“‘The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.’” Numbers 14:18
As I’ve contemplated the continuing and extensive societal upheaval that is permeating our nation, the above verse came to mind, which affirms the following:
➖God is love.
➖God is slow to anger.
➖God is merciful.
➖God is forgiving.
But… we also know that:
➖God is just.
➖God does not excuse the guilty.
➖God punishes our sins.
Throughout the Old Testament, we see example after example of a wayward people and nation being disciplined for their sinfulness. God’s discipline came in all shapes and sizes, but it was always certain, even though at times the punishment might be delayed for years, or even generations.
In a sense, God was and is predictable. He could be and still can be relied on. We are told this is because He is the same “yesterday, today, and forever.” (While this quote from Hebrews 13:8 references Jesus, we can apply it to God the Father as well.)
So you might ask, what does this have to do with us, as Americans? I say everything. Since God is unchanging, the same attributes that He displayed, both in living example and also in written word, thousands of years ago, can be relied on today. And so when we read that God “lays the sins of the parents… to the third and fourth generations” it’s not too hard to surmise that the national upheaval we are seeing is a direct consequence of a national sin.
One of our current national sins, that is again erupting onto center stage, is the sin of racism. At its core, racism flows from pride. We reckon ourselves better or more deserving than someone else, based on an external characteristic: skin color. It is pride, plain and simple. And evil. It’s a superior vs inferior attitude that will permeate every part of our being, and nation.
How God must have been grieved:
➖when He witnessed white people abusing and devaluing black people, using them as slaves to enrich their own white lifestyles;
➖when He saw an entire portion of a nation rise up to defend the sin of slavery via a civil war;
➖when He witnessed politicians, representatives of their constituents, pass evil legislation we refer to as Jim Crow laws;
➖when He witnessed, and continues to witness, systemic racism cooked into a nation’s attitudes and policies, and more.
But perhaps what is most grievous about these realities, all the way through 2020, is how the church has enabled and embraced these many sins. Yes enabled and embraced.
When we study our nation’s history we see that “Christians” were every bit as responsible, as unbelievers, for these racist sins of America’s past. Christians owned black slaves. Christians fought to preserve their right to own slaves. Christian politicians and their Christian constituents voted for Jim Crow laws that affirmed their belief that men and women, boys and girls, were lesser then themselves, because their skin color was darker. Christians even donned white robes and pointed hats, thinking they were disguising their identities, not realizing that God saw their hearts, with or without their hideous outfits.
How evil. How un-Christian. How grossly wrong. How unbiblical. And how horrible that there was no difference between the vast majority of Christians and non-Christians.
These sinful and evil attitudes were mainstream with Christians. They were pervasive. And yet, the Bible, the Book every Christian maintained in their homes, and carried with them to church each Sunday, was replete with teachings, truths, and stories against racism, pride, and prejudice.
How obvious to so many of us now. How blinded so many were then. But we should not miss another important point. While Christian’s may have been blind to Scripture, unbelievers were not. They saw the attitudes and sins of Christians were incongruent with the Bible those same believers claimed to follow.
It’s sad when those who reject the Bible, can understand it better than those who claim the Book as their own.
But are we still guilty? Could it be we are still blind? Do we simply point to laws, facts, and stats to “prove” that we’ve rooted out racism in America, as we lull ourselves into believing that it does not exist within the church? If that’s our approach as Christians, have we ever left behind the “sins of our fathers?”
It’s always so easy for us to point out the sins in the lives of others, but there has never been an instance in history, where one person was able to resolve a sin in another person’s life. Never. Sin can only be addressed by the person sinning. Perhaps that’s why Jesus gave us this command:
💡“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” Matthew 7:3, 5
So, if the sin of racism possibly resides in our own life, we should look inward vs outward and begin to grapple with our own hearts. As we do, here are a few more questions to help us in our examination:
➖Are we defensive when someone raises these issues, particular when that person’s life story is completely different than ours, and they assert they’ve been the victim of systemic and lifelong racism?
➖Do we raise objections based on political arguments?
➖Have we checked our hearts?
➖Have we allowed the “perfect law of liberty” we know as God’s Word to shine its penetrating light of conviction into the secret recesses of our hearts?
➖Are there attitudes in those corners that bear exposing?
➖Have we intentionally sought out brothers and sisters in Christ who are different than us to listen to and develop relationships with, which will enable us to begin to identify areas in our lives to which we might be blind?
Racism is a cunning enemy because it’s tied into our pride, which flows from the father of lies, Satan himself. So we must be intentional in our desire to expose it. Then we must humble ourselves by acknowledging it, if God convicts us of this sin.
In closing, there are consequences to sins. Both individual and national. As such, I truly believe that the rapid disintegration of our nation economically, socially, politically, and more, is flowing from the seeds we have planted for centuries. True, some of the seeds of racism were at the founding of our nation. But sadly, we have continued to sow the same seeds, and cultivated them from the outpourings of our heart. And we are now reaping a horrible harvest of all we have sown.
But all is not lost. Whether or not America can recover from this national sin, is irrelevant to whether you and I can address any seeds of racism that might be found within us. So as God has once again elevated this deep national sin to center stage, may Christians across our nation, humble ourselves and do as the guilty Psalmist confessed:
💡“Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.” Psalms 51:1-3, 7, 10, 17
