This message is primarily for those who call on the name of Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior from sin, and serve as a Chaplain or a gospel minister in a jail, prison or a follow-up ministry such as a rescue mission – in the United States.
All Scripture quotes are usually taken from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. When quoting a text, any deviation from the NKJV text is placed within parenthesis signs (). These usually occur as direct translations from the original languages, or as notes from the original setting to help apply the text to today’s culture.
ALL CAPITAL LETTERS are sometimes used to emphasize words in a text, or to make a comment about a biblical text, or emphasize a statement.
Dear Chaplains or correctional and rescue ministers, this month I want to again address the problem and issue of ethnic hatred. It is commonly called: “Racism” or “Racial tension.” Whatever it is called - it is sin.
I personally think the government and the media’s emphasis on “Diversity,” rather than helping - has contributed to the problem. If American leaders really want unity at any level, they ought to emphasize what we have in common - not what makes us different.
I have dealt with this issue at least twice in the last 114 Chaplain’s Corner messages (in March 2001 and April, 2003). However, the current climate in America and more specifically - in places of incarceration, has made this particular sin a hot issue. In other words, there is an ongoing increase of this problem in our society right now.
I know many people (adults 30 years old and upwards) who have said to me that they feel racial tensions are worse now than ever before in their own lifetime. When you look at this problem biblically, at least four issues are contributing factors: bad theology, a lack of forgiveness, fear and pride. I will deal with the first two of those four in this month’s message and then Lord willing, next month with the fear of other people, and pride.
CORRECTING BAD THEOLOGY:
Wrong thoughts of God are idols made up by men’s minds. As you teach inmates and others you need to start with God as the Creator and Designer of each and every human being. (See last month’s Chaplain’s Corner).
Remember, the cause of the problem lies within people’s hearts. That’s where the sin of ethnic hatred is. The Scriptures teach us that the one it calls God created every human being and that He did so that they might enjoy a relationship with Him. In Adam, all the different ethnic gene pools existed.
Acts 17:24-27 (NASB) confirms this. It says:
24 The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands;
25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to ALL PEOPLE life and breath and all things;
26 and He MADE FROM ONE MAN (Adam) EVERY NATION (‘ethnos’ – ethnic group) OF MANKIND TO LIVE ON ALL THE FACE OF THE EARTH, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,
And why did He make so many different ethnic groups? Acts 17:27 makes it clear:
27 THAT THEY WOULD SEEK GOD, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; “ (New American Standard Bible).
Since according to this passage, God made ALL PEOPLES TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIMSELF, no one ethnic group is left out of His plan. A good place to show this as God’s priority for each one of us and how men should love all ethnic groups equally is in Matthew 22:34-40, which reads:
34 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.
35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying,
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ (a quote from Deuteronomy 6:5)
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
In verse 37, the word Jesus used for “mind” means the mind as a faculty of UNDERSTANDING. The original word is made up of two words, “through” and “mind.” In other words: to PONDER THROUGH THE MIND.
So, the first and foremost commandment of God (verse 38) contains a command to put through the mind the nature of God, or to understand Him. He reveals Himself through creation and to a much greater extent in the Bible. According to verse 37, understanding God is a part of loving Him. We get a properl understanding of Him only in the Bible.
Verse 39 is linked to knowing and loving the true God, and His first or priority commandment in verse 37. This link is in the words “the second IS LIKE IT.” But HOW is the second great commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves LIKE loving God with all our heart, soul and mind? And who does God mean by the words, “your neighbor?”
The word “like” in verse 37, means corresponding to something. The sense is IF YOU UNDERSTAND GOD WITH YOUR MIND AND LOVE HIM WITH ALL YOUR HEART, THEN YOU SHOULD LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR LIKE YOU LOVE YOURSELF.
Then, just who is my neighbor? The root of the Holy Spirit written word is “near.” So, this word came to mean anyone near in location to us. Strong’s Concordance gives this as one of the definitions of “plesion” (neighbor): “according to Christ, ANY OTHER MAN IRRESPECTIVE OF NATION or religion with whom we live or WHOM WE CHANCE TO MEET.”
Then it is our Creator’s command - that we love every other person regardless of ethnic background that we chance to encounter! We will want to do this if we love and understand Him. We must have a correct theology of God to do that. He loves our neighbors and therefore each one of us love them also.
CORRECTING A LACK OF FORGIVENESS
Another contributing factor in regards to ethnic or racial hatred relates to history. We remember the recent civil war in Bosnia. That terrible conflict brought out the phrase "ethnic cleansing" which had to do with one ethnic group wanting to totally eradicate another.
Also recent civil wars in African countries like Rwanda were examples of the same kind of thing. One group in past history - even hundreds of years prior, did something to another and due to a lack of forgiveness, hatred for the other group is taught by the current generation. This is also sin. It is a lack of love and a refusal to forgive. Inmates get caught up in this kind of thing, especially those with gang affiliation.
Jesus had much to say about this. In addressing this sin, my suggestion is that you begin by teaching inmates or residents Matthew 6:14-15. The context of these verses is the difference between true worshipers of God and hypocrites. Here Jesus said:
14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Those who forgive in verse 14 are true worshipers of God and they are the saved. Those who will not forgive in verse 15 are hypocritical worshipers and they have not been forgiven by God of their sins. They are not saved. Jesus was not teaching the way of salvation is through forgiving others but rather that forgiving others evidences true salvation.
He went deeper with this teaching in Matthew 18: 21-35.
The background and context of this passage is Christ teaching His disciples about dealing with those within the professing family of faith (the church) that might sin against them. He taught them they had to deal with sin and that if the sinning person heard them, that is if they repented, then heaven would forgive that person. He taught them that person would have been loosed (verse 18) from their sin. This then prompted Peter’s question in verse 21 about FORGIVENESS.
Peter’s Puzzlement – verses 21 and 22
21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
Note that Peter’s question was not so much about being forgiven by God (in Jewish thinking “heaven” meant God) but about his own personal responsibility to forgive someone that had offended him. “How often shall my brother SIN AGAINST ME AND I FORGIVE HIM?”
Here you need to explain what exactly is meant by this Bible word, “FORGIVE” The word means to let something go, to loose from the penalty and to not remember the thing against a person. In forgiveness the guilt is totally sent away from the wrongdoer.
Peter probably thought it would be magnanimous of him to forgive an offense SEVEN TIMES! He must have been shocked by Jesus’ answer in verse 22 -
22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
This answer was hyperbole. Jesus did not mean 490 times (70 times 7) but rather you just keep on forgiving and forgiving to the nth degree. To illustrate this and the absolute need of granting forgiveness to other people, Jesus told Peter and all His disciples a parable. This teaching is also to all those today that want to be His true followers.
The Parable taught by Christ – verses 23-34
23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
Whenever Christ likened something to the kingdom of heaven (or to the kingdom of God) He was talking about the sphere of salvation. He was talking about how people get saved, or what the saved people do because of their salvation, or how God will include or exclude people from it. In this parable, God the one final Judge, who can grant forgiveness of sin is represented by the king.
24 And when he (the king) had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
Ten thousand talents of gold is an incomprehensible sum of money for normal everyday people. In the first century, one talent was a sum of money so great it would take 19 years to earn! So roughly speaking, 10,000 talents equaled 190,000 years wages. Jesus’ illustrative story continues:
25 But as he (the incredibly indebted slave) was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.
This action by the king WAS JUST. It was fair. The price of the people and things sold couldn’t come even close to the actual money owed.
26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience (literally, ‘defer anger over me’ specifically -the kind of anger that boils up, flashes and then subsides) with me, and I will pay you all.’ (there was no way he could ever do that!)
27 Then the master (the king) of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
A more literal translation of verse 27 is: “And filled with emotional tenderness from his intestines, the lord of that slave loosed him and set him free from the debt and FORGAVE by sending away the amount of the loan from him.”
This truly pictures part of the motive of the Lord God in forgiving individual sinners. The other part of course is His JUSTICE in doing so ON ACCOUNT OF THE SUBSTITUTION of His Son, who paid the debt IN FULL FOR THEM at the cross (compare 1 John 1:7,9). The wrath and sudden anger of an all holy Father against our sin fell completely on His Son Jesus, at Calvary.
What Christ wanted to stress here was the COMPASSIONATE side of God’s forgiveness.
Now we come to the heart of His message on forgiveness of one another in verses 28-34. Verses 28-30 show the unconverted attitude of some that think they will be included in the kingdom of heaven and that they will be saved from judgment.
28 But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; (a little over three month’s wages) and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’
29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’
The fellow slave that owed him (the one just forgiven 190.000 years wages) only three and a half month’s wages even used the EXACT SAME WORDS in asking for mercy that the greater debtor had used with the king! “Have patience with me (defer your anger over me), and I will pay you all.”
30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. That is a total lack of forgiveness to a fellow human being.
31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.
32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.
33 Should you not also have had compassion (or pity) on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’
34 And his master was angry,
This is a different word for anger than one used as part of the words translated have patience – defer anger, in verses 26 and 29. This word in verse 34 denotes an anger or indignation that is settled. It even suggests eternal anger! It is an anger that never subsides. So Jesus’ illustrative story about the king and the unforgiving debtor, concludes at the end of verse 34:
34 … and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
That ending is also interesting because it is so personal between the king and the single debtor. His punishment, which he could never pay off, was for him alone. Nothing was said about his wife and children being sold or punished. So it is with God’s eternal punishment of unrepentant sinners, it is theirs alone to bear.
The Point made by Christ – verse 35
35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”
The issue is in the heart. A heart that by God’s grace senses the enormity of its sin against Him, and therefore wants to be forgiven by Him, will not want to hold on to anger and be unforgiving of others. This is so BECAUSE they realize how much less the sin of others against them is – WHEN COMPARED TO HOW GREAT THEIR OWN SIN against God is!
If inmates cannot forgive others of another race or group for things done to them or their group in the past, then they do not understand God’s forgiveness. They do not know it personally. They indicate that they are not forgiven by God. They are unsaved.
In Christ, this lack of forgiveness of others, changes. It has to because He replaces the true believer’s former hatred with His love and that love and compassion is willing to forgive.
1 Peter 4:8 says to those in Christ:
8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”
In Christ also, there is an equality of standing before God. God is the Father of all that love the Lord Jesus and there are no distinctions to Him between His children.
This is brought out in Galatians 3:26-29, which reads:
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Rich Hines
Minister to Chaplains, Aurora Ministries’ Chaplain Help Ministry
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