For instance, the idea that we are the product of our personal experiences was brought up two or three times, and this idea is not Scriptural. We are made in the image of God, and God is not African American, White, Puerto Rican, or Prussian. Our ethnicity, therefore, is not essential to who we are as bearers of the divine image; our ethnicities are of much less importance than are our likeness to our Creator, on the one hand, and our failure to perfectly reflect that likeness, on the other hand. The postmodern reduction of the human subject to a tapestry of biological impulses, sociological freedoms and constraints, culturally specific language games, and imposed political ideologies finds no place within the pages of God’s Word. Sorry. It just doesn’t. From this it follows that my obligation to another human being is to be based upon his being a bearer of the divine image. My obligation to another person is not to be centered around their peculiar experiences as an African American, Puerto Rican, Asian, or x (where x is some unspecified ethnicity). To treat another person as first and foremost a member of a particular ethnic group, then, is wrong, because it is an implicit denial of the imago dei. We are not cultural constructs, despite what we’ve been told repeatedly by the social scientists, but spiritual beings united to dying physical bodies that will be put off at the resurrection. Unless each ethnic group is something other than human, therefore, we are essentially the same, i.e. the same in substance/essence - we are thinking, willing, feeling spiritual beings made to love God and others. The assumption that we are our ethnic heritage implicitly denies the fact that we are the imago dei (see, 1st Cor 11:7), and it also provides opportunity for us to lay the blame for our sins on others besides ourselves. Yes, we can be made to stumble by the actions of others. However, we are still responsible for how we respond to others. Scripture does tell us that we can attribute our sin to ourselves, the sinful desires of our corrupt hearts, so we know that every sin we commit is rooted in our hearts and not something external to ourselves. God knows how much of an influence x has had on a particular person in the commission of some sin. We, however, do not. All we can say is that our sins are our own, and God alone knows how much some person’s racist behavior has contributed to our decision to sin. Is the white man responsible for the black man’s sin? To some extent, he is indeed to be held responsible for contributing to the black man’s decision to sin. Yet the black is responsible for his actions. Sin is not excusable simply because we think we have some sociological justification for transgressing the law. Adam tells God “the woman whom you gave to be with me,” and God holds him and the woman responsible. Eve says “the serpent deceived me,” and God holds her and the serpent responsible. Judgment is a complex issue that only God does perfectly. We judge on the basis of external appearances, but God looks at the insides of a man’s mind, emotions, and will. Is it possible that there are racists in every church? Sure. This simply means, however, that the law should be preached with the reality of racism in mind. If the preacher is not in some way referencing the interpersonal, ethnic, social, and political conflicts we all experience, moreover, he is not fully preaching the law. The law reveals racism as sinful. Therefore, if a man is preaching the law, he will get around to addressing the hypocrisy of racist Christians. This is the work of the Holy Spirit in the application of Scriptural truth to the minds of the elect, and the sanctification of God’s people. -h.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 03:31:15 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015