It seems like everyday we wake up to another story of the murder, shooting or abuse towards black men and women. Even in the UK there has been a development in exposure to the cruel treatment black people and other ethnic minorities face from the police, health and care workers, entertainment industries, public places and more. As a result (and understandably) there has been an outcry from people of all races all over the world. Conversations are happening, changes in workplaces are occurring, people have been called out on their harmful behaviour but still there is much to be done.
You may be wondering what is the role of the church in all of this?
You may be a young black Christian who has not seen the church acknowledge the issue of racial injustice much.
You may be a Christian who has not seen nor experienced racial injustice and therefore you feel quite removed, unsure of what to do.
You may be someone who does not see racism in your sphere and wonder what all the fuss is about?
Or perhaps, you are simply wondering what power or influence the church has today to make a difference?
Please keep reading so we can explore this issue further.
God is Just
Did you know that you deserve to go to hell? By breaking God’s holy law (and we do that everyday when we tell a white lie) we are deserving of punishment. Therefore when God punishes us for breaking his law He is just. It is fair. It is the right thing to do. He would be unjust to not punish us. But in reality we don’t want that and neither does God. That is why He sent his Son Jesus to take our place, to put our sin on Himself and die in our place.
Isaiah 53:5: But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. NIV
Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ESV
1 Peter 3:18: For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit. ESV
By sending Jesus to take our place God was not only just in executing punishment he was also merciful and gracious, giving us an opportunity to be reconciled to Him.
And so God has always been seeking and executing justice for all people. In our meeting in July we learnt there are two key words for justice in the bible:
Mizpah – which refers to legal justice.
Tzedakah – which refers to justice in regards to people, it is social, and it is linked to righteousness.
We learnt that Tzedakah is an ethical obligation for the Christian. One of the speakers said that ‘unlike charity it is a religious obligation that should be performed regardless of one’s financial standing.’ It is more than the ‘golden rule’ which is typically understood as: do as you would be done by. Rather it is to actively seek ways to make life better for people. In fact, it is unjust and even sinful to do nothing. It is so unlike the character of God as we have explored above.
Jesus has commissioned Christians to be messengers of God bringing about a message of reconciliation and of peace with God.
John 20:12: Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you. NLT
Sadly many Christians believe that our purpose on earth is to share the gospel of peace alone, and that other issues are not relevant to the Christian. While evangelism and discipleship are the primary purposes of the Christian and the Church (see link here), it is unloving and even hinders the Christian’s witness to ignore injustices, including racial injustice.
James 2:14-17: What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. NIV
And so, know that God is just. He cares about racial injustice and expects His church to labour against racial injustice. While we fight alongside men and women made in the image of God to reflect his glory to overcome racial injustice, we continue to proclaim that total peace and total reconciliation is found in the person and power of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Other helpful links to explore this further:
http://ryanburtonking.blogspot.com/2020/05/united-we-pray-when-i-recognised-race.html
http://ryanburtonking.blogspot.com/2019/10/why-would-white-pastor-write-about_4.html
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-deyoung/social-justice-gospel-issue/
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/faqs-christians-know-social-justice/