What Color Is God?

I know how racism can be ended! I realize not everyone is going to believe me; and that's all right with me. You don't have to believe me for it to be true—you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32).

I'll get to the answer in a moment … for now, though, I want to briefly address the truth about racism that many people ignore—IT IS TAUGHT AND LEARNED.

I've watched babies and toddlers of all kinds of races and backgrounds interact, and they don't act racist because they're not! They just see someone else with whom to engage and play with. So at some point racism is TAUGHT and LEARNED.

Unity across races can be achieved when we perceive that we're all the same. From the Bible's perspective we are united in that we have ALL been created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). We're also the same as we age because "ALL have sinned" coming short of God's glory (Romans 3:23). Therefore, each one of us needs help—"For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:6 NASB).

Take my white skin off and you'll see bones, muscle, and blood. How stupid many of us are to judge someone because their skin is different! Talk about judging a book by its cover! Jesus taught, "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment" (John 7:24).

And by the way, when Paul wrote those words, he was addressing a group of people divided over race too—Jews and Gentiles (Romans 1:16-17; 2:10). There's actually an interesting passage in John 4:9 that tells us "Jews have no dealings with Samaritans"—which was shocking because in that specific context Jesus is talking to a Samaritan woman by the well. The word "dealings" is from the Greek word sugchraomai which means to use together. The point was that Jews didn't drink from the same well as Samaritans, and yet here was Jesus asking for water from a well from which Samaritans drank.

We can learn a lot from Jesus. And we should! Actually, Jesus is the answer to racism.

Years ago I was in Atlanta on the Metro heading to the airport. A group of young men boarded wearing t-shirts declaring that Jesus Was A Black Man. I laughed, of course, and they growled at me. I told them the truth—Jesus was not black, and He was not white either. He was a Jew. Nothing much else was said.

Racism is probably not going to disappear—certainly not by legislation—because people are teaching and learning it. Racism is sin! And each one of us must decide what we are going to do to contribute to racism's demise.