Diversity matters to God. Does it matter to you?
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Psalm 139:14).
God took great care in making each of us. We were all made in his image, and nothing about us is an accident. We are each specially designed, made exactly the way God intended. In Matthew 10:30, Jesus says, “And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” The smallest detail matters to God even more than it does to us! Should it surprise us then that God cares about every aspect of our lives, including where we come from or the color of our skin?
Diversity, Not Division
So yes, God cares about race, but not in the same way that people do. Like an artist painting a masterpiece, God cares about every detail of His creation, including race, because each detail contributes to the beauty of the whole. People, on the other hand, too often see race as a way to divide, separate and distinguish themselves from one another.
God does not discriminate based on outward appearance. Race, eye color, height, weight, social status and fashion choices cannot qualify or disqualify us for more or less of His love and grace. In John 3:16, the apostle John writes one of the most well-known Bible verses of all time: “For God so loved the world, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus did not die for some, He died for all.
God makes only one distinction when he looks at us — those who have made Jesus their savior and those who have not. Whether or not we have a relationship with Jesus is the only distinction God makes because it’s the only distinction that matters for eternity (John 14:6-7).
When we think about race the way God thinks about race, it changes the way we see each other.
The Example Jesus Set
When we think about race the way God thinks about race, it changes the way we see each other. The Bible records numerous accounts of Jesus seeing past outward appearances as He unconditionally loved and served each person He met. Just look at his conversation with a Samaritan woman in John 4. To Jesus, nobody’s situation or make-up was advantage or disadvantage. Instead, He saw straight to the heart, recognizing that the people He met needed what only He could give them — a relationship with God.
Before Jesus went back to heaven, He challenged us to follow His example saying, “... go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20, emphasis added).
When we give our lives to Jesus, we’re asking Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, to change our attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors so we can see the world the way He did. Our views on race are no exception.