Dear Dr. Graham: Are some races or ethnic groups better than others? My father-in-law is a very prejudiced person, and he says the Bible teaches this. I’m not sure anything can change his mind, but is he right that this is what the Bible says? – D.F.

Graham

Dear D.F.: No, he is not right. God created the whole human race, and he gave each one of us a soul or spirit that sets us apart from the animals – and also makes us equally important in God’s sight. The Bible says, “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth” (Acts 17:26).

But God not only created the whole human race – he also loves the whole human race. Jesus Christ didn’t come into the world to save just one ethnic group or one race; he came to die for all kinds of people. Perhaps the best-known verse in the Bible makes this clear: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Racism is a sin in the eyes of God; how can we refuse to love those whom he loves? It is a sin also because it comes from an attitude of pride – an attitude that says we are better than someone who has a different skin color or a different culture from us. The Bible warns, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).

Pray for your father-in-law, and ask God to help you know how to respond to his prejudice. Most of all, ask God to help you examine your own life, and to allow Christ to replace any trace of racism or bigotry with his love.