This blog post is written to my dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
We stand together, many of us, on the firm foundation of faith. We claim to love Jesus with all our hearts, and we genuinely believe we love people. We affirm what Jesus said after being asked “which is the greatest commandment in the Law.
Matthew 22:36-40 NIV [36] “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” [37] Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ [38] This is the first and greatest commandment. [39] And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ [40] All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
We sing songs of redemption, preach sermons of grace, and declare the transformative power of the Gospel.
And yet, there’s an uncomfortable truth that sometimes stares back at us from the mirror of our own lives and our communities: racism persists within the Church.
How can this be? How can those who claim the name of Christ, who follow the one who broke down every dividing wall, harbor prejudice, perpetuate stereotypes, or remain silent in the face of injustice simply because of someone's skin color or ethnicity?
The tension is undeniable. The claim to love Jesus while simultaneously holding onto racial bias creates a profound spiritual contradiction. This isn't just a political issue; it's a profound theological and moral failing that undermines the very Gospel we proclaim.
God's Impartial Love and Creation
Let's be clear: racism is an affront to God's character and His creation. From the very beginning, God made humanity in His own image.
Genesis 1:27-28 NIV So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. (emphasis mine)
This means every single person, regardless of their skin tone, language, or heritage, carries the divine imprint. To demean or discriminate against any person is to demean the very image of God.
The Apostle Peter, after a powerful vision and encounter with Cornelius, declared, "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right".
Acts 10:34-35 NIV Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right".
If God shows no partiality, how can we, His followers, justify doing so?
The Church: A Unified Body, Not a Divided One
The Church is meant to be a display of God's diverse unity.
1 Corinthians 12:12-14 NIV Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.
Ephesians 2:11-18 NIV [11] Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— [12] remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. [13] But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. [14] For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, [15] by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, [16] and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. [17] He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. [18] For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. (emphasis mine)
This "dividing wall" was a literal wall in the temple, but it also symbolizes all forms of separation, especially those based on ethnic identity.
When we allow racial prejudice to fester, we are actively rebuilding the very walls Christ tore down with His blood. We are making a mockery of the unity He prayed for in John 17 and undermining our most powerful testimony to the world.
John 17:20-23 NIV [20] “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, [21] that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. [22] I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— [23] I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (emphasis mine)
A church divided by race cannot effectively declare a Gospel of reconciliation.
Love in Action: The True Test
1 John 4:20-21 NIV Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
This isn't subtle. If our "love for Jesus" does not translate into genuine, active, empathetic love for all people—especially those who are different from us, those who have been marginalized, those who have suffered under systems of injustice—then our claim rings hollow.
1 Corinthians 13:1 NIV If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
Love is not just a feeling; it is an action. It is patient and kind. It seeks justice, defends the oppressed, and actively works to dismantle systems that diminish human dignity.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV [4] Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. [5] It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. [6] Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. [7] It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
An Invitation to Self-Examination and Repentance
This is not about shaming, but about sincere self-examination. If you identify as a Christian or evangelical who loves Jesus, but find a flicker of racial prejudice in your heart, a tendency to generalize, to stereotype, to dismiss the experiences of others, or to remain silent when you see injustice, then I invite you to bring it before the Lord.
The call to love is radical. It demands that we dismantle our idols, including the idol of racial superiority or comfort in segregation. Let us not be found saying we love Jesus while our hearts harbor disdain for those He died to save. Let our lives truly reflect the inclusive, unifying, and transformative love of Christ.
We stand together, many of us, on the firm foundation of faith. We claim to love Jesus with all our hearts, and we genuinely believe we love people. We affirm what Jesus said after being asked “which is the greatest commandment in the Law.
Matthew 22:36-40 NIV [36] “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” [37] Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ [38] This is the first and greatest commandment. [39] And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ [40] All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
We sing songs of redemption, preach sermons of grace, and declare the transformative power of the Gospel.
And yet, there’s an uncomfortable truth that sometimes stares back at us from the mirror of our own lives and our communities: racism persists within the Church.
How can this be? How can those who claim the name of Christ, who follow the one who broke down every dividing wall, harbor prejudice, perpetuate stereotypes, or remain silent in the face of injustice simply because of someone's skin color or ethnicity?
The tension is undeniable. The claim to love Jesus while simultaneously holding onto racial bias creates a profound spiritual contradiction. This isn't just a political issue; it's a profound theological and moral failing that undermines the very Gospel we proclaim.
God's Impartial Love and Creation
Let's be clear: racism is an affront to God's character and His creation. From the very beginning, God made humanity in His own image.
Genesis 1:27-28 NIV So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. (emphasis mine)
This means every single person, regardless of their skin tone, language, or heritage, carries the divine imprint. To demean or discriminate against any person is to demean the very image of God.
The Apostle Peter, after a powerful vision and encounter with Cornelius, declared, "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right".
Acts 10:34-35 NIV Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right".
If God shows no partiality, how can we, His followers, justify doing so?
The Church: A Unified Body, Not a Divided One
The Church is meant to be a display of God's diverse unity.
1 Corinthians 12:12-14 NIV Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.
Ephesians 2:11-18 NIV [11] Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— [12] remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. [13] But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. [14] For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, [15] by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, [16] and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. [17] He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. [18] For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. (emphasis mine)
This "dividing wall" was a literal wall in the temple, but it also symbolizes all forms of separation, especially those based on ethnic identity.
When we allow racial prejudice to fester, we are actively rebuilding the very walls Christ tore down with His blood. We are making a mockery of the unity He prayed for in John 17 and undermining our most powerful testimony to the world.
John 17:20-23 NIV [20] “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, [21] that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. [22] I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— [23] I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (emphasis mine)
A church divided by race cannot effectively declare a Gospel of reconciliation.
Love in Action: The True Test
1 John 4:20-21 NIV Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
This isn't subtle. If our "love for Jesus" does not translate into genuine, active, empathetic love for all people—especially those who are different from us, those who have been marginalized, those who have suffered under systems of injustice—then our claim rings hollow.
1 Corinthians 13:1 NIV If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
Love is not just a feeling; it is an action. It is patient and kind. It seeks justice, defends the oppressed, and actively works to dismantle systems that diminish human dignity.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV [4] Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. [5] It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. [6] Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. [7] It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
An Invitation to Self-Examination and Repentance
This is not about shaming, but about sincere self-examination. If you identify as a Christian or evangelical who loves Jesus, but find a flicker of racial prejudice in your heart, a tendency to generalize, to stereotype, to dismiss the experiences of others, or to remain silent when you see injustice, then I invite you to bring it before the Lord.
- Pray for conviction: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any hidden biases within you.
- Listen: Seek out and genuinely listen to the experiences of people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds.
- Repent: Confess any racist thoughts, words, or actions, and commit to turning away from them.
- Act: Actively pursue justice, reconciliation, and unity within your spheres of influence.
The call to love is radical. It demands that we dismantle our idols, including the idol of racial superiority or comfort in segregation. Let us not be found saying we love Jesus while our hearts harbor disdain for those He died to save. Let our lives truly reflect the inclusive, unifying, and transformative love of Christ.
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