Acts 2:1 - When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. … 39 (Peter proclaimed:) “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” —Acts 2:1-5; 39 (ESV)
Human rights flow from one source:
How many races are there?
God made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth… —Acts 17:26 (ESV)
Racism is based on the theory that there are multiple human races, therefore one race can be
Racism is discrimination based on
“Racism is not dead, but it is on life support — kept alive by politicians, race hustlers and people who get a sense of superiority by denouncing others as ‘racists.’” —Thomas Sowell
Racism still exists and it has evil cousins like
Institutional and systemic racism is being defeated in America but
Why does racism exist in humans and human institutions?
“God does not show favoritism but accepts people from every nation.” —Acts 10:34-35 (NIV)
In Mark 11:15–19 Christ confronted
“Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’?” —– Jesus quoted Isaiah 56:7
We don’t need a
MY RESPONSE
BIBLE STUDY DEVOTIONAL
Ancient Athens (Greece) was a center of ethnic, cultural and religious pluralism from the 5th Century BC until when it was incorporated into the Roman Empire. It became one of the leading cities in the world and very religious, crammed with innumerable temples, shrines, altars, images and statues.
The Apostle Paul visited the Athenian philosophers and delivered this famous sermon: Acts 17:22-31
Read the sermon below and notice Paul’s four major points and how they address the issue of racism that was addressed by Pastor Jason on Sunday.
- God is the God of creation.
- God is the God of history.
- God is the God of revelation.
- God is the God of redemption.
Acts 17:22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’;as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ 29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” —Acts 17:22-31 (ESV)
First, Paul affirmed the unity of the human race, or the God of creation. For God had “made from one every nation of men” (v. 26), and all human beings are therefore his “offspring” (28– 29). All men and women, having been created in God’s image, are equal before him in worth, and therefore have an equal right to respect.
Write your thoughts here:
Second, Paul affirmed the diversity of ethnic cultures, or the God of history. For the “periods and the boundaries” of the nations are in God’s hand (v. 26). The apostle was probably alluding to the primeval command to multiply and fill the earth. It was certainly this human dispersal that inevitably resulted in the development of distinctive cultures. Now culture is the complement of nature. What is “natural” is God-given and inherited; what is “cultural” is man-made and learned.
Culture is an amalgam of the beliefs, values, customs, and institutions every society develops and transmits to the following generation. Scripture celebrates the colorful mosaic of human cultures and even declares that their “glory” will be brought into the New Jerusalem (Revelation 7:9; Rev 21:24). This being so, we should seek to ensure that human society remains multicultural and does not become monocultural—for cultural diversity is a source of human enrichment.
Write your thoughts here:
Third, Paul affirmed the finality of Jesus Christ, or the God of revelation. For “now he commands all men everywhere to repent,” having raised Jesus from the dead and appointed him the universal Judge (30–31). The apostle refuses to acquiesce in the multireligious condition of Athens. He does not hail the city as a living museum of religions. No, it’s idolatry was abhorrent to him. We learn, therefore, that to welcome the diversity of cultures does not imply an acquiescence in the diversity of religions. On the contrary, Christians who appreciate cultural achievement must at the same time resist the idolatry that lies at the heart of many cultures.
We cannot tolerate any rivals to Jesus Christ. They “provoke” us, as they did Paul (16). We must therefore proclaim to all mankind that the God they may “worship as unknown” (23) has actually made himself known, uniquely and decisively, in Jesus Christ.
Write your thoughts here:
Fourth, Paul affirmed the glory of the Christian community, or the God of redemption. For God acted through Jesus Christ to abolish the barriers that divide human beings from one another and to create a single new humanity. His fullest exposition of this theme is in Ephesians. Luke only hints at it in Acts 17 by mentioning two converts by name,“Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris” (v. 34). Here was the nucleus of the new society of Jesus, in which men and women of all social, ethnic, and cultural origins are reconciled to each other through him. Whatever policies a country may develop for ethnic integration, they must reflect and not compromise these four theological truths.
Because of the unity of the human race, we must demand equal rights for ethnic minorities. Because of the diversity of ethnic cultures, we must renounce cultural imperialism and seek to preserve the riches of every culture. Because of the finality of Jesus Christ, we must insist that religious freedom includes the right of Christians to propagate their faith, and we must not deny this right to others. Because of the glory of the new community in Christ, we must rid it of all lingering racism and strive to make it a model of multiracial harmony.
Write your thoughts here:
RESPONSE
1) Jesus calls all his followers to be peacemakers. We must pray, witness, and work to the end that the multiracial dream may come true. Write a prayer here to God expressing what you think and feel about these matters:
2) Consider alternative sources of information rather than mainstream media and social media. Find a trustworthy news source, an informative podcast, and a good book to read about Christianity’s influence in human rights and justice. List them here:
Devotional Source and excerpts from “Preserving the Richness of Racial Diversity” in Christ the Cornerstone: Collected Essays of John Stott.