What steps can I take to stand against racial injustice?
Genesis 1:27So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
The first step for standing against racial injustice is to remember that all people are made in God’s image. Every person has a fundamental dignity and worth.
Romans 10:11-13As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Galatians 3:28There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 3:11It doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.
The second step is to realize that all people of every race and culture are welcome and equal in Christ.
Leviticus 24:22“This same standard applies both to native-born Israelites and to the foreigners living among you. I am the Lord your God.”
Psalm 146:5-9Joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God. He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever. He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The Lord frees the prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly. The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.
Jeremiah 9:23-24This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
The third step is to renew our commitment to doing what God wants, even when it may be difficult or costly.
Matthew 25:34-36“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’”
Mark 12:31“The second [commandment] is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
James 2:15-17Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
The fourth step is to reach out with compassion and love to those who are being oppressed and discriminated against.
Luke 4:17-19The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He [Jesus] unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”
Revelation 7:9After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands.
The fifth step is to rejoice that God’s people are from “every nation and tribe and people and language” and that one day we will be reunited and praising God together in his eternal Kingdom.
