So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
Acts 15:8-9
Backtracking… We addressed the division in the Church over the Jewish-Gentile matter a while back. I want to go back and make a point of application about that. As I am sure that most of you know, we live in a period of time when racial tensions are being recast as one of the two biggest issues of all. (The other, of course, is about sexual preference and gender confusion.)
Folks, no matter what the world says about race, what God’s Word says matters, and where the two are different, God’s Word is right and the world is wrong. As biblical Christians we must not join the chorus about race, especially being persuaded by the loud and relentless voices promoting “Critical Race Theory” or “wokeism.”
Racism is nothing more than a worldview based on race. Therefore, white people discriminating against people of color is wrong, but no less wrong are people of color discriminating against white people. Those who believe people are defined by the pigment of their skin instead of by their character are racists, regardless of their skin color or that of those they vilify.
The New Testament is clear, in Christ, race and/or socio-economic differences make NO difference. We must must not allow ourselves to be shouted down, and we must speak up—not combatively but compassionately in love and in Jesus’ name. Let us call people out of whatever brand of racism they may favor, into the family of God in Christ. It is called evangelism.