Is there a preferred race by God, a chosen people that should rule over the other nations? Surely there must be, just look at how God favoured the Israelites and killed off all opposing nations.
The Bible does have an answer for every question, and I feel this to be an important one around the world. What does the Bible teach about the topic?
In the beginning God created the first man and woman (Adam & Eve), most people would agree that they were of the same race/colour because Eve was made from Adam’s rib (Genesis 2:21). Then together they had Caine and Abel (Genesis 4:1-2), and as we all know, they had sibling rivalry where Cain killed Abel out of jealousy (Genesis 4:8). The Bible tells us that God cursed Cain because of this and with that curse came a mark. So that all who should find him, should know not to kill him out of vengeance (Genesis 4:15).
So was Cain the first person of a different colour? The Bible doesn’t say this, but it does say that God marked Cain. The Bible never says that his children or anybody else would be influenced by the mark. The Bible also clearly uses the singular form when talking about Cain being cursed and why do we completely miss the fact that God marked him [Cain] out of love. Cain expressed to God that everyone would kill him out of vengeance, and God being the loving God that He is: Still showed love towards him and warned all others that Cain should not be murdered (Genesis 4:15) so that he could live out his years.
Maybe the different races/colours/nations we have today come from Noah’s sons, each heading off in to their own direction and adapting to the environment, maybe from the tower of Babel? The Bible simply doesn’t say directly. There are a lot of different places where we can make assumptions, but assumptions put words in God’s mouth and I do not want to be the one putting words in to God’s mouth. So I stick to what it tells me directly.
So why is this such an important issue in the world? People don’t always like change and they usually don’t like it when things are different than what they are used to. We can’t deny the fact that people are different, they look different, they talk different, they act different and so the list goes on. Some groups of people just have a tendency to make a success and others seem to break everything down. Is this because some are white and some are black? No, it has to do with culture, religion, education, nutrition and this list goes on even longer.
There is no doubt that there are different nations around the world, and just to be more specific: According to Dictionary.com a nation is:
Noun: A large aggregate of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular country or territory.
Synonyms: people - folk - country - nationality - land – race
In short it is any group of people with some common history, culture, habitation or even race (Current or past).
So what does the Bible say about different cultures:
After Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son, which was the test God gave Abraham (Genesis 22:1). God told Abraham that all the nations of the world will be blessed through his seed (Genesis 22:18) because he did what God expected of him.
Now let’s stop there for just one moment. God said that, all the nations shall be blessed through Abraham’s seed, not just his family or the Israelites. All the nations and the seed is Jesus, the one descendant that will make it possible for us to gain salvation. So no more just one nation [The Israelites]. Now all who should call on the name of the Lord are the true nation of God (Romans 2:29).
How much clearer can it be than in Acts 17:26:
The Bible does have an answer for every question, and I feel this to be an important one around the world. What does the Bible teach about the topic?
In the beginning God created the first man and woman (Adam & Eve), most people would agree that they were of the same race/colour because Eve was made from Adam’s rib (Genesis 2:21). Then together they had Caine and Abel (Genesis 4:1-2), and as we all know, they had sibling rivalry where Cain killed Abel out of jealousy (Genesis 4:8). The Bible tells us that God cursed Cain because of this and with that curse came a mark. So that all who should find him, should know not to kill him out of vengeance (Genesis 4:15).
So was Cain the first person of a different colour? The Bible doesn’t say this, but it does say that God marked Cain. The Bible never says that his children or anybody else would be influenced by the mark. The Bible also clearly uses the singular form when talking about Cain being cursed and why do we completely miss the fact that God marked him [Cain] out of love. Cain expressed to God that everyone would kill him out of vengeance, and God being the loving God that He is: Still showed love towards him and warned all others that Cain should not be murdered (Genesis 4:15) so that he could live out his years.
Maybe the different races/colours/nations we have today come from Noah’s sons, each heading off in to their own direction and adapting to the environment, maybe from the tower of Babel? The Bible simply doesn’t say directly. There are a lot of different places where we can make assumptions, but assumptions put words in God’s mouth and I do not want to be the one putting words in to God’s mouth. So I stick to what it tells me directly.
So why is this such an important issue in the world? People don’t always like change and they usually don’t like it when things are different than what they are used to. We can’t deny the fact that people are different, they look different, they talk different, they act different and so the list goes on. Some groups of people just have a tendency to make a success and others seem to break everything down. Is this because some are white and some are black? No, it has to do with culture, religion, education, nutrition and this list goes on even longer.
There is no doubt that there are different nations around the world, and just to be more specific: According to Dictionary.com a nation is:
Noun: A large aggregate of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular country or territory.
Synonyms: people - folk - country - nationality - land – race
In short it is any group of people with some common history, culture, habitation or even race (Current or past).
So what does the Bible say about different cultures:
After Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son, which was the test God gave Abraham (Genesis 22:1). God told Abraham that all the nations of the world will be blessed through his seed (Genesis 22:18) because he did what God expected of him.
Now let’s stop there for just one moment. God said that, all the nations shall be blessed through Abraham’s seed, not just his family or the Israelites. All the nations and the seed is Jesus, the one descendant that will make it possible for us to gain salvation. So no more just one nation [The Israelites]. Now all who should call on the name of the Lord are the true nation of God (Romans 2:29).
How much clearer can it be than in Acts 17:26:
26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
The Bible clearly shows that all nations can receive the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts. Here is the text of that event in Acts 2:
Acts 2:5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven…
Acts 2:9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
Acts 2:10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
From these nations about 3000 people were saved (Acts 2:41). Jesus really did send us to every nation (Acts 1:8), thus meaning people from all places and cultures. No exceptions. Whether you like them or not, whether they are evil or not, Jesus came for us when we were at our worst and He said go to all the nations in love.
God wants us to welcome all people in to His family while keeping a firm foundation in Christ. Don't let the ungodly influence us. We should be influencing them to see that the only way to have life, is to accept the sacrifice of Jesus.
God truly does love all of us and He wants us to love each other. If you want to read the Bible with preconceived ideas that’s your choice, but I urge you in love, to take a honest look at the love God is showing all of us. Let's always do our best to work with God and not treat others with hate because they are different.
God wants us to welcome all people in to His family while keeping a firm foundation in Christ. Don't let the ungodly influence us. We should be influencing them to see that the only way to have life, is to accept the sacrifice of Jesus.
God truly does love all of us and He wants us to love each other. If you want to read the Bible with preconceived ideas that’s your choice, but I urge you in love, to take a honest look at the love God is showing all of us. Let's always do our best to work with God and not treat others with hate because they are different.