Greetings beloved family of Common Ground,
I‘ve been thinking much about the sin of racism. It seems as if everyone presently is writing, posting, opinionizing, taking a stand and declaring their ideas and views on the ugly sin of racism and what needs to be done about it and what is the presumed cure for such a heinous crime. And what I find interesting are those who are supposedly against racism spew forth some of the same hatred, bigotry, prejudice, and intolerance that is found in a supposed racist.
What makes a racist, a racist? What is the definition of a racist? According to the current narrative as one listens to any newscast, podcast, Facebook, Instagram, twitters and tweets or reads any newspaper or magazine, it appears that all supposed white-privileged people are racists, all police are racists, all conservative minded people are racist.
If I am a white dairy farmer from Wisconsin, born on the same farm that my great grandfather homesteaded and have never personally met, seen or known any African American or for that matter any person of color and have never traveled further than 50 miles outside of the two small towns that I live by, does that automatically make me a racist?
If I believe and know that all peoples, all of humanity, all ethnicities regardless, are made in the image of the One True God and therefore have a God-bestowed value, worth and dignity and thus should be treated as such, and yet because I’m of a Caucasian color does that still make me a racist?
And if I know and believe that there is coming a day when those from every tribe, language, people and nation will gather around the throne of Christ to worship Him, because He purchased and ransomed guilty people with the cost being His own blood shed on a cross at Calvary, does this still make me a racist?
And if I am doing my very best to do what God’s Word declares in Micah 6:8 “He (the Lord God) has told you, O mankind (humanity), what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Am I still racist?
Racism is indeed a horrific sin; I’m convinced that most fair-minded people know this to be so. And if we asked a wide variety of people from a plethora of neighborhoods across America, they too would say that racism is wrong and needs to be righted. So, what’s the cure for such a sin? How are we to rid ourselves of this sinful pestilence? How are we to remove the hatred found in each one of our hearts?
Here’s what I know to be true; we will never be rid of such a sin as racial hatred in and of ourselves. Racism will never be righted completely by so-called social justice because there is no social cure for a moral issue. Racism, like all sin, like all rebellion against a holy righteous God, is an internal permanent cancer found in the hearts of every one of us. But tragically to actually and humbly admit that one is a fallen sinful creature is an alien concept to most of humanity and thus it keeps us from the One and Only remedy of this perpetual disease.
The remedy, the cure, the salvation of our fallen, sinful hearts, death and eternal damnation comes by way of a forever Savior, a true Redeemer, the real historical God/Man in the person of Jesus Christ. For while we were still ungodly, helpless, sinful enemies of the One True God, Christ died for us, forgave us, reconciled us, justified us, and declared us righteous through grace alone by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. The cure comes by way of the glorious gospel in the person of Jesus Christ!!! That’s why it’s called GOOD NEWS!!!
Beloved, church family, we are once again planning to gather in person this Sunday at 10:00 AM outside in our parking lot, weather permitting. Same blessed gathering together as last week.
Stay Safe! Stay Connected! Stay the Course in Christ! SEE YOU SUNDAY!
Making Much of Jesus!!!
Pastor Gary