Is God Racist?

[Br. Bear]

Is God racist?

This might seem like an odd question but...

There are professing 'Christians' in the world who are racist, either actively or sub-consciously.

Is there justification for racism for Christians?

Racism is often seen as something exclusive to Caucasian peoples but history is full of examples of racism from all people groups.

Some people might 'justify' racism from what they read in the Bible but what does the Lord Jesus Christ have to say about racism, if anything?
Is our God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ racist and how should those who love Him be towards all others?

Please share your thoughts. Please also be respectful and understand that this subject, although important, is potentially very volatile, so please post in ways that will not stir hurt or insult against anyone.


Bless you ....><>

 

[MrBear]

Mark 12:31
Love Your Neighbor As Yourself

1 Corinthians 10:24
No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.

John 13:34
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another

many more verses I’m not sure how anyone can assume that the father and son are racist?
John 12:49
For i have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment —what to say and what to speak.
And When asked which is the greatest commandment, the Christian New Testament depicts Jesus paraphrasing the Torah: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind," before also paraphrasing a second passage; "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

now man ‘even Christians’ are not God we aspire to be “ Christlike” that is the end goal or should be the end goal
We should strive to be RIGHTEOUS that is to walk in his ways
BUT
we are sinful can we be prejudiced?
Sure we can even Peter didn’t want to minister to the gentiles until god gave him a vision.
But we should never stop trying to walk in Christ’s ways
But in no way would I claim god was a racist and I can’t speak for my brothers and sisters but I’m pretty sure they share this belief
Walking in faith means trying to keep gods commandments despite the beliefs I believe we still need to try to keep Torah when we can ( for some of us this is hard due to life in general) but gods covenant is eternal

SHALOM

 

[Laeomis]

What about this parable from the Gospel? It wasn't until the past year that I finally understood it was racist. (It is being used that way today to rebuke the Palestinians from Israel.)

A Canaanite woman approaches Jesus and he ignores her and his disciples want her sent away. When he does answer her Jesus says he was only sent to heal Israelites and proceeds to call her a dog compared to the children of Israel.

She continues to press him saying she deserves trickle down like dogs eating under the table. He then decides her faith is good enough so he heals her. If she had not answered faithfully would he had healed her though?


Matthew 15:21-28

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman​

21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

The Old Testament is strictly against the Israelites intermarrying with other races. There are many examples of God hates this and he promises Israel in Judges that it will be the beginning of the end when Israel starts marrying their enemies.

 

[Laeomis]

Some examples are Judges 3:1-10 where God leaves nations against Israel to prove their strength, but they give up and give their daughters to marriage with them and take their daughters for their sons. This causes the wrath of God to wax hot against Israel.


Numbers 25: 1-16 The Israelites start sleeping with the Moabite woman causing a plague to bloom (possibly an STD). Moses orders to kill everyone who slept with a Moabite woman, so as to turn the plague and God's wrath from Israel. Phineas drives a spear through the belly of an Israelite man and a Midianite woman he tries to bring into the tent of meeting. He is rewarded with an everlasting covenant for generations Numbers 25:6-9.

Ezra is appalled by the Israelites intermarrying other races when they return to Israel after their captivity in Assyria. He calls it pollution and he prays. The decision is that every Israelite man who married outside of Israel must leave his foreign wife and the children they have. Ezra 9:1-13 and Ezra 10:1-44.

Deuteronomy 7:1-26 lays down the rules for Israel that they should totally destroy the surrounding nations and not marry with them. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.

In both the examples in Numbers and Ezra the leaders of the people are to blame for encouraging this behavior.

There are many more examples.

 

[Curtis]

Rom 2:10 But glory and honor and [heart] peace shall be awarded to everyone who [habitually] does good, the Jew first and also the Greek (Gentile).
Rom 2:11 For God shows no partiality [undue favor or unfairness; with Him one man is not different from another].(AMP)

 

[Laeomis]

I believe that God judges every man equally, but there are certain behaviors we know as immoral that God expects us not to do. Just like God expects us not to be gay. This behavior was so systemic even to Jesus Christ himself that he acted this way by calling the Canaanite woman a 'dog' in Matthew 15:26. He was educated in the laws and knew that was how God had instructed Israel. He did however show mercy to her in the end.

There are graphic depictions of these race relations in the Major Prophets. I believe they strongly mirror things that go on today in modern times. Here is one example that stuck out to me when I read through Jeremiah for the first time. God mentions the Arabs as adulterous.

Jeremiah 3:1-5

The Polluted Land

1They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.

2Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.

3Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a *****'s forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.

4Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth?

5Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest.


The event in Numbers 25 was instigated by Balaam somehow. He wanted the Israelites to commit adultery with the Moabite women. Jesus again mentions Balaam in Revelation 2 and says he will punish anyone who holds his doctrine because he leads his servants into fornication and eating food offered to idolatry. Some versions quote sexual immorality.

Revelation 2:12-17

Message to the Church in Pergamum

12And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

13I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. 14But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. 15So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. 16Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

 

[Br. Bear]

@Laeomis

Greetings,

thank you for sharing.

The examples you put forth do not actually prove or state or proclaim or insinuate that God (nor either, His Son) is racist.
There have been many who would use those verses to try to prove that the Lord is racist BUT they only do so for that reason, isolating them and generally have the ideas of God being racist, for good or bad (their idea, that is), as the agenda of their attempt to portray such verses as proof.

As with so many portions of Scripture and doctrines or teachings, people do not tend to go beyond what they have already settled for.

Sadly, there are also those who use such examples to validate their own racism. Also, those who want to and attempt to paint a bad picture of God and religion in general and then there are those who want to validate turning away from the faith and look for 'evidence' to use in their support. either privately or publicly.

We 'see' racist and racism today as very dirty things and rightly so. However, the examples you shared do not carry such an air of racism.

For example, in the account of the Canaanite woman, why did she respond using the same 'picture' language and terms? Was she referring to herself as a dog? No, the concept of tossing the children's bread to the dogs carries no racism. We invent that to suit a bent way of thinking.
Sadly, over the years too many 'scholars' who themselves were somewhat racist, added to their commentaries and teachings a racist twist.
History is full of very sad perversions of fact and truth and all too often by those who are professing, and believed to be, servants of the King.

To paraphrase the woman's words,
Yeah, that's true, Lord... but hay! , even the dogs get the leftovers..

in other words, I'm happy to have some left overs from the table, Lord, Your table.. I am not trying to take other peoples blessings from them... I see your cup overflows.... and i am happy to catch a little from your cup.. more than happy.. oh yes, happy as!

- and to tell you the truth, me too.. I would be happy to have leftovers from the Lord's table, how about you?

There would never be curs (nor filthy dogs) at the Banquet of the King and certainly not scavenging from under His Table... no unwelcome guests, remember and no unworthy stewards.

Praise the Lord....He is good!


Bless you ....><>

 

[*Lavender]

God caused divisions when they plotted against Him and excluded Him. Such as the tower of Babel.

Yet God created all races.
This is probably more of an overview response.

In His foreknowledge before the world was created ,He devised a plan to offer eternal life to all races, through His son Jesus.
Not by other means ( such as the tower of Babel) but through true ways in Christ .

For God so "loved the world" that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.John 3:16

And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the "whole world." 1 John 2:2

He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew him not.

He came unto his own, and His own received him not.

But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. John 1:10-12

For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him.Romans 10:12

 

[Laeomis]

Moses instructed the Israelites to be kind to everyone,

Leviticus 19:33-34

33And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. 34But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

but contradicts it in multiple places. Soon later in the slave laws it appears to say that these foreigners can be made slaves for life. This is not the case for Israelites however, who can only be made slaves for 6 years, and then be paid a handsome severance fee.

Leviticus 25:39-46

39 “‘If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to you, do not make them work as slaves. 40 They are to be treated as hired workers or temporary residents among you; they are to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. 41 Then they and their children are to be released, and they will go back to their own clans and to the property of their ancestors. 42 Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slaves. 43 Do not rule over them ruthlessly, but fear your God.

44 “‘Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. 45 You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. 46 You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly.

As another note. Something I've realized with Revelation 2:12-17 concerning the warning of Balaam. If you take the vowels out of Balaam you are left with BLM. This is the same acronym used by the blasphemous and racist Black Lives Matter movement which is pushing sexual perversion in our countries.

Proverbs 29:18

"
18Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint;
but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction."

 

[MedicBravo]

Only to racists.

 

[Laeomis]

Another verse that comes to mind about BLM is Luke 17:33

"33Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. "

 

[Laeomis]

So is God a racist? Yes, but not a racist like man. As it can be seen in the scripture marrying other races frequently goes hand in hand with fornication and idolatry. That's why God makes rules for it because he is all understanding and knows this is bound to happen and it is not going to go over well too often. When we break these rules as a society then we reach the consequences that God promised would happen. Like striking the children of Jezebel with death Revelation 2:23.

1 Corinthians 9:24

 

[Andyindauk]

So is God a racist? Yes, but not a racist like man. As it can be seen in the scripture marrying other races frequently goes hand in hand with fornication and idolatry. That's why God makes rules for it because he is all understanding and knows this is bound to happen and it is not going to go over well too often. When we break these rules as a society then we reach the consequences that God promised would happen. Like striking the children of Jezebel with death Revelation 2:23.

1 Corinthians 9:24

Sorry Laeomis,

I can't agree with this, it's wrong. God had no problem with intermarriage just so long as the gentile partner took on the Jewish faith. The best example of this is Ruth 1:16, another is Uriah the Hittite in 2 Samuel 11. In the latter it was David that was the racist, thinking he could 'dispose' of Uriah because he was only a Httite and he needed to to get at his wife. God was sorely displeased at David's attitude and treatment of poor Uriah and David repented. Another Old Testament racist was Jonah the prophet. God aasked him to warn the people of Ninevah of impending instruction. Ninevah in Babylon was the enemy of Israel, it would be like asking a Ukrainian prophet to preach against Moscow warning them of impending destruction. Probably the prophet would think the same as Jonah: 'Yeah God, bring it on!' But God loved the people of Ninevah Jonah 4:11. He just hated their sin and was so pleased when they repented.

No God ordered the children of Israel not to marry out, not because of racial biggotry but because he knew that they would take on their foreign spouse's religon and server their god and abandon Him. In the same way, in the New Testament Christians are exhorted not to have intimate relations with non-believers 2 Corinthian 6:14. Is that bigottry? Not a bit; it's advice not miss out on a marriage in which God reigns, bringing both partners closer, sharing their faith with prayer, praise, Bible study and joint discussion on the wonders of God.

So God racist? Not a bit, but He is jealous.

 

[Br. Bear]

Greetings,

would it be too much of a stretch to say. paraphrasing, 'That God so loved the human race, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever (regardless of any cultural differences, skin colour and genetics) believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting Life" ?


Bless you ....><>

 

[Laeomis]

Yes, the main reason attatched is because the other race will always lead you away from worshipping God the way you used to. The examples of Ruth (which is David's great gradmother) is an extreme example and an exception. This is why I always thought David wrote in Psalm 51:5 that his mother conceived him in sin (and Psalm 51 was written by David asking for forgiveness for betraying Uriah). David is known for making exceptions because he was allowed to as king. Israel was warned never to have a king in the firstplace because they would regret it.

The glory of God is that he designed a government that allowed many races to live together in peace. This is how I've always seen it. They all have to obey his rules though, and they get somewhat hierarchical with the Hebrews on the top. I think for another race to be considered a Hebrew might take living 10 generations among the Israelites. The Israelites never really fulfilled the law though, as they kept sinning and were unable to accomplish it due to wars.....

God repeatedly warns Israel not to make these marriages though because it will lead them away from God. God also warns Israel that when Babylon takes them into captivity from Israel, that races will replace their place in Israel. These races will worship God, but they will be stubborn and they won't worship it like the Hebrews did. They will ignore most the rules and never will repent. That is the time of Ezra.


Well the Good news is that Israel gets to go back to Israel after the captivity. Ezra makes his prayer in Ezra 9:1-13 for the intermarriage. It literally mentions the word race in this translation. There's not too much way around it, he has to weep. He doesn't like it. It mentions 8 other races that surrounded them they had given into marriage to.

Ezra’s Prayer concerning Intermarriage

When these things had been done, the Jewish leaders came to me and said, “Many of the people of Israel, and even some of the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the other peoples living in the land. They have taken up the detestable practices of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites. 2 For the men of Israel have married women from these people and have taken them as wives for their sons. So the holy race has become polluted by these mixed marriages. Worse yet, the leaders and officials have led the way in this outrage.”

3 When I heard this, I tore my cloak and my shirt, pulled hair from my head and beard, and sat down utterly shocked. 4 Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel came and sat with me because of this outrage committed by the returned exiles. And I sat there utterly appalled until the time of the evening sacrifice.

5 At the time of the sacrifice, I stood up from where I had sat in mourning with my clothes torn. I fell to my knees and lifted my hands to the Lord my God. 6 I prayed,

“O my God, I am utterly ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to you. For our sins are piled higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached to the heavens. 7 From the days of our ancestors until now, we have been steeped in sin. That is why we and our kings and our priests have been at the mercy of the pagan kings of the land. We have been killed, captured, robbed, and disgraced, just as we are today.

8 “But now we have been given a brief moment of grace, for the Lord our God has allowed a few of us to survive as a remnant. He has given us security in this holy place. Our God has brightened our eyes and granted us some relief from our slavery. 9 For we were slaves, but in his unfailing love our God did not abandon us in our slavery. Instead, he caused the kings of Persia to treat us favorably. He revived us so we could rebuild the Temple of our God and repair its ruins. He has given us a protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

10 “And now, O our God, what can we say after all of this? For once again we have abandoned your commands! 11 Your servants the prophets warned us when they said, ‘The land you are entering to possess is totally defiled by the detestable practices of the people living there. From one end to the other, the land is filled with corruption. 12 Don’t let your daughters marry their sons! Don’t take their daughters as wives for your sons. Don’t ever promote the peace and prosperity of those nations. If you follow these instructions, you will be strong and will enjoy the good things the land produces, and you will leave this prosperity to your children forever.’

13 “Now we are being punished because of our wickedness and our great guilt. But we have actually been punished far less than we deserve, for you, our God, have allowed some of us to survive as a remnant.

 

[Laeomis]

Which brings us back to Jesus and the parable of the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21-28. Racism was pounded into the brains of the Jews, which is why Jesus refused her at first by calling her a dog compared to the sheep of Israel (Matthew 15:24-26). This is how he was raised to treat the races that surrounded him.

He teaches everyone a lesson though in showing her mercy in the end. Which is how I expect everyone to act anyway. How the law was really supposed to be.

 

[Br. Bear]

There is only one race but it appears that there are lots of teams competing..... if and when folk understand that competition disqualifies, and helping others gives you the victory, the teams would work together as one and the babel would stop.

 

[Br. Bear]

@Laeomis

Greetings,

Which brings us back to Jesus and the parable of the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21-28. Racism was pounded into the brains of the Jews, which is why Jesus refused her at first by calling her a dog compared to the sheep of Israel (Matthew 15:24-26). This is how he was raised to treat the races that surrounded him.

He teaches everyone a lesson though in showing her mercy in the end. Which is how I expect everyone to act anyway. How the law was really supposed to be.

This is wrong.
Why do we see things that are not there and miss what is revealed?

While pondering this, have you ever wondered what it was about both Canaanites and Women that was being revealed to the disciples and crowds and now to us? (there is more than one Canaanite account in the New Testament and more than one woman who found favour) Also note that it appears the Canaanites might have had a better handle on Who God is, than the Jews? Same as the Roman Officer account.

Racism has and had nothing to do with it.

We have plenty of accounts of where, and through who, people groups came from in the Scripture. Remember too, that the Lord knows how everyone is totally related by blood, and why it is by the Blood of His Son that all might be made righteous.

I think you'll find that 'racism' is a modern invention and that people confuse that mindset with things they do not properly understand.


Bless you ....><>

 

[Mister]

God is not in any measure racist. It's an "emphatic NO" HE is not racist.
God is the mighty protector, His standards and laws are for our protection!
God is impartial.
God is perfectly just.
God does not judge as a man judges for HE sees the heart and his inner parts.
Salvation is GOD's and is not done by any racial standard. He did not save me because I am 9/64 Native American, have a full blooded Irish grandma and a bohunk grandpa. Lol. We are all guilty in the eyes of an infinitely holy GOD.

 

[Br. Bear]

God is not in any measure racist. It's an "emphatic NO" HE is not racist.
God is the mighty protector, His standards and laws are for our protection!
God is impartial.
God is perfectly just.
God does not judge as a man judges for HE sees the heart and his inner parts.
Salvation is GOD's and is not done by any racial standard. He did not save me because I am 9/64 Native American, have a full blooded Irish grandma and a bohunk grandpa. Lol. We are all guilty in the eyes of an infinitely holy GOD.

and yet, when we come to Him through Jesus His Son, we are washed and renewed and sanctified.. because of His love

Praise the Lord

Bless you Mister ....><>