… The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land” (verses 1–3,7). I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. God chose Abraham and his descendants to bless the nations: In reality, however, Abraham’s election is missional. It is easy to misinterpret God’s choosing of Abraham as an example of partiality, as if God favors one people group over others. Genesis 12:1–7 describes God’s election or choosing of Abraham (and his descendants). In Genesis 12, the biblical narrative turns from the nations to one nation - Israel, the descendants of Abraham. Chosen to Bless the Nations (Genesis 12:1–3,7) By implication, God would use the same standard whether a person was a “Jew” or a “Gentile” ( Romans 2:9 – 10 ). Alluding to Psalm 62:12 and Proverbs 24:12, he wrote that “ God ‘will repay each person according to what they have done’” ( Romans 2:6 ). Paul made this statement in the context of explaining the standard God will use on the Day of Judgment ( Romans 2:1 –16 ). Scripture teaches that God is an impartial judge.Īs the apostle Paul put it in Romans 2:11, “God does not show favoritism.” Judged Impartially (Romans 2:11)Īll humanity stands guilty before God deserving judgment. All are created equal, and all are equally fallen. Taken together with the first point, this means that no race or ethnicity is more sacred or more sinful than the others. Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned. The apostle Paul taught in Romans 5:12 that the sin of Adam and Eve infected all humanity, and that all humanity imitated the First Couple in their sin. Though created in God’s image and blessed to live in Paradise, Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ( Genesis 3:1 – 24 ). The creation of humanity in God’s image is the basis of human dignity and equality, as well as the sanctity of life ( Genesis 9:6 ). So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them male and female he created them. Created in God’s Image (Genesis 1:27)Īccording to Genesis 1:27, God created all humanity in His image. The list is illustrative, not exhaustive. These 12 Bible verses follow the plotline of the biblical narrative: creation, Fall, and redemption. In what follows, I outline 12 Bible verses that touch on race and ethnicity, and I offer a brief explanatory comment about each. The term most commonly used in the Bible to describe racial and ethnic others is “nations” (Hebrew, goyim Greek, ethne), although Scripture uses other terms as well. The Bible is divinely inspired and infallible, so what it says about race and ethnicity sets the standard for what Christians believe and practice. In keeping with the purpose of this observance, I would like to reflect on what the Bible teaches about race and ethnicity. The United States established this federal holiday to honor him and to serve as “a time for Americans to reflect on the principles of racial equality and nonviolent social change espoused by Martin Luther King, Jr.” It has been celebrated annually since Jan.
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