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Transforming Truths

Mark Dunagan
09/10/17 - Sunday Morning

Transforming Truths

After the tragic death in Charlottesville, Virginia on Saturday August 12th where white supremacist demonstrators clashed with counterdemonstrators, many in this country were looking for a solution to the racial divisiveness that sadly exists in our culture. I believe a number of people are surprised that although we live in the 21st Century, have personal computers, can put a man on the moon, yet have not made more progress in this area. In the aftermath, Scott Allen wrote, “There is a reason for the increasing division, hostility, and violence we are seeing in America. As a nation, we are abandoning Biblical truth in favor of toxic ideologies that, if left unchecked, will destroy us from within” (World Magazine Online, “Championing God’s Transforming Truths in a Divided World, 8-19-2017).

This is Not a New Problem

Racism and divisions among classes and various ethnic groups have always been part of our world.

• “For every shepherd is loathsome to the Egyptians” (Genesis 46:34).
• “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman? (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans)” (John 4:9).
• “The Jews answered and said to Him, ‘Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon!’” (John 8:48).
• “And viewed others with contempt” (Luke 18:9).

The Bible Has The Answer

“The Bible places far more emphasis on what unites us as human beings than what divides us. It focuses on what all people have in common, regardless of their race, sex, skin-color, stage of development, or relative wealth or poverty” (Allen).

All Souls Matter

• “God creates all people in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:27-28). Therefore, all people have inalienable dignity and incalculable worth (Matthew 16:26). Everyone has God-given rights to life and liberty” (Allen).
• All of us have sinned, regardless of our race, political leanings or skin-color (Romans 3:23). All of us need the gospel (Romans 1:16). Jesus died for the sins of the entire world (John 3:16).
• All of us are related. We all came from the same common ancestor: “And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26).
• We all have the same needs and concerns. Every culture struggles with worry, anger and lust. All races battle against the lust of the eyes, the flesh and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). No matter what our race, we are all tempted by the same common or basic temptations (1 Corinthians 10:13).   
• God desires that all be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). God desires that all come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).   Therefore, everyone can change if they so desire.
• The devil is after all of us (1 Peter 5:8). We have a common foe. Hell will be populated with people from all the races.
• The Great Commission or the great mission for the church is to make disciples of all the nations (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:18-19).
• In order to end up saved and right with God, I must do the same exact thing as anyone else, regardless of their race, politics, gender, or social status (Romans 2:6-11; Galatians 5:19-21).
• God delights in a certain kind of diversity. He does not delight in sinful behavior (1 Corinthians 6:9-11), yet He did not create just one kind of flower, or tree, or dog. He did not merely create a male, but a male and a female. The different skin-colors and races among men, is something beautiful like the different varieties of flowers or trees.
• “We should always, always remember first what we have in common – what unifies us. All of us are of God’s workmanship and bearers of His image. All of us are precious in God’s sight. He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). This knowledge must shape our attitude toward every single person. It is powerful, beautiful, and life-affirming. It fosters peace, harmony, and social flourishing” (Allen).

God Cares for Us and Will Judge us as Individuals

“God created us as unique individuals and He cares about each person individually, He numbers our hairs. He also holds us accountable as individuals for the decisions we make and the actions we take. When we face the final judgment, the book opened will be the book of our lives. There will be no excusing our sinful behavior because we were part of an oppressed group (see Luke 13:3), nor will we be judged for the sins of our fathers or grandfathers (see Ezekiel 18:20). No, we will stand alone before that judgment throne, and all that will matter is what we did, or didn’t do” (Allen).

• “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and doe what is right is welcome to Him” (Acts 10:34-35).
• “So that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Be Honest about Your Heritage and Culture

Cultures have various strengths and weaknesses. Not everything about my culture or ethnic heritage is good. Every culture or every race has a dark side to it. I need to be careful that I don’t become so proud of my culture, ethnic group or race that I blind myself to its sins. 

• “Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers” (1 Peter 1:18). 

Find the Good in Others, Love Your Neighbor

The Bible commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39), and makes it equally clear that our neighbors include neighbors in other races and cultures (Luke 10:29-37). Added to this, we are expected to love our enemies, or love those who are making it very difficult to love them:

• “But love your enemies, and do them good, and lend, expecting nothing in return” (Luke 6:35).
• “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you” (Luke 6:31). This verse is making the point that we need to be the first to move, the first to reach out and treat others with kindness, rather than waiting for them to make the first move.

Gratitude, not Resentfulness, Leads to Life and Flourishing

Seeing yourself as a victim is a dangerous mentality to adopt, for the reality is that no one on this earth has an easy life. Everyone, from time to time, is the victim of injustice. Over the course of history there have been many oppressed groups, often including God’s own faithful people (Hebrews 11:35-39). So buying into the thinking that other people are taking jobs that rightly belong to you, or others are being given an unfair advantage only leads to bitterness, resentment and its own form of prejudice. The reality is that all of us have sinned and that the real victim of injustice in this world is God.

Represent Your People Well

When you see someone from a particular group, culture or race behaving badly it is so easy to stereotype the entire group (see Titus 1:12-13.  In this example, the Holy Spirit actually notes that the stereotype was sadly true). Especially as a Christian I need to make sure that I set the best example possible, so that I do not give the people of God a bad reputation (1 Timothy 5:14). For all cultures this is crucial, yet for Christians much more is at stake, for if people do not listen to the message we bring because we have only reinforced a bad stereotype, then people end up lost forever!

Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net