Use Your Privilege
A John Ortberg Sermon Summary
Christianity is antithetical to racism.
Every person, no matter their race, is made in the image of God. God’s blessing through Abraham is to all peoples (Gen 12:3). The blessing has been realized through Christ, who sacrificed and died for all of us.
Christ accepted all sorts of people—prostitutes, lepers, disabled, tax collectors, and Samaritans.
The Israelites hated the Samaritans, but Christ befriended them. John 4:4 described Christ insisted on going through Samaria, though there were other paths. That trip depicted Christ having the longest conversation recorded in the Bible, and it was with a Samaritan woman. Later, He stayed with the Samaritans for two days (John 4:40). Other examples include Christ healing a Samaritan leper, and one of His most memorable parables featured a good Samaritan (Luke 17:11-19, Luke 10:25-37). Such behaviors irked the Jews to no end, causing some to even consider Him a Samaritan (John 8:48).
The early church did not separate Jews from Gentiles, or the uneducated (e.g., the Scythian) from the educated (Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11).
As to genetic differences based on skin color, they are in the 0.01 percent range. Genetic variations within a race are much higher than variations among different races.
In the US, slaves were initially Scots, Irishman, Englishmen, and others. Later, kidnapping people from Africa as slaves became a big business. One reason was because African slaves were much easier to track down if they ran away. Once here, they were isolated, oppressed, denied equal rights, and stripped of numerous opportunities.
Those who would discriminate based on skin color are driven by power and greed. It is a way to justify suppression and exploitation.
Christ tears down walls and facilitate reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:16-19).
Christ humbled Himself to become human and die for us (Philippians 2:5-8). He used His privilege for us.
Paul followed Christ and gave up his privilege as a Roman to spread the gospel to Gentiles.
We also should follow Christ and use our privilege to help those in need.
Fight racism with love. Instead of suppressing those different from us, include them and help them if they need it. Racism is a spiritual battle. Ask God to strengthen us to win it.
Summarized from a John Ortberg sermon
https://menlo.church/mountainview/series/use-your-privilege#/modal/message/6847/mlo_mv
Every person, no matter their race, is made in the image of God. God’s blessing through Abraham is to all peoples (Gen 12:3). The blessing has been realized through Christ, who sacrificed and died for all of us.
Christ accepted all sorts of people—prostitutes, lepers, disabled, tax collectors, and Samaritans.
The Israelites hated the Samaritans, but Christ befriended them. John 4:4 described Christ insisted on going through Samaria, though there were other paths. That trip depicted Christ having the longest conversation recorded in the Bible, and it was with a Samaritan woman. Later, He stayed with the Samaritans for two days (John 4:40). Other examples include Christ healing a Samaritan leper, and one of His most memorable parables featured a good Samaritan (Luke 17:11-19, Luke 10:25-37). Such behaviors irked the Jews to no end, causing some to even consider Him a Samaritan (John 8:48).
The early church did not separate Jews from Gentiles, or the uneducated (e.g., the Scythian) from the educated (Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11).
As to genetic differences based on skin color, they are in the 0.01 percent range. Genetic variations within a race are much higher than variations among different races.
In the US, slaves were initially Scots, Irishman, Englishmen, and others. Later, kidnapping people from Africa as slaves became a big business. One reason was because African slaves were much easier to track down if they ran away. Once here, they were isolated, oppressed, denied equal rights, and stripped of numerous opportunities.
Those who would discriminate based on skin color are driven by power and greed. It is a way to justify suppression and exploitation.
Christ tears down walls and facilitate reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:16-19).
Christ humbled Himself to become human and die for us (Philippians 2:5-8). He used His privilege for us.
Paul followed Christ and gave up his privilege as a Roman to spread the gospel to Gentiles.
We also should follow Christ and use our privilege to help those in need.
Fight racism with love. Instead of suppressing those different from us, include them and help them if they need it. Racism is a spiritual battle. Ask God to strengthen us to win it.
Summarized from a John Ortberg sermon
https://menlo.church/mountainview/series/use-your-privilege#/modal/message/6847/mlo_mv