There is a message coming forth from heaven today: “Become one, even as Christ and Abba are one. Step away from racism, political idolatry and crimes against humanity.” While this word is being written in the year 2019, this is not a new message. Racism, political idolatry and many crimes against humanity have been around since the fall of humanity in the Garden of Eden. These triple evils are all works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21).
With careful study, we can conclude that all of these works of the flesh are encompassed in acts of racism, political idolatry and crimes against humanity. Please consider that all of the ills and evil of the world are based in sinful roots; no amount of money or medication or psychiatric therapy will cure these ills.
There is a sin problem in the church as well as in the world. This is not news, but we must act now to address the obvious. Before we can honestly address the sins of the world, we must first clean our own houses and hearts (Rom. 2:1-3).
When we read John 3:16-17, we as Christians often forget that God’s love is not only for Christians but for everyone. We are often all too quick to point out the sins of the world while overlooking our own shortcomings. In order to serve God and humanity and to overcome the evils that are trying to overtake our homes, jobs, communities and our lives, we will need to approach this challenge God’s way.
I believe there are three primary sins of the flesh that have taken root in the world and the church today, and here is how the Bible encourages us to overcome them.
Racism. In the U.S., racism, particularly by whites against blacks, has created profound tension and conflict in virtually all aspects of American society. If Christians ever hope to break the bonds of racism, we must admit that we are members of one human race (Acts 17:26-30).
We must not be colorblind, for we serve a Jesus who gives sight to the blind. Rather, we must see and celebrate color as we lead the way by repenting of worshipping skin color and other ethnic attributes rather than joyfully embracing God’s gifts to every nation, tribe and tongue.
Political Idolatry. Political idolatry means putting hope and trust in political leaders and policies, hope and trust that should only be reserved for God and the work of the gospel. To worship God from the pulpit and the pews and then set Him aside at the polls is indicative of political idolatry. When the counterfeit political deity is threatened in any way, the response of political idolatry is complete panic. Rather than experiencing sober, reflective responses like “What a shame,” or “How difficult,” the political idolater will respond hopelessly, “This is the end!”
The determining factor here is whether one responds in faith or in fear. Faith is the victorious response. Fear is rooted in idolatry.
Romans 1:28-32 tells us that idolatry is exchanging the truth of God for a lie. It’s worshiping the creation rather than the Creator. Political idolatry exchanges the glory of God for the invitation for selfish ambitions to open the door for political strife. First Corinthians 10:14 teaches us to avoid political idolatry like the plague it is. Jude 22-23 encourages us to show grace and mercy in this process.
As Christians, we have the privilege and responsibility to participate in forming godly governments with our prayers and our votes. Wisdom would dictate that rather than vote for a political party, we must pray and then vote for liberty and truth.
Crimes against humanity. Crimes against humanity are certain acts that are deliberately committed as part of a widespread, systematic attack directed against any human being or an identifiable part of a human civilization. The first prosecution for crimes against humanity took place at the Nuremberg trials, but they weren’t the last such crimes. Today, examples of crimes against humanity include abortion, the oppression of the poor, human trafficking and genocide.
We cannot go on committing crimes against our fellow man when we hear the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:45 (NLT): “I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.”
In summary, the keyword must be love: love for God, humanity and ourselves. It is time for the church to be the light, lovingly leading humanity to Christ. Amen.
Alveda C. King is a creative Christian evangelist and civil rights activist. The niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., she serves as the executive director of civil rights for the unborn for Priests for Life and a guardian of the King family legacy. King is best known for her contributions in film, music, politics, literature, education and journalism.
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