The Heart Behind The System
by Joe R. Price
Deuteronomy 1:16-17, “And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear (the causes) between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the sojourner that is with him. Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; ye shall hear the small and the great alike; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you ye shall bring unto me, and I will hear it.”
Recent protests against the unjust and deadly treatment of George Floyd ignited a smoldering ember in America. I do not know what was in the heart of the police officer who sat upon George Floyd’s neck except by seeing his actions that led to Floyd’s death. Neither do I know what was in the hearts of the other officers who were on scene. Their involvement in this tragic event should be judged based on the evidence. Impartial justice, not reactionary outrage, must prevail for any society to exist peacefully.
A lot of judging by appearance has happened. Because Floyd was black and the officer was white, there were immediate charges of racism. That is a heart judgment rendered by appearance, aided by previous offenses of white officers on black citizens. Is this really the type of judging we want others to apply to our lives? Jesus said, “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you” (Matthew 7:2). Let that sink in for a moment.
Racism is a sin problem. It is a heart problem that judges others by their appearance instead of righteously. Jesus said, “Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24; cf. James 2:1). The color of a person’s skin is irrelevant to one’s heart, one’s character. God created all of us in His image – and that isn’t the color of our skin or any other feature of the flesh (Genesis 1:26-27; I Samuel 16:7).
We do not deny the existence of racism. How can we? It has been and continues to be an ageless scourge upon the face of the earth. The truth is, racism exists among wives and husbands, politicians and academics, police officers and soldiers, believers and atheists – among every race on this earth. Lest we forget, the Jew-Gentile tension displayed the trauma of race relations long before today’s race problems. Peter said to the household of Cornelius, “Ye yourselves know how it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to join himself or come unto one of another nation; and (yet) unto me hath God showed that I should not call any man common or unclean” (Acts 10:28). Later, “the apostles and the brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him, saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them” (Acts 11:1-3). The Jewish-Samaritan segregation and mutual disdain had its roots in race distinctions. The Samaritan woman said to Jesus, “How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, who am a Samaritan woman? (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans)” (John 4:9; cf. II Kings 17:24). When Jesus and his disciples were not received in a village of the Samaritans, James and John said to Jesus, “Lord, wilt thou that we bid fire to come down from heaven, and consume them?” (Luke 9:54).
Such divisions thrive where there is no fear of God (II Kings 17:25). The gospel of Christ continues to be the answer to this sin (John 4:10, 14; Acts 10:34-35; Ephesians 2:11-18).
We reject the view that past expressions and actions of racism and its oppressive treatment of others automatically defines an entire generation or nation today. Some believe it does. Social justice movements are being endorsed and funded as alternatives to what they see as America’s systemic racism. They say the system is corrupt. It must be torn down and replaced. Yet, if hearts are not changed, people will eventually abuse and be abused under a new system – whatever that system is. Without changed hearts, the strong will invariably exploit the weak (James 4:1-10). Any nation, regardless of the systems that govern it, will be brought down by God when it oppresses its people (Amos 5:10-27). Nations change when the hearts of their citizens change (Jonah 3:4-10). Solomon’s wisdom continues to ring true, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).
Children do not inherit the sin guilt of their fathers (Ezekiel 18:4, 20). Therefore, we should not try to make this generation guilty of its forefathers’ sins. Each generation is accountable for itself. History cannot be canceled by a penknife, an eraser, or a sledgehammer (Jeremiah 36:20-32). We should not try to do so. Instead, history informs us so we can acknowledge past failures (and successes), then take responsibility for ourselves and make needed improvements. “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that through patience and through comfort of the scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4; cf. Deuteronomy 31:9-13; Nehemiah 8-9; I Corinthians 10:6-13).
I cannot repent of my forefathers’ sins any more than I can repent of Adam’s sins, and neither can you. We should stop trying to do that, and repent of our own sin, whether it is the prejudice of racism or some other transgression. “The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent: inasmuch as he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31; cf. I John 1:9; James 5:16). Let’s all work on loving God and our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40; 7:12). That is the heart of the matter.
(Adapted from: THE SPIRIT’S SWORD published by Mt. Baker Church of Christ – 7/5/2020)