Ironworks Pike Community Church An Evangelical Free Church! - Pastor's Blog

No Place For Race Hatred In the Kingdom of God.

1/12/2023

There is no place for racial hatred in the kingdom of God.

Christians are creationists. We believe that God wrote through His prophet Moses. Moses revealed that God created one original man, named Adam. From that one man all other human beings descended, from every tribe, language, and nation. We are all of one blood. This is why in reality there are not multiple races. There is only one race -- the human race.

Christians also believe in redemption. As the apostle Paul wrote, there is in Christ neither Jew or Gentile, bond or free, male or female, but all are one in Christ Jesus. Everyone is a sinner, any who become saved are saved by the shed blood of Christ, and by grace through faith all become equally the children of God. There are no inferior or superior bloodlines, in Christ.

Blacks are not Black because of the curse of Ham (Genesis 9:20-27). God cursed Canaan, identifying him with his father Ham. This had nothing to do with skin color, but for Ham and his son looking upon Noah's unconscious nakedness and then dishonoring him in the streets. The seed of Canaan were the Canaanites, not Black people. The Bible also doesn't say that Noah's curse extended to anyone beyond Canaan himself.

God requires equal treatment under the law. God hates unequal measures (Deuteronomy 25:13-16). Prejudicial treatment of others based on their skin color or nationality, is sin.

It takes work to overcome prejudice. Americans are not the only people in the world with this problem. Africa is torn by tribal conflicts. Native tribesmen kidnapped and sold other Black Africans to the Dutch as slaves. Japan treats mixed-race children badly. Spanish-descended Mestizo Latins look down on the native Amerindians. Tribalism is a universal human problem.

Christians ought to do better, and set a better example. The issue isn't whether or not a person from a different tribe is our neighbor, but how can we be a good neighbor to everyone? (Luke 10:25-37).

Generational Curse?

11/4/2022

For some reason, the subject of generational curses comes across my path from time to time. This doctrine depresses the spirit and strangles faith, since we're helpless to change the actions of our ancestors! So here are some truths from Scripture that counter it.

The only generational curse in the Bible was caused by Adam. Because he represented us before God, his one bad action cut all of us off from God. Romans 5:15-19. But Adam was unique.

The Bible says the natural world was cursed because of Adam's sin, and so nature groans (Romans 8:18-22). This is why we can inherit genetic defects, why there are destructive viruses and bacteria, and so on. But our future resurrection is hope for the earth.

The practical consequences of parental sins do fall on children. We are sinners raising sinners. For example, a parent's alcoholism hurts the family. Exodus 20:50. However, that same verse says that if someone loves and follows the Lord, then His steadfast love is with them.

God never blames a child for an ancestor's sins. Read Ezekiel 18. Our ancestors did not represent us before God, for good or ill. The blind man's blindness was not because anyone sinned, John 9:1-4.

Sometimes Satan is doing things to us. Job 1-2. God maintains the world, and he can prevent things, but God doesn't Himself cause everything. God didn't cause Satan to be evil, or plague Job. Job incorrectly thought God was doing it, and was angry at him about something.

Every curse is broken in Christ. God has already blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places, through Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Every Christian is anointed by the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:21). He has already transferred us out of the devil's domain (Colossians 1:13). We are already blessed, even when earth's circumstances are bad.

Sometimes it's true that we do waver in unbelief, and that's why we don't get answers to our prayers. James 1:6-7. We get offended if someone brings this up, but James says that wavering in regards to God's power or reliability is unbelief.

The bottom line is, the hardships we endure have a purpose -- they might be discipline, or maybe faith-training, or maybe a context for God to work in power -- but they are not a generational curse. God can lighten the hardships, or even take them away completely.

Jack