What Does "All Israel will be saved" mean in Rom. 11.26?

With each new generation of believers, there seems to come a debate about the nature of salvation in regard to Israel and the church. Along with that come certain hermeneutical questions about what, if anything, the scriptures have to say about the future of ethnic Israel. From Bible conferences, to Hollywood movies, to seminary cafeterias this is a hotly debated topic. It seems in recent years that the literature has only increased and the debate has only intensified, as the gap between certain positions seems to widen. One does not have to watch cable news very long, or attend a Wednesday evening prayer meeting at a local Baptist church, before the conclusion is reached that people know they are supposed to think something about Israel but they are not always sure exactly what it is.

One of the most important passages in this discussion is Paul’s statement in Romans 11.26:

And in this way all Israel will be saved (ESV).

What does Paul mean when he writes that all of Israel will be saved in the end?

Survey of Viewpoints

Some argue that Paul is claiming that all Jews for all of history will be saved when it is all said and done. This is clearly not the case because the scriptures and history are filled with Israelites that have rejected Christ. There are many Jewish people today that reject that Jesus is the Christ.

            Others argue that Paul is stating that all living Jews at the time of the Second Advent will be saved. This also seems unlikely. One of the keys themes pertaining to the people of God throughout redemptive history is that there is always a believing remnant and a rejecting remainder. Paul says that, “not all who descend from Israel belong to Israel” (Rom. 9.6). And later he quotes Isaiah saying, “only a remnant of them will be saved” (Rom. 9.27).

A third view teaches that a large number of ethnic Jews will be saved at the second coming of Jesus. This is the viewpoint of Tom Schreiner. This view is respectable but I remain unconvinced. You have to remember that Romans 11 does not exist in a theological vacuum. Rom. 9-10 precedes it. The message of Rom. 9 is that even though most of Israel has rejected Christ, God is still saving some in his sovereign mercy. Jews, as a people, are not beyond redemption. The message of Rom. 10 is that the message of salvation is the same for all men. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10.13). There is no soteriological division between Jews and Gentiles; they are “one new man” in Christ (Eph. 2.15). All people are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2.8-9). Because this is true it seems antithetical that God would save both Jews and Gentiles through the gospel until the time of the second coming when he will save a large number of ethnic Jews en masse simply because Paul said it. Since the resurrection of Christ the only avenue of salvation is through the preaching of the gospel to all men everywhere (Mt. 28.18-20).

A fourth view is that in Rom. 11.26 “all Israel” refers to the new Israel of God, the church. This is the view of NT Wright. This view is incredibly persuasive and has biblical precedent. There is no doubt that the New Testament reinterprets the nature of the people of God so that it is not merely ethnic Jews but now all who are in Christ are the Israel of God (Gal. 6.16). Matthew’s gospel makes it clear that Jesus is the true Israel and all who trust in him are in turn members of the true Israel. The hopes and promises of Israel are fulfilled in the singular seed of Abraham, which is Jesus (Gal. 3.16). And now all who belong to Jesus inherit those blessings (Gal. 3.29; Eph. 1.3). But this does not necessarily mean that Paul is discussing the new Israel of God in Rom. 11.26. In fact, I believe it is ethnic Israel to which he is referring.

Rom. 11.26 Refers to All Ethnic Jews Who Trust in Christ During the Period Between His Two Advents

The fifth view is that Rom. 11.26 refers to all ethnic Jews who are saved during the two advents of Christ. This is the view held by Sam Storms and GK Beale. I believe this to be the correct understanding. In Rom. 9 Paul is clearly speaking about ethnic Jews when he writes about his “kinsmen according to the flesh.” He ties them to Isaac (v. 10) and Jacob (v. 13). And also distinguished between those ethnic Jews that believe and those who do not (v. 6). He begins chapter 11 by noting that he himself is an ethnic Jew and that God has not rejected him (v. 1). It only follows logically then that he would be discussing ethnic Jews in verse 26 because this is what he has been discussing in the context of chapters 9-11.

Paul also contrasts ethnic Jews with ethnic Gentiles in verses 11-24. Salvation has come to the Gentiles (v. 11) and they have been grafted in to Christ (v. 17). This is clearly not talking about spiritual gentiles, who are those who reject Christ, but ethnic Gentiles. It follows that in this chapter Paul is not discussing spiritual Israel, which is all who are in Christ, but ethnic Israel. Because Paul is writing about ethnic Jews in this passage and not spiritual Israel let me give a few reasons as to why I believe he is discussing every Jew who believes the gospel during the interadvental period and not a large number of ethnic Jews at the end of the age.

The Salvation of all of Israel Began with the Ministry of Paul

In Rom. 11.13-16 Paul ties the salvation of these Israelites to his ministry. The rejection of Israel has led to the salvation of the Gentiles. The salvation of the Gentiles, in turn, makes Israel jealous and brings her to Christ. Paul is the minister to the Gentiles and also his work is bringing salvation to Israel. If verse 26 were an eschatological en masse salvation then it would have nothing to do with the ministry of St. Paul. But Paul himself says that this work is tied to his ministry. In fact, Jews did begin to believe the gospel of Jesus when Paul was preaching and planting churches and his letters still bring some ethnic Jews the message of the gospel today. There is no doubt that Israel’s salvation throughout church history has been tied to and benefitted from Paul’s ministry.

The Riches for the Gentiles

In verse 12 of chapter eleven Paul says that the rejection of Israel has brought riches to the Gentiles and that their inclusion will bring even more riches. Again, if the phrase in verse 26 refers to a large-scale end-times salvation then how will this bring riches to the Gentiles? If then Jesus will have returned to raise the dead, judge the world and make all things new then surely all attention will be on him. But if he is speaking to the salvation of Israel throughout history then that certainly has, and will continue to, bring joy to the predominantly Gentile church. There is great joy in the people of God when a Jewish rejecter of Christ repents of their sin and trust in the righteousness of Jesus!

The Nature of Salvation

       If Rom. 11.26 teaches that a substantial number of ethnic Jews will be saved at the end of the age because of their ethnic Old Testament heritage, then Paul’s teaching here is antithetical to his teaching of salvation by grace through faith in the gospel of Christ that permeates the rest of his writing. In the preceding chapter, Romans 10, Paul teaches that all men are saved through the preaching of the gospel.

¹⁴ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? ¹⁵ And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

Ephesians 2-3 teaches that all men are saved by the gospel of Christ and that the dividing wall between Jews and Gentiles has been destroyed. If they are now “one new man” with the same hope then why would the Jews be singled out again with a unique salvation experience at the end of the age? The gospel is “the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1.16).

What is not contradictory is the understanding that Paul is teaching that the Jews are saved in the same manner as the Gentiles. All of Israel will be saved through the preaching of the gospel and through belief in the promises of God that have been fulfilled in Christ.

Evangelism, Good Works, and the Current Age: Why Paul can inform us on how Evangelicalism is to witness to a secular culture.

 I am not a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ by vocation. I do not have a theological education. I am not a deacon like Andrew is, a pastor like Alex is, or “worship” leader like Bethany may be referred to. I am by all means a layman in the church in which these dear people serve faithfully and for them I am very thankful. On a recent Wednesday night our church gathered to devote time to prayer, singing, and reading of the Christian Scripture. During this time I offered up the following passage that seems relevant to the church in evangelizing the communities around us and within. I preface this post with noting that I don’t intend to give an expositional verse by verse analysis here but instead intend to pull from this text implications that I believe Paul is giving for evangelicalism today. 

Titus 3:1-7
Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

The church has always faced challenges from every culture that it has penetrated and evangelicalism today is no exception. I think that as a second preface to this post it is important to keep in mind Titus 2:7-8 in which Paul pleads for the church to be a model of good works, to show integrity, dignity and sound speech in teaching that cannot be condemned in order that there may be “nothing evil to say about us”.

1) We must be the kind of people who understand authority and submission. We live in a culture that is antithetical to the very notion of authority and submission. Christians ought to be the kind of people that model what it means to be submissive to civil authorities, authority in the church, and in the family. This doesn’t mean that Christians ought to obey government orders that are unbiblical but it does mean that when the government is operating within its God-given powers that we are to submit. Arguably more important though for our purposes of evangelicalism is an understanding of authority and submission within the family unit and within the church. Paul is reminding them that in order to be shown blameless, to be shown living a faithful gospel witness they ought to remember these things. In modeling submission to authorities, to being people who understand obedience the church is preparing themselves for every good work because submission in obedience and understanding authority is reflective of the nature of God.

2) We must be the kind of people who engage in verbal godliness. Verbal godliness looks like being gracious and kind. There has been no shortage of hate-filled speech associated with professed Christians in the media, whether that is in protests, on bumper stickers, in the bars, or sometimes in pulpits. Paul writes, “to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people” (v.2) because in modeling good works the furthering of the gospel through evangelism is evident. This could mean that Christians stop joking about matters that are issues of deep identity to others. This could mean crucifying all legalistic thinking that we are better than anyone else for any reason.

3) When engaging in sanctification, the growing in godliness through the work of the Holy Spirit and the grace found in Christ, there is a logical reason why we ought to adhere to the words of Paul. The church ought to speak in grace and gentleness because they were no different. Paul says we were foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to passions and pleasures, malicious, envious, and drowning in hatred (v.3). Paul looks at the legalistic churchman who is whispering insults at that drunkard and says you were just as hopeless. He looks at the frustrated parent whose son is doing drugs in their bathroom thinking that they are too far gone and tells them you were just as hopeless. He looks at the businessmen driving home from downtown disgusted at that prostitute on the corner and says to him you were that hopeless. He looks to that self-righteous clergyman who is preaching hell but no cross to sexually immoral teenagers and tells him you were that hopeless. The Bible doesn’t set any man up for boasting in their own merit. On the contrary, all that man’s merit brings him is self-exaltation and eventual condemnation. Part of evangelizing to the world is to understand that people are indeed sinful, all people, all inclusive, everyone. There is no one who escapes this reality. There should be no such thing as a believer in Jesus Christ who doesn’t understand being gracious toward nonbelievers. The nature of your heart is that you were in the exact same crisis that everyone else was in. Every human being is born with an identity crisis; every human being is born worshipping their own desires. Every human being is born ultimately following after their heart.

4) The gospel of Jesus Christ is still true. There is no better message in the world than that when God looked down and saw sin and suffering in the world that he sent Jesus. When Jesus appeared, Paul writes, that he rescued us from our grave. We were spiritually dead and he saved us. Not based on our own works of righteousness but “according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (v.5). In this lavishing upon those who believe and trust in Jesus for the salvation of their sins they become heirs. Evangelicalism in dealing with the challenges of evangelism today will find no other fount than the blood of Christ. For here, and here alone, is where the hopeless find hope.

Gospel Community and the Benefit of Social Reading

"Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show." These words are what commence the great novel David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens, and serve to set up the fictional autobiography which follows. Why is the art of story so precious? What benefit is story to those who are in Christ? Why is it that people, generally, love a good opening line? These questions I myself have asked, and although I could give several answers, there is some mystery in the love of story-telling. The answers I do know are grand and beautiful concepts that could not be examined thoroughly within a context of a blog post, but I shall do my best. The most paramount answer is that we are formed in the image of God. Second, we love to be entertained, and third, it draws us closer to one another.

We love story, because we are formed in the image of God. I know of no one who understood this, and explained this better than J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien would say that myths exist to point towards one great myth. A myth which precedes all other myths, which stands above all other myths, and is actually true! Every other myth was to speak to this myth. Myths that praised heroism, loved goodness, and honored self-sacrifice look to this grand myth; the gospel of Jesus Christ. The story of a holy God sending his perfect Son to die a traitor's death in place of sinful men is the greatest story ever created, and it was created by the great author of creation. Stories are glimmers of light in the flame of the gospel. Stories point to the true narrative of the gospel, and the glory of God. Why does the reader hold onto the hope of Anne and Captain Wentworth coming together by the end of Persuasion? Because Anne is good, and honest, and true, and has won the heart of the readers. We want the good, honest, and true to succeed, because Jesus Christ, the only good, honest, true one, has succeeded himself.

We love to be entertained. Books are an avenue for us to delve into other worlds, see new people, and witness things new. We are as Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer in the wood between the worlds. The ring is our imagination, and the pools our books. We find pleasure in reading. I have found several people who have seemed a little embarassed when they have asked me what I enjoy doing, and when I respond with "I love to read," they then hesitatingly reply, "I don't really read." I often want to reply, "I'm not your high school english teacher. I don't care that you don't enjoy reading." Yet, I feel that it is not actually the reading that holds their distaste, but what they are reading that is not enjoyable. I understand that I enjoy an extremely wide variety of literature that others do not, but I firmly believe that if one finds a novel that meets their interests they will not be able to put that book down.

We love to read, because it draws us closer to one another. Three years ago my brother and I decided to read through Mere Christianity together. Less than a year ago my friend Alyssa and I decided to go through David Copperfield together. On both occasions of social reading, I and the other would read a certain amount of the book, then when we came together we would discuss. The conversations were lively, and highly enjoyable. Questions would come up of "What did the author mean by this?", "Who do you think is behind this event?", "What do you think of this character?", "When the author says this, how might it apply to ourselves today?", etc. These discussions would bring our friendships closer together. We would learn more about each other by seeing these stories through each others eyes. We were brothers and sisters in Christ talking about literature, learning about art, learning about ideas, learning about each other, and learning together how great and awesome God is for creating and blessing us with reading literature socially.

Unlike David Copperfield, I know I am not the hero of my life, but I do know who is; Jesus of Nazareth. Stories point to the grand story of the great hero who has conquered death; and when we read stories together we are reminded of the gospel, and together we grow in the gospel by that experience. Maybe you agree, but maybe you are still fighting me on reading. If so, that's okay. Be it watching films, playing sports, watching sports, gardening, cooking, music, or whatever. There are so many things which can be done to participate in gospel community. Do it, be filled!

My 5 Favorite Classes in Seminary

On May 14 I graduated with my Master of Divinity from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The M.Div. is a 96-hour graduate degree that includes areas of study like Systematic Theology, Church History, Greek, Hebrew, New Testament, Old Testament, and the like. The last four years of my academic life have poured into these thirty some odd classes and now that I am finished, although beginning doctoral work immediately, it seems appropriate to reflect on my five favorite courses that I took. I have ranked the five according to not only enjoyment but also benefit for my life and ministry.

1.     C.S. Lewis: His Life, Writings & Legacy

This course was my favorite by 100 miles. Everything about it was fun and engaging. Dr. Dan DeWitt, who is the Dean of Boyce College, taught the course and it was offered in a J-Term format, which means that I took the class for one week in the summer, Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm. DeWitt taught the class in true “Lewisian” style. We met in his office and the number of participants was small. Elements of the course included lectures on Lewis’ life and writing, both his fiction and academic works, and his legacy on the history of the church, especially his status as the Christian voice of the Twentieth Century. We also had lunch at an Irish Pub on Frankfort Ave., and interacted with documentaries and round tables about Lewis. The course work included reviewing a handful of Lewis’ books and writing a paper. I loved the content and format of this course and gained incredible insight into one of my favorite writers. The week was completely dedicated to talking, thinking and writing about C.S. Lewis with a cohort of guys who love him as much as I did. This elective is not merely my favorite course I took for my Master’s degree; it is without a doubt my favorite class I have ever taken.

2.     New Testament Theology

Another one of my favorite classes was New Testament Theology (NTT) with Dr. Tom Schreiner. Now that my degree is over, I wish that I had taken more classes with Dr. Schreiner. He is one of the most brilliant and humble professors I have ever engaged and I have benefited greatly from his writing, preaching and lecturing. The course was a thematic study of NTT and our primary textbook was Dr. Schreiner’s New Testament Theology. We also used Klink & Lockett’s book on biblical theology. Our primary assignment for the class was to write a 17-20 page paper on an issue in New Testament Theology. I wrote on “New Israel & Ethnic Israel in Paul.” The content of this class gave me a more comprehensive picture of NTT for my understanding and pastoral ministry. Schreiner led me into thinking more deeply about issues like the kingdom of God, new Israel, warning passages in Hebrews and theology of Revelation. There is no doubt that both my local church and myself will reap the benefit of this class for years to come.

3.     Elementary Greek

I would have bet you one year’s salary that Greek would never be on this list if you had asked me in 2011. When I took Greek in college I did not work very had and did not do very well. I did not fail the class at Boyce but I didn’t really care about it and just wanted to get through it. This all changed in seminary. I took Elementary Greek with Dr. Rob Plummer in the fall of 2012. When I began the course I decided that this time I would work hard and hope for a B. If I remember correctly, I probably studied about four hours a day, every day (you’d have to ask my wife if she remembers). I memorized my vocab and labored over paradigms constantly. The result of the work was 100% on exams and an A in the class. Don’t read this wrong, I am not saying that I am a Greek genius. I had to labor hard to do well. I am not the kind of guy who can pull down an A without studying. Even now I have not kept up with my languages and am not very proficient. But there was great benefit to that semester of Greek. 1.) It taught me how to really study. I am not talking about glancing at notes the night before a test. This class taught me about continual, systematic study. I studied every day. I built on what I learned earlier but always came back to the fundamentals. I currently use the habits developed in Greek to study for school and sermons regularly. 2.) It laid a foundation for my other language studies. When I took Greek Syntax and Exegesis the next semester I was prepared because of Elementary Greek. When it was time to take Elementary Hebrew and Hebrew Syntax and Exegesis I was prepared for the hours of work that I would need to put in (if there was one course I disliked more than Greek at Boyce it was Hebrew). The result was an A in all four language classes. 3.) It gave me a working knowledge of biblical languages. Again, I am no expert, but I can consult commentaries and engage the text in a way that is profitable for pastoral ministry. I am thankful for Dr. Plummer, who taught both of my SBTS Greek classes, because of his love for Jesus, the bible and his students. He made Greek a joy to learn which is something I never would have thought I would write.

4.     Doctrine of the Holy Spirit

This course makes the list, for the most part, because of the professor. Which is not to say the content was bad, in fact, it was very enjoyable. I took this class in December of 2013 with Dr. Chad Brand, who was a professor I had taken throughout college and seminary and I was also his Garrett Fellow from August of 2010 through January of 2013. Dr. Brand is one of the most engaging lecturers I have every heard and he is also an enjoyable man to talk to. I have many great memories of Dr. Brand. One particular memory being when he came out to Fordsville Baptist Church, where I was pastor in rural Kentucky, and lectured on the history of the King James Bible to a modest crowd on a stormy Wednesday evening. I am eternally grateful for how he poured into the life of this student. The Holy Spirit class engaged the doctrine of the Spirit from a biblical, theological and historical perspective. One of the most helpful discussions for my ministry was on the four texts in Acts that speak to baptism of the Spirit and the speaking of tongues. I currently hold the view that Dr. Brand put forth to us during that course. I always thought that if I ever did a Ph.D. that I would want to do it in Systematic Theology under Dr. Brand. That is how much I loved to study with him. Even though that path was not Lord’s will, I am glad to have studied under him during those years.

5.     Survey: Christian Ethics

     The list rounds out with one of the first classes I took when I started my M.Div. in the fall of 2011. Coming in to seminary from Boyce, I knew for sure that I wanted to take Survey of Christian Ethics with Dr. Russell Moore. Before he was elected as the President of the ERLC, Dr. Moore was the VP and Dean of the School of Theology at SBTS. He was also a pastor at Highview Baptist Church where Bethany and I attended before I became a Youth Pastor. I took Moore for Systematic Theology III in college and had heard nothing but good things about his Ethics course. The class certainly didn’t disappoint. I am not necessarily a huge fan of the study of ethics individually, or philosophy in general. I don’t hate philosophy and I have taken some philosophy courses during my academic career but I don’t have the love for it that Brett does. With that being said, Moore’s lectures were engaging, creative and challenging (in true Russell Moore fashion). The class ended with a paper addressing an ethical issue in the context of ministry. Moore was good at bringing you an ethical dilemma that challenged you to engage the gospel in real world situations. I am so glad that I was able to study under Dr. Moore before he left SBTS. He is one of my all time favorite professors and preachers and his influence has shaped my pastoral ministry in a way he will never know.

Racism and Gospel Witness: The Importance of being Dogmatic and Compassionate in Light of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ

Racism and Gospel Witness: The Importance of being Dogmatic and Compassionate in Light of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ

It is my belief that in order to work toward continual reconciliation it is inevitable that two elements be present, namely, dogmatic convictions and convictional compassion. It is my intention and hope to show that, in regard to racial issues, there is no answer ultimately more compelling than a robust understanding of the gospel. 

In discourse there are few, if any, better ways to effectively communicate than to understand what we are talking about by defining our terms up front. When I speak of the gospel I am explicitly speaking to the person and work of Jesus Christ; particularly in living a sinless life, dying an atoning substitutionary death, and resurrecting from the dead to secure those who believe and trust in him by faith for salvation. I am not going to go into depth by dissecting that, however, it is helpful to note what we are speaking about. By the gospel we are not talking vaguely about people loving people, or doing the right thing, or being a good person, we are talking about Jesus. 

In the Christian Scripture there is a significant doctrine from Genesis that has separated man from every beast that has ever walked the face of this earth. This doctrine is that of man being born in the image of God, i.e. imago Dei. This doctrine, of being born in the image of God, means that every man and woman born bears the likeness of God. This is seen through several different channels such as rationality, morality, communicable and relational being, etc. To just about any American who has lived through the Mid-20^th century to the present day, the introduction to this doctrine seems inevitably leading you to the discussion of the Civil Rights Movement. It was in the Civil Rights Movement where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. notably argued for racial equality based off of the assumption of the Christian understanding of human nature and the image which it reflected. 
Yet, where does this leave us for the sake of this post? Understanding what the gospel is, and what the gospel is not, is essential for the way issues of race are handled. The worldview in which I am looking at, and unashamedly so, is the worldview of Christianity, and then particularly the doctrine of the imago Dei. Why does an examination of the gospel as the person and work of Jesus Christ shape the way we deal with racial issues? Is the gospel witness affected by the way we deal with racial issues? In what ways does being dogmatic and compassionate help shape a gospel witness when dealing with racial issues? These are all important questions if the doctrines of the Christian Scripture are true, and they are indeed!

Why does an examination of the gospel as the person and work of Jesus Christ shape the way we deal with racial issues? When we examine the gospel of Jesus we see that the story of all men and women are indeed the same. For all of the differences throughout history- be that cultural, philosophical, political, social- all of mankind has shared one central motif in their heart. Every man and woman who has been born in flesh has set as their holistic hope to be glorified and praised. The centrality of the heart for the sinful man is his own glory. Jesus, the rightful king of the cosmos, being betrayed for the kingship of another can arguably be the greatest example of treason on the grandest scale. Thus, understanding the person and work of Jesus Christ leaves no man in a place to boast over anything. All men have sinned (Romans 3:23). There is no people group left out according to St. Paul. There is no group of color who does not fall in this category, and thus, stand condemned and guilty of sin against a holy God. Paul eradicates any basis for a white-supremacy anthropology.

Is the gospel witness affected by the way we deal with racial issues? This is a tough question, because the grace of God often works in spite of Christians. However, I am inclined to think that the gospel witness is affected by the way that we deal with issues to which gospel implications speak. The gospel explicitly and intentionally sets no human up for boasting (Ephesians 2). Due to this particular truth of the gospel it logically follows that no race can escape the guilt of sin, and thus, supremacy of race is irrational. The gospel witness calls believers to preach the gospel to their communities; this is evidenced by the book of Acts, and among other examples in the apostles writing to churches. It may not be true to every situation, that your local community is a very diverse group, but the principle remains the same; how you deal with your fellow man will speak volumes as to your view of their value. One cannot simply stand in the position of the tax collector on the corner being thankful for his merit because, he has nothing commendable to boast. The value in mankind is not in his merit, but in the merit of whose image he bears. Shaming a fellow human for the basis of their skin tone is not merely a personal and societal problem, it is an anthropological problem that is rooted in theological truth, namely that God intends for humans to bear his image.

Here I have intentionally spoken more about dogmatic matters because, I fear that there is temptation to fall into a dangerous notion that if everybody loves everybody then all will be well. Loving each other apart from recognizing the root of why we ought to love one another will, I believe, show itself to be shallow and void of being truly loving to each other. The heart of man, being born in sin, seeks continuously to sin and only by the grace of God through the ministry of the Holy Spirit is man able to come to understand that mankind has a reason to love one another. John 13:34-35 explicitly states that mankind ought to love one another, the reason being, Christ has loved us. The old saying is true, doctrine divides. Dogmatic or doctrinal issues will always provide a dividing territory, because the sinful spirit fights against truth. But nowhere in philosophy or religion is there a more compelling reason to actually love one another than in the implications of the gospel. This here is the beginning of compassion that complements doctrine; not contradicting it.

Some practical ways I think the church can stand as a light in the realm of racial reconciliation is to live confessional. Confessional both of living sinners, as well as those purchased and secured by Jesus Christ himself. The security of the believer in Jesus is as secure as is the resurrected body of Jesus; so take heart. The church can be the people who, through the work of the Holy Spirit, can avoid legalism as well as lawlessness. The church can be a place where people come confessing personal sins of racism as well as confessing being part of furthering systemic racism. The church can be a place where the spirit that was Jim Crow can be crucified while the spirit of Jesus floods the plains of repenting hearts. And may we be honest; there is sin to be repented of. As I write this I am reminded that I am a young white male who will likely never face half the mistreatment from authority that my brothers and sisters who are minorities will. I am doubtful, that if I ever have children, I will face the fears that some of my African American brothers carry who have children. I’ve known people who live as though they would rather have their daughter bring home Don Draper than Trip Lee, and that is sinful. Let us live preaching that our sin is great. But please, let us live preaching that the grace of Jesus is greater still.