Call No Man Unclean
Sometimes we may think that we are the only society to ever have
had to deal with prejudice and the strife it causes. But history shows that such
has adversely affected human society from almost the beginning. The source of
prejudice is human pride and ignorance. It is Satan himself that deceives people
into thinking that they are somehow worth more than other people because of
differences in color, race, nationality, gender and so forth.
In fact, the Christian more than anybody ought to realize that value of each
human being. If he or she understands the gospel at all, it is understood that
all humanity is on the same level as far as God is concerned. The Bible says
that God “gave His only begotten Son” because He “so loved the world”… that is,
He loves all the people of the earth (John 3:16).
And while Christians have been forgiven of their sins by the grace of God
through their own faith, they understand that redemption was not given to them
because they especially deserved it. As Paul said, “You were once just like
them…” so it is silly to think that we are inherently special… we are not.
Christians have been forgiven in Christ… but this means that they have been just
as guilty of sin as anyone else.
The Bible also shows that God “made from one every nation of mankind to live on
all the face of the earth” and that we are all therefore “the offspring of God”
(Acts 17:26-27). Yes, we are all brothers and sisters because we do all have a
common ancestor… no, not an ape-like creature, but Adam who was created in God’s
image. Ironically, if it were true that we are merely descendants of lower life
forms, then it may well be that some of us could claim superiority, just as
Hitler thought, based on our descendancy. A more highly evolved master race
might be workable in a naturalistic perspective, but not in a godly one framed
in the Creator.
Peter, who had difficulty with this because of his own prejudices, had to
overcome and defeat such feelings (Acts 10:28). He did, and so should we all.
God blesses men and women of all nations through Jesus, His Son, by grace
through faith.
By Jon W. Quinn
The Final Page
From Expository Files 19.2 February 2012
