A brother-in-Christ texted, “Hey fellas I get angry when people of color always focus on color. What does God say about this. Because I don’t see the focus being pointed back to the King of Kings, Jesus?”
My response: “Understand my brother.” I couldn’t find a direct scripture, but in light of Romans 3:23, no one’s ethnicity should be used as a standard to determine what’s right or wrong. Slavery, bigotry, and oppression don’t make the sufferers righteous. Only by Christ’s suffering and death are believers clothed in His righteousness (Philippians 3:9). Not even Jesus’ ethnicity (Jewish) makes us righteous, but His death does (Galatians 2:21). Personally, I don’t believe it’s biblical to refer to local churches according to their ethnic makeup (Galatians 3:28). But, I have to live in a real world where sin abounds. Thank God that “by the transgression of the one (the 1st ancestor of all ethnicities) death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17). Unbelievers don’t understand that, but every believer should and thus understand that the church is the ethnically unified body of Christ. I’m proud that God created me a black man, and more proud to be a Christian, a member of the body of Christ.
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