Proper Biblical Categories (The Bible’s Answer for Racism, Part 4)
By Ben Quine
**This article is the beginning of a series helping us navigate this issue of racism in our world from a Biblical perspective. To read all of Ben’s articles on this subject - click on his name above by the date published and it will sort all of this articles in one place.
In the previous article (One Human Family), we saw that according to the Bible, the sin of Racism is the unequal treatment of people because of their skin color, or the devaluing of someone or some group because of physical characteristics. God is very careful to instruct His people not to favor the poor or the rich, the powerful or the powerless, and He wants equal justice to be shown to all without favoritism (Leviticus 19:15). Biblical justice requires everyone to be treated equally under the law. Racism is inherently unjust because it insists on giving some people special treatment while intentionally holding back or punishing others, (e.g. Jim Crow Laws, Modern Social Justice, Critical Race Theory, and “Anti-Racism”).
God did not create multiple races, He created one human race. The idea that there are multiple races is entirely false and unbiblical. The Bible never groups people by skin color or other physical characteristics. The Bible never describes or defines a race or races. In God’s Word all people are part of one family, and we are all equal biologically. There are no superior colors and no superior blood lines.
But there are legitimate categories utilized by Scripture to classify and group people.
From these the coastland peoples spread in their lands, each with his own language, by their clans, in their nations. (Genesis 10:5)
This passage lists four main social categories employed by Scripture: geography (coastlands), language, family (clans), and citizenship (nations). First let’s talk about language…
Now the whole earth had one language and the same words… Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth. (Genesis 11:1, 4-9)
1. The many languages on the earth (though very beautiful!) initially came as a judgement upon humanity’s desire to pursue self-sufficiency without God, banding together in one location to create a city where they could disobey Him without consequence. He had told them to be fruitful and fill the earth, (Genesis 1:28, 9:1), and instead they crafted a tower to reach themselves into heaven. So God confused communication deliberately to divide humanity in order to limit group sin.
You shall not move your neighbor’s landmark, which the men of old have set, in the inheritance that you will hold in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess. (Deuteronomy 19:14)
2. Second, God cares deeply that individuals have private property, and land ownership (defined by clear borders and boundaries) is vital for a healthy society. Also, the geographical location we live in is an important part of who we are, as people. When God created an economy for His people, one of the first things He did was allot land to each family.
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. (Exodus 20:12)
But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (I Timothy 5:8)
3. Third, people are classified according to clans, defined as a large family of several generations (not a race!), and also an immediate family. Parents are to prioritize their children, and children are to honor their parents.
But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. (Jeremiah 29:7)
Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. (I Peter 2:13-14)
4. Finally, people are categorized according to their nations. Citizenship is vitally important for society. That’s why God calls governments to protect their people, and He calls everyone to be good citizens.
It is wonderful to identify oneself by one’s family, language, and country. It’s just fine to be identified as a Roman citizen, an American, a Brazilian, a Hungarian, a Malaysian; it’s fine to be an English speaker, a Japanese speaker, a Hindi speaker, or a Nali speaker; it’s fine to be part of the Quine family, or the Rachmaninoff family, or the Agwuegbo family. But it is tremendously important to remember that an individual’s value is never determined by any of these classifications. And we don’t put others down because they speak another language, belong to a different family, or come from a different country!
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. (Philippians 2:3 - NKJV)
And we should not be identifying ourselves according to skin color, especially since each skin tone is as unique as each fingerprint. We should not group others into skin color groups, because the Bible does not endorse that kind of classification. Celebrate the beauty and artistry of every shade of color, every nuance of eye and nose shape, every degree of hair curling. We are all lovingly, intricately crafted by God uniquely – every person is a masterpiece of His design.
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
(Psalm 139:13-16)
On this topic, another important Biblical category is gender. God’s choice of our gender is a unique classification, because its lifelong ramifications encompass the contrasting roles He has given to men and women. Attempting to alter God’s choice for us in this area can only be done at the price of great personal harm.
The Bible also provides spiritual classifications: foolish or wise; wicked or righteous; spiritually dead or spiritually alive; children of the devil or children of God. (We’ll cover the spiritual aspect of racism in our next article!) Praise the Lord, He has made a way for us to move from the category of being spiritually dead to being alive in Christ!
Again and again, we see the Bible utilize specific social criteria to categorize people. These categories are healthy, and they promote healthy societies. But Scripture does not identify or group people by skin color or other physical characteristics. Remember, God’s ways bring health, peace, and life; we must resist the pressure of the world and refuse to group people according to “race,” since we are all brothers and sisters in the human race.
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ABOUT BEN
Connect with him at Cornerstone Curriculum
Ben Quine, the second son of David and Shirley Quine, was blessed to grow up with a Charlotte Mason/Dr. Schaeffer/Biblical Worldview education -- a tremendous gift! Through the years, Ben has served as a Cornerstone consultant, assistant, and co-author. He has written several Bible studies for the Answers for Difficult Days series, which equips churches to address the issues our culture is wrestling with today, from the foundation of Scripture. Ben is also the editor of The Worldview Library, editions of classical literature with student helps that afford the reader a deeper understanding of the concepts presented in each work.
Trained as a classical pianist and instructor, Ben is committed to inspiring his students with the love of great music and equipping them with the tools to perform at the highest level. This training has resulted in his students' successful performances from local festivals and competitions to Carnegie Hall.
Ben loves Shakespeare, Dickens, photography, listening to recordings of "the great pianists", running, biking, and spending time with his wife Julie and their three sons.