Imagine you are standing in court before the judge. The evidence has been presented, and you have been found guilty of committing a great crime. Your sentence is certainly coming, and it will be terrible: you will be faced with a fine so large you will never be able to pay it off, even if you work for the rest of your life. It will mean isolation, suffering, and death.

Do you have a favorite movie or TV show from your childhood? Mine was The Lone Ranger. It was incredible how he could sense someone’s need for help, out-shoot, out-think, out-ride, and out-fight everyone, restore order, put the bad guys behind bars, and wrap up every detail in just 30 minutes, while still managing to sneak away in the last scene, so the people he had helped would be left saying “I never even got to thank him!” and “Who was that masked man?” To me as a nine-year-old, that formula never got old!

It can be difficult to define “justice” when put on the spot. Many of the greatest philosophers of the Western tradition, from the ancient Greeks and Romans to the doctoral professors of the 21st Century have struggled with the question, “what is justice?” But amazingly, even when we can’t define it, we all somehow know that justice is important.

In this series of articles, we will dig deeply into Scripture to see what God’s Word says about justice, and how we can to apply it to our lives and to our culture. The Bible’s teaching may surprise or upset you, but remember that we are seeking wisdom from God — looking to discover what the whole of His Word truly says, not just what we would like it to say.

In the aftermath of the death of Botham Jean, many people were rioting. Most were heartbroken or angry. Most wanted justice. But Brandt Jean spoke words of such supernatural power that they were shocking to those in the courtroom. His words are still shocking today.

A slave girl. A slave boy. They had suffered unspeakable pain. They had been separated from friends and family. He was thrown in prison because of false accusations. She was made to serve those who had likely ordered the raid on her homeland. How would they respond to those who wronged them?

In the last article we learned the importance of bringing justice to a culture through biblical restitution. But before we start implementing reparations, there are two common misunderstandings that must be cleared up.

They were out to have a good time. It was a day trip with family and friends. A chance to create some memories.

Three young people from California—all in their twenties—were hiking in Yosemite National Park. They climbed up the steep and slippery Mist Trail until they reached Vernal Fall. It is one of Yosemite’s most popular and spectacular waterfalls.

It was a crystal clear, beautiful day.

There was a metal guardrail. It had been placed there by park authorities to keep visitors away from the swift-moving water of the Merced River. Just 25 feet from the precipice of the fall, the young people crossed over the guardrail and entered the water.

We’ve seen that racism is sin, that Jesus is the antidote for sin, and that heart change stems from the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit when we submit our lives to Him. We know that because of the fall, sin cannot be fully eliminated before Heaven. So, what is to be done when someone commits the sin of racism against their fellow man?

What happens to a country if there are bad laws? What about when those individuals tasked with implementing the laws don’t do it fairly? These are issues that God deeply cares about.

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. 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 because of their “race.”

Slavery, like all other vices, has been around since early human history – at least as far back as the Ancient Egyptian Empire, but likely reaching back to Noah and the tower of Babel. Sinful man has always used the mistreatment of his brothers to vault himself into personal power, and oppressive slavery has been used again and again to further that end.

The world is a messed-up place. There is pain, separation, brokenness, and death. Our fallen nature causes people to divide each other into groups defined by physical characteristics, and to treat each other horribly based on those groups. People lie, cheat, steal, and murder.

God calls this wickedness sin, and in the previous articles we have seen 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.

He’s short of stature, slight of build. He’s youthful, informal, and seems a bit like the comedian he once was. He looks more like the guy standing next to you at the pizza place on a Friday night, waiting for his take-out order, than a head of state.

Whatever seemed ordinary about Volodymyr Zelensky a mere fortnight ago is suddenly eclipsed by a courage that is truly extraordinary.

Do you believe in things you can’t see?

I hope so, because there is an abundance of real things we experience in the physical world that we cannot see. Take a minute and think of a few of them. What did you come up with? Some examples are the wind, radio waves, and the force of gravity. But there is another part of life, a whole dimension past the physical, that we cannot see or smell or feel, and yet it is the most real part of life. It’s the spiritual realm.

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.

Even though the word “racism” never appears in the Bible, God’s Word takes an incontrovertible stand against this sin. It is not mentioned specifically because it is actually a subset of other sins which are directly and strongly opposed: favoritism, partiality, and injustice.

Jesus came to bring healing in the midst of extreme social division and hurt. He was acutely aware of the fact that, while he was physically thirsty and in danger of death, this woman was desperately thirsty spiritually, and in danger of spiritual death. And Christ knew that he himself was the only possible solution to her problem.

The charges of racism levied against the United States of America are deadly serious. Many are wounded physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually as a result of the division and injustice that come from this sin. In light of this, the most important questions we can ask are, “What does the Bible say about racism? What is God’s prescription for healing, peace, and reconciliation in our culture?” Let’s start by reading John chapter 4.

The right to life is a human right. Our defense of that right is a joyful witness to the beauty and dignity of every human person. Pray about coming to Washington DC with us as we march in one of the most historic years for the pro-life movement in our national history. Join with Christians Engaged as we participate in this historic event! We would LOVE for you to hang out with us!

We are finalizing our first Season (55 episodes) of our Conversations with Christians Engaged podcast this week and I have been reflecting on some of my favorite interviews since we started this fun adventure in June 2020. Will you join me on a journey of remembrance over my personal top 10 podcasts?

It seems that the United States of America is getting a bad rap. Americans are frequently criticized for being selfish, materialistic, and self-absorbed – “greedy capitalists”. But is this true? The U.S. actual giving has increased from $54 billion to $390 billion between 1954 and 2016.