Despite the rhetoric that you might hear regarding racism from either one vantage point or another, there is a singular fact that you must realize. And it is this: racism will never be totally cured. Why, you might ask, would I espouse such a negative comment? Well the answer to that is quite simple – racism, like any other vice that exists, is the product of fallen man. It is no different than lying, stealing, murder or anything else that we might and should find abhorrent.
The reasons as to why one human being might dislike, minimize, ignore or even vehemently hate another human due to skin color, ethnicity or some other chosen attribute are rooted in ignorance of the work done by Jesus Christ to redeem mankind. Note the following from Ephesians:
Ephesians 2:12
Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. [ESV]
A man separated from Christ, without God and without hope will more easily be driven by his personal passions, desires and interests. Does that mean that there are no racist Christians? Of course not. It would be like saying that Christians do not lie, steal or kill and that is certainly not true. Just because a person becomes a Christian is no guarantee that he or she will actually walk as the Scriptures say that they should.
However, if a person takes heed to what the Bible commands, there is absolutely no room for racism. Note Colossians, Chapter 3 which is speaking of the condition of those who have accepted Christ.
Colossians 3:11
Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. [ESV]
These very clear statements indicate that in Christ everyone is one and there are no distinctions that should be made. A person of one color or ethnicity does not have less or more than anyone else – Christ is all and in all. And what’s more each person becomes a member in particular in the body of Christ – sharing the full blessings of salvation with his brothers and sisters. It should be reasonably clear that for those who belong to the body of Christ, racism absolutely has no place.
Unfortunately, many will never accept Christ, and even for many who do, they will not walk according to the principles that the Bible commands. As a result, racism along with numerous other evils will never be eliminated, that is, until the return of Jesus Christ himself. However, the best chance anyone has today of eliminating it in their personal lives is to look to the redeeming work of Jesus Christ. It is to recognize that for those in the body, regardless of their skin color, ethnic origin or any other characteristic, Christ is all and in all. And it is to understand that their duty and responsibility towards those outside the body is to walk with the same love, mercy and compassion of the lord that they serve.