diverse in all kinds of ways but it's this term and this concept of ethnicity that the Bible uses to mark distinctions between people groups but understand this even though there's a distinction between people groups that doesn't mean any particular group is better or worse than one another in an ontological or an existential sense to understand this concept better we need to think about the theological principle of the imago day for the image of God and this goes all the way back to Genesis 1 in Genesis 1:26 and 27 it says this then God said let us make man in our image after our likeness and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth then in verse 27 it goes on to say so God created man in his own image the in the image of God he created him male and female he created them from these verses and many other passages in Scripture we derived the idea that all people have equal dignity and worth in the sight of God no matter your ethnicity no matter the distinctions between people groups you are made in the image and likeness of God and for that reason in that reason alone you are worthy of respect you are worthy of significance you're worthy of dignity so understand that even though we make distinctions between people groups it's not saying that one group is better or worse than another because the image of God gives us all equal value in the sight of God but I started by saying we're going to give a biblical theology of race so we need to walk through the Bible and demonstrate that God has always had it in his plan to include an ethnically diverse people in his body of believers it starts all the way back in genesis 3:15 the proto gospel or the first gospel says this I will put enmity God is speaking to the serpent I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring he shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel now noticing that there's this promise that one day this Redeemer who in Genesis is yet mysterious and unknown will one day conquer Satan and sin and evil in the world notice also that there's no limitation in terms of ethnicity that this would belong to one particular people group at least not defined by ethnicity then you keep proceeding you can go to Genesis 12 and the blessing of the covenant to Abram in the first few verses of Genesis 12 it says this now the Lord said to Abram go from your and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you and I'll make a view a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing I will bless those who bless you and him who dishonor you I will curse and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed that all the families of the earth includes people from every different ethnicity that you can think of God's plan of redemption isn't complete until he has gathered to himself a diverse people representing all kinds of ethnicities it goes further looking throughout the Old Testament you can look at a passage like Isaiah to tulip which says it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains and shall be lifted up above the hills and who shall flow to it and all the nations shall flow to it all the nations again is this idea of these different people groups coming together to the mountain of the Lord to worship our most holy God now I could name other Old Testament passage like passages like Isaiah 11 the Psalms all over the place Psalm 67 68 117 and on and on and on it goes but let's look at the New Testament do you remember Simeon in the temple say mean is this old Saint who's who's been hanging around waiting for it says the consolation of Israel and when Jesus is presented at the temple this is what Simeon says in the Book of Luke Lord now you are letting your servant depart in peace according to your word for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples a light for the revelry for revelation to the Gentiles and for the glory of your people Israel notice Simeon is saying all peoples a light to the Gentile and the Gentiles as well as to Israel the gospel from the very beginning is meant for all people are now with the arrival of Jesus on the scene we begin to see how God's plan of redemption reaches beyond this ethnic category of the Jewish people and into the Gentile world but Jesus himself speaks to it as well in Matthew 4 when Jesus begins his ministry he quote from the book of Isaiah says the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali the way of the sea beyond the Jordan Galilee of the Gentiles the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light and for those dwelling in the region in the shadow of death on them the light has dawned so even Jesus at the beginning of his management ministry mentions Galilee of the Gentiles which would have been shocking to his Jewish hearers but he's saying the message I have the good news I've come to bring isn't just for one ethnic group isn't just for one people group it's for all people Jesus goes on the beginning of acts acts 1:8 when he declares to his disciples how they are to continue his mission as he is about to be ascended into heaven as he's about to ascend into heaven he says this but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses where in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth in other words take this good news of salvation of redemption and carry it to everyone across the face of the planet and it continues even in the epistles Ephesians 2 Paul says this he talking about the unity of the church he says for he himself meaning Jesus Christ is our peace who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of Commandments expressed in ordinances that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two still making peace in place of the two meaning Jew and Gentile which by the way the separation between them was not primarily primarily ethnic it was primarily spiritual but now God is saying that his message of redemption will bring these two spiritually separate groups apart and ethnically separated groups they will come together now because of the gospel which creates unity in the church and then oneness visions that continues to expire inspire me and many others is is the picture we get of heaven revelation 5:9 says this and they sang a new song saying worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals for you were slain and by your blood you ransoms people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation every tribe language people nation and revelation 7:9 extends it even further says this after this I looked and behold a great multitude that no one could number from every nation from all tribes and peoples and languages standing before the throne and before the lamb clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands and crying out with a loud voice salvation belongs to the Lord and to the God who sits on the throne and to the lamb brothers and sisters this is the reality that were hurtling towards a church diverse in ethnicity language skin tones culture and yet unified by the blood of the Lamb and what will we be doing in eternity as this diverse and unified group will be worshiping our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ but this is not just a future reality this is a reality that we are to live in right now as we pray thy kingdom come Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven it's a glorious picture and we get to be a part of it and it's been a part of God's plan from the beginning you [Music]

Channel: PCA Voices

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Length: 15min 35sec (935 seconds)

Published: Tue May 02 2017