The Bible and Human Equality

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

We are all from the same race – the human race. God created humankind in God’s image – male and female (Gen 1:26). Scripture uses the word “race” to describe people in the Bible as one blood (Acts 17:26) descending from one man, Adam, and one woman, Eve (1 Cor 15:45).

Race is a social construct developed from human interrelationships, not from God’s design. One modern definition of race is: “any of the major biological divisions of people distinguished by color and hair texture, color of skin, eyes, stature, and bodily proportions.” Both the Old Testament and the New Testament show that God does not assign any significance to race. Rather, when God spoke to groups of people it was according to their nationality, not race.

The Bible distinguishes people according to their familial origins, nationality, geography and language. Using one’s nationality as a weapon or strike against that person was later developed as a result of Yahwism becoming exclusive during the biblical period. This was an attempt to keep the Jewish lineage free from assimilation. Assimilation was discouraged because it brought with it the introduction and worship of other gods. It was never about race.

Idolatry, or the worship of other gods, was believed to bring the wrath of God upon the people of Israel and put into play the curses of the covenant God made with Moses and the Hebrew ex-slaves on Mount Sinai. As time moved on, threats to their survival as the chosen people of God played a major role in the narrative of the Bible at the hands of its later redactors.

This article will provide a brief review of some of the biblical misinterpretations used to create racial injustice and inequality, the biblical response addressing the consequences of these scriptures, and the resolution the Bible offers to make us a kinder and gentler community. 

Source of Misinterpretation

The Bible, primarily written by men, reflects the prejudices of its writers, editors, and redactors. Two of the well-known biblical texts (although there are others) quoted and used to support racism are, of course, the Noah and Ham narrative (Gen 9:25), and the mark of Cain story (Gen 4:11-15). Preachers have taught that God cursed Ham, but the text says that Noah cursed Canaan, his grandson! Canaan’s descendants were to be slaves to the descendants of his brothers, Shem and Japheth. Because the descendants of Ham can be traced to the continent of Africa, this misinterpretation was used to justify slavery. The mark of Cain, on the other hand, was falsely identified as his skin turning black. 

However, the first rule of biblical interpretation is context. One can make the Bible say whatever one wants by isolating and misusing individual verses to support a preconceived thesis and erroneous doctrine. But once examined, the original context must submit to the various categories of criticism (form, source, historical). It then becomes obvious that one cannot transpose an incident or statement found in the Bible, forcing it to say or mean today what it did not mean 5,000 years ago!

Both examples have been taught to justify racial inequality for thousands of years throughout the world, often by Christian missionaries. The darker the skin tone, the more prone one was to experience racism and prejudice. One of the reasons I decided to pursue a PhD in Biblical Studies was to acquire the skills to denounce the myth that people with dark skin were genetically inferior to people of light skin based solely on some biblical texts. 

Some New Testament texts are also quoted to support discrimination and prejudice against different peoples, and women especially. The most familiar is the relationship, or lack thereof, between the Samaritans and the Jews or the Jews and Gentiles. When Gentiles came into the presence of Jews, they could be labeled “unclean.”  At times Jews used their chosen status to look down on Gentiles, seeing them as “dogs.”

These examples of injustice and inequality are numerous throughout the Bible. Yet, God’s word tends to counter the racial injustice and speak truth to power when it has reached a level that disrespects God’s character and interaction with peoples within God’s creation. 

The next section of this article will look at some scriptures that support and promote racial/national justice and equality for all, whether Jew or Gentile, male or female, slave or free. 

References from the Old Testament

GENESIS 1:27 

We begin at the beginning! Genesis 1:27 reads, “Let us make humanity in our image.” Can equality read any clearer? God made all peoples in God’s image. We are one people under God, endowed with inalienable rights written in our spiritual DNA. Initially we were the descendants of Adam and Eve. After the flood, we became related through the three sons of Noah, who were mandated by God to be fruitful and multiply. 

GENESIS 22:18

“And in your seed Abraham, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” God has determined that because of the righteousness and obedience of Abraham, all future nations would be blessed. Again, race is not a category in the Bible, only families, tribes, and nations. Therefore, this is an inclusive statement and blessings are guaranteed under the banner of “sons and daughters of Abraham.”

The Bible does not ignore the ethnic background or nationality of Abraham. Nor does God shy away from promising blessings and giving warnings to those who choose to disobey God’s laws. That is the criterion for inheriting the blessings of Abraham, not race. God’s choosing Israel was not just about Israel; it was about making God’s name known and offering salvation to the rest of the world, eventually through the God-man, Jesus. 

EXODUS 20

The Ten Commandments were ethical and moral standards developed to create a just and equal society among the twelve tribes who were living for 40 years in the wilderness. The fourth commandment in particular, Remember the Sabbath, did not discriminate. It included every level of society, including women, children, and slaves. Scholars have identified similarities between the Ten Commandments and Hammurabi’s Code. Hammurabi was the sixth king in the Amorite line and reigned over the great city of Babylon. His code was engraved on a solid stele of black diorite nearly 8 feet tall. An archaeologist discovered the stele 3,000 years later. 

The Hammurabi Code places emphasis on the treatment of “widows and orphans, the poor and the immigrant.” Hammurabi believed, as king of Babylon, his role was to promote the welfare of the people, to cause justice to prevail in the land, to destroy the wicked and the evil, that the strong might not oppress the weak (Code of Hammurabi, Sections 196, 197, 200). The Mosaic Law focused on creating harmony and justice among the Jewish people, though rooted in the exclusive worship of the one God, Yahweh. 

ZECHARIAH 7:10

“Do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the stranger, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.” The prophets were dedicated to promoting justice and equality among all the people of God. This is true in the books of Amos and Micah as well. Israel’s punishment was the result of her mistreatment of those who were on a different social stratum than the leaders of the community. There was no social justice, and the poor were discriminated against and oftentimes had their land stolen from them on false charges. This sometimes resulted in them submitting their whole family to slavery to pay off their debts. This practice enraged God, and the prophets warned the kings of the doom they were about to bring on Israel as a nation. 

References from the New Testament

MATTHEW 5 AND LUKE 6 

Matthew 5 and Luke 6 contain the Beatitudes, which address the injustice and oppression of Israelite society by teaching that those who follow Christ will repeal the injustices and inequalities of society. Followers of Christ are to respond to hate, malice and violence with the Love Principle – “love one another as I have loved you,” and the Golden Rule – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” These two principles are the foundation for a just and equal society.

ACTS 10: 9-16

This text speaks about the equality of all God’s people. The Apostle Peter has a vision, and in this vision God lowers down a sheet from heaven with many animals, clean and unclean according to Jewish kosher laws. God then tells Peter to eat the animals. Peter refuses and declares that nothing unclean has ever gone into his mouth. It is at this moment that God declares to Peter that nothing God has made is unclean. Remember, each day of creation ended with the acclamation, “And it was good.” This was a metaphor for the Gentiles receiving the Gospel message and the Holy Spirit. 

ACTS 17:26

In this text, the Apostle Paul gives a speech to those gathered in Athens. These Gentiles were told that “From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live.” Paul declared himself “an Apostle to the Gentiles” after being rejected by his own people. His message speaks of justice and equality that is ordained by God through one ancestor. God dispersed God’s family throughout the whole earth in hopes that they would search for God. Their locations (Africa, Asia, South America, India) were irrelevant and do not determine or establish inferiority in any way, shape or form.

ROMANS 12:20-21

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink…. Do not be overcome by evil; but overcome evil with good.” Paul writes these words to the Church in Rome in order to create an atmosphere of justice and equality among the believers. The believers consisted of both Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor. Even when they feel wronged, they must not retaliate against one another, nor seek vengeance. They must continue to treat fellow believers as members of the family of God. Vengeance belongs to God. 

ROMANS 15:1

“We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” The first step to achieving social justice and equality is to put others first for the good of the whole community. We all have shortcomings and missteps, but that is no reason to mistreat the one who has fallen. Instead Paul teaches the believers in Rome to uphold one another, and not inflict injustice or suffering on another because they do not measure up to our standards (color, size, location, education, poverty). 

1 CORINTHIAN 13

This text is famously called Paul’s love letter to the Corinthian Church. He had fallen out with them over different issues, especially over the poor members being disrespected by the wealthy members in the Church. But when all was said and done, Paul’s motive was always out of love. For the Apostle Paul, when all else fails, give and live in love. 1 Peter 4 says, “Love covers a multitude of sins.” When we realize we are evidence of God’s love, we are then mandated to see others through the lenses of God’s love. 

GALATIANS 3:28; JOHN 3:16

“There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.” This is the most equalizing scripture in the New Testament, coupled with John 3:16 (“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”) Through these two passages of scripture, equality is based on faith in Jesus the Christ, not nationality, gender, social status, or outside appearance.

God is no respecter of persons! (Acts 10:34). When we choose to segregate, manipulate, denigrate, and castrate other members of God’s family, we are in violation of God’s holy word and promote a culture that is counter to God’s inclusive love. 

JAMES 2:5

“Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters, has not God chosen the poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom…? But you have dishonored the poor.” James is very clear about the mistreatment of the poor. Poverty of one group over another is not ordained by God and is the result of the misinterpretation of scripture. Abraham was blessed bountifully, so some Christians have used Abraham’s prosperity as a model and taught that the rich are the blessed and chosen people of God; the poor somehow are destined to a lifetime of poverty and oppression. James counters this view in his book. He attacks any form of partiality shown toward the rich. In James’s teaching, this leads one to arrogance and self-confidence that separates the rich from God and lends to callous injustice.

CONCLUSION

The Bible is very vocal on how people should treat one another. When status became an obstacle to doing the right thing and honoring God, the prophets were sent to warn the people and try to get them back on the right track. However, when Christianity merged with different cultures and societies where it was located, God’s divine will for justice and equality for all God’s creation got lost in the works of the flesh (“fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, and carousing,” Gal 5:19-20). The only way we can turn the situation around is to embrace and practice the gifts of the Holy Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. AMEN!

The Rev. Dr. Debra M. Bass is Associate Professor of Religion and Theology at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, AL, and a member of Firebrand’s editorial board. She is an elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.