After the fall in Genesis 3 the curse of the fall just settles in deeper and deeper awaiting the day that King Jesus would break the curse so that it would no longer “always be winter and never Christmas.”
We see that curse further deepen at Babel when man wants to make a name for himself by building tall buildings and rebel against the creation mandate of Genesis 1:26-28 and the Lord divides the nations and languages to force mankind to fill the earth and subdue it. But the curse has now set in by making language and culture a barrier rather than a glory. So God enacts his strategic and eternal plan in Genesis 12 by calling Abraham to be a light to the nations.
However, since that time the language and cultural barriers, due to the curse of the fall, have been a means by some to hate others who are not the same. Some say they don’t hate but they trumpet their superiority to the shame of others who are not like them in skin color and cultural values.
Part of what Jesus does in his coming, death, burial, resurrection and sending the Spirit is to make those barriers of culture and language go down in creating one new race, the people of the Kingdom of God. So all those who repent and believe the Gospel get the Spirit and their kinship is no longer defined by skin color or language or culture but by our good, loving and mighty adopted Father.
But there is a value conflict for now. Those who do not worship Jesus can treat others not of same color, culture and language with contempt. This was on display last Saturday in my town where a white supremacist group from another town (why pick out city?) gained a permit in our town to hold a rally for white supremacy. Meanwhile, on the same day, unknown t0 my wife, she, due to me speaking out of town and our other sons at various events, took our baby (not a baby anymore but will always be my baby) boy, who is African-American, to Ebenezer Baptist Church and the King center to teach him more about MLK and civil rights in America and how Dr. King fought for that. My son needs to know.
Here are the opposing values: one trumpets the supreme nature of their skin color the other values the skin color and mission of others fellow image bearers and potential citizens of God’s kingdom. One loves the other hates.
The point is not to put ourselves up on a stage and say, “look at us.”. The point is that the Kingdom has values opposed to the system of the world that is under the curse. Jesus breaks that curse and gives his values to his people. Those values will oppose. Those kingdom values will bring suffering. I’ve had to leave establishments because of being asked to because my baby son’s skin is not white. That hurts and it makes me fighting mad and I can’t shoot them for it (hyperbole, sort of, don’t get offended).
Part of our work at Christians is to take on God’s values and oppose the values of darkness. We are not to accumulate safety and security but to advance the rule of Jesus into every domain of society. We can’t do this by being ok with white supremacist rallies or any other supremacist rally. We are to engage, live out God’s values, joyfully receive the suffering it brings knowing those sufferings do not compare to the eternal weight of glory we have in Christ.
Take note of the opposing values and decide which one works for peace and which one stirs up hate. The Kingdom of Jesus is better, but it is laden with values that are opposed to the kingdom of darkness and may get you some licks. Jesus is better.
(My baby son at Ebenzer).
Theology in the Dirt 