The Bible Believer & Modern Controversy (continuing series, 1996)
By David Holder
Apart from any moral or spiritual deficiencies on the part of Martin Luther King, Jr., was he right from the standpoint of Scripture to dream the dream he vocalized on August 29, 1963 in Washington, D.C.?
"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice . . . and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream that one day in Alabama, with its vicious racists . . . little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
"With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day . . . ."
Was Mr. King right in his dream for a multiracial America, and should this be our dream as the people of God? From the slavery of blacks in Britain and America, to the anti-Semitism of the Germans, to apartheid in South Africa, to ethnic cleansing in former Yugoslavia or Rwanda, to the growing presence and pressures of minorities in America, even to the recent Million Man March, issues involving race are real and relevant. What are Christians to think about these hotly debated issues? Is there any Biblical basis for racial justice (no discrimination) and racial harmony (no conflict)? Is there any place in a Christian's mind for racial pride and prejudice? Is there something Christians should do about racial tensions in the world today?
In his book Involvement: Social and Sexual Relationships in the Modern World (Revell, 1984, pp. 73-95), John R.W. Stott provides a searching analysis of Paul's sermon in ancient Athens, the ethnic, cultural, and religious center of the first century world (Acts 17:22-31). While Paul's primary focus was the idolatry in Athens that provoked his spirit, he also displayed an instructive attitude toward this multiracial, multicultural, multireligious situation. Paul made four affirmations:
Paul traces our human origin to the same source the "one," Adam from whom God made us all. All people are equally created by God and in His image. Before God, we are equal in worth and dignity, so we have an equal right to respect and justice. Paul draws on this principle when he stated clearly regarding Jews and Greeks, "There is no partiality with God" (Rom. 2:10-11). That there is no partiality with God makes the strongest possible case that there should be no partiality with us as well.
Culture is a composite of beliefs, values, customs, and institutions developed by each society and transmitted to the next generation. What is natural is God-given and inherited; what is cultural is man-made and learned. Culture is recognized and respected in Scripture. John's visions in Revelation included every nation, tribes, peoples, and tongues (5:9, 7:9, 14:6). The apostle Paul himself was culturally diverse: a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Roman citizen, and he adopted Greek language and ideas.
It is important to note we can affirm the unity of the human race and the diversity of ethnic cultures at the same time. We must do so simply because God does. We must respect the equality of the human race from the standpoint of creation and the diversity of it from the standpoint of culture.
Jesus has no rivals: Not Mohammed, Buddha, or any other. God has spoken fully and finally through His Son (Heb. 1:1-2). Jesus is the only Savior. He is the One who died for our sins, whom God raised from the dead, and will one day be Judge of the world. The New Testament is vested with Jesus' authority (Mat. 28:18-20, Col. 3:17). Peter earlier proclaimed the gospel to Gentiles at the house of Cornelius. He began by stating, "I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right, is welcome to Him" (Acts 10:34-35). Following this opening statement, Peter declared that Jesus of Nazareth was put to death and God raised Him up and He is appointed as Judge of the living and the dead. So it is only "through His name" that everyone who believes receives forgiveness of sins (10:38-43). Later Paul declared that it is "in the name of the Lord Jesus" we must act (Col. 3:17).
All people, though not the same, are equal. But all are sinners and are saved only in Jesus Christ. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life" (Jn. 3:16). To fear God and do what is right is to obediently follow Jesus as the only Savior and respect Him as the only Lord.
Through Jesus' church the flow of history is reversed by redemption, a reversal that is, or should be, manifest in His church. The Old Testament is the story of human scattering, of nations spreading abroad, falling apart, fighting all due ultimately to human sin. The New Testament is the story of people being forgiven of sins in Jesus Christ and being brought together as and in His body, the church. As Paul put is in Galatians, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (3:28). While our being in Christ does not obliter ate our racial, national, social, or sexual distinctions, they no longer divide us. These are each transcended by the unity of the family of God.
Similar to the way slavery is dealt with in the New Testament, in racial matters Scripture does not so much force us to conform outwardly as it does compel us to change inwardly. In short, our minds and hearts toward people of different races and cultures are to be transformed by the will of God. We must understand the principles set forth in Scripture and decide to apply them and live by them in spite of the thinking and norms of our society. These principles, not laws, policies, quotas, forced integration, minority representation, affirmative action, and the like; will deliver us from racial pride and prejudice. Given our circum stances in place and time, some of these efforts may be needed and effective, but these alone will not solve the racial issues that face us.
Instead, because God is God of creation, we must affirm the unity of the human race. Because He is the God of history, we must affirm the diversity of ethnic cultures. Because He is the God of revelation, we must affirm the finality of Jesus Christ. And because He is the God of redemption, we must affirm the glory of His church. There are some lessons from these affirmations Christians must learn and practice:
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream coincides with Scripture in at least one important area: God will judge us not on the color of our skin, but on the content of our character. Every child of God must do the same with every human being of the world who is equally made in the image of God as we are.
David Holder
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