We can rightly acknowledge the differences that exist between us, and we can rightly acknowledge that some “races” or “kinds” have historically been mistreated by others. If we focus solely on the unity of the human race and deny the existence of different “races” or “kinds” of people, we may well minimize the very real impact of racism; we may also miss the corporate or systemic dimensions of it and see racism simply as a matter between individuals alone.

The topics of racism, social justice, and racial reconciliation have been hotly debated topics within the Church and on social media for some time now. One of the questions that I have routinely encountered from Christians in these debates concerns the appropriateness of the word “race.” The question usually goes something like this: Is the idea of “race” simply a sociological construct, or is there any Biblical support for speaking of people as belonging to different “races”?

Some brothers and sisters have suggested that the Bible teaches that all of mankind is a part of one “race” and, because of that, we ought not to speak of people as belonging to different “races,” but only as belonging to the one “human race.” To be sure, there is something appealing about this idea. It eliminates the perceived differences between us, and allows us to focus upon the unity that we all share together as those who are created in the image and likeness of God.

Yet when we look at the New Testament, we see support both for speaking of one overarching race and for speaking of many different races of people as well. In this article, I would like to sketch out the Biblical support for these two ideas and then draw a few conclusions from our findings that may well bring the contemporary debates on the subject into a different light.

The first thing I would like to point out is that the Bible teaches that mankind belongs to one “race.” We see this idea in Acts 17:26, which states that God “made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth.” The Greek word that is translated “nation” in this verse is ethnos, from which we get our English words ethnic and ethnicity. It is frequently translated as “Gentiles” but is also rendered “nation” or “people” in many situations. In the context of this verse, Paul is clearly pointing to the unity of the human race. All of us, no matter who we are or where we live, are descended from one and the same individual, our forefather Adam.

The interesting thing about this passage is that a few verses later, Paul acknowledges that every individual is “God’s offspring” (vv. 28-9). The word that is here translated as “offspring” is the Greek word genos, which is variously translated in the New Testament as “kind,” “family,” or “race.” Paul’s point in these verses is not only that all mankind is descended from one person (v. 26) but also that we all constitute one and the same “kind” or “race.” We are God’s “kind,” God’s “race.” In other words, we are all created in His image and likeness. And we all have that in common. Thus, it would appear appropriate for us to speak of all people belonging to one overarching “race” or “kind.” We might refer to this as an ontological use of the word race.

But the Bible also teaches that Christians, in particular, are to be considered as a unique “race” or “kind.” In 1 Peter 2:9, for instance, we read that those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are “a chosen race” (genos) and “a holy nation” (ethnos). This means that it is appropriate not only to speak of all men as belonging to one human “race” but also to speak of Christians as belonging to one “race” or one “ethnicity.” If there is a unity of the entire human race by virtue of being created in the image and likeness of God, there is also a unique unity among believers, who are all united to Jesus Christ and, therefore, united to one another.

We are part of the same mystical body, and that is why we are all one “race” or “ethnicity.” Thus, when we sing the words, “He left his Father’s throne above (so free, so infinite his grace!), humbled himself (so great his love!), and bled for all his chosen race,” from the well-known hymn “And Can It Be That I Should Gain,” we are singing and celebrating exactly what Peter lays out for us in 1 Peter 2:9. Christians really are God’s chosen “race,” His holy “ethnicity”–and this is true regardless of what we may look like on the outside or what culture we may come from.

Read More