So my posts about becoming an American has been generating some great on- and off-line conversations and comments about citizenship, identity, etc.
My job involves engaging people into the conversation about multiethnicity/multiculturalism & Christianity. The conversations are always rich and often difficult. A question that “AS” brought up in her comment is one that often bubbles up to the surface:
What does it mean to say that “God doesn’t care if you’re black or white, male or female, rich or poor?”
What do you think? Does God care? Does it matter to God?
Jesus says in the sermon on the mount “blessed are the poor in spirit.” At times wealth is mentioned in Scripture, it is not counted a sin to be wealthy or poor. It is a sin, however, to covet money or the materials and lifestyle that money may offer.
To be poor in spirit is important to our Lord. To be poor in monetary assets is not to an extent. God does not criticize or devalue any status of wealth in the Bible in and of wealth itself.
I’ll let others comment on race and sex.
This is a great question! Particularly the “white/black” reference — My pastor often says 2 things that leave a funny taste in my mouth: 1) God is not a respecter of persons or b) he’ll sing that song about “Jesus loves the little children,All the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, All are precious in His sight.”
Personally, I do believe that God cares that you are an Asian American or that I am a Caucasian. Our ethnicity has a major role in our lives and in our walk with Jesus. While that’s true, us as followers of Jesus have our primary identity found not in our ethnicity, but in that we are children of God.
It seems that statement implies that God doesn’t discriminate, that he doesn’t treat you better or worse based on those factors. It’s different than looking at how God created you uniquely and the blessings that come with it.
1. God’s saving grace is offered to all people regardless of race, gender, etc. through Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:26-29
26You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
2. God wants unity among His children. What matters is that “Christ is all, and is in all” among His children, not what we are (race, gender, occupation)
Colossians 3:5-14
5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Gina
Hello all, jumping into the convo here which I traced over from Profrah’s blog.
“God’s saving grace is offered to all people regardless of race, gender, etc. through Christ Jesus.”
but I would add not at the expense of those things.
The tendency today is to compartmentalize our faith from our culture, or skin tone, or gender, as if our faith could be practiced in a bubble (not to suggest this is what you’re saying gina)
but it is quite endemic to the church.
All to say we can’t separate our faith from our identity; they are parts of the same package, facets of the same crystal.
just came accross your blog via the angry dude.
christian asian french man here struggling with traditions and identity issues!
subscribed!