Biblical Anthropology: Partiality

Who are we, as humans? We’re people who live in communities, in countries. People who desire justice.

I’m calling the next section of our study “Partiality”, and you’ll see why, but it’s basically a continuation of our study on justice. And in this section, we’ll be talking more about racism.

I imagine that most of us – maybe all of us – have experienced some kind of prejudice against us because of the colour of our skin, because of our faith, or because we’re not from “around here”, or because of our economic status.

The topic of equity or justice is very important – we could easily spend a year or two just on this topic. It’s important, and in a way very complex.

My hope, my goal, is that through this study we will see the incredible wisdom of God’s Word. But first, it’s important to understand more about the versions of “justice” that the world tries to sell us.

To start with, it may be helpful to clarify a couple of things.

In the first place, in this study we’re talking about many very current topics. And in taking on the topic of justice, or what the world thinks of as justice, remember that neither you nor I are experts. Why? Because the world is changing very quickly.

Now, of course, the truth of God’s Word never changes. And the majority of Satan’s lies are the same as always. But both are seen in different ways – or, we might say, applied in different ways – in different situations.

And so, on the one hand, we have a solid anchor in the Bible. Sometimes we notice that a child who simply believes what God says can see the lies better than an intelligent adult. “I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation.” (Psalm 119:99)

At the same time, we all need to keep learning. Our enemy is clever and subtle. As Paul said, “we are not ignorant of his designs” (2 Corinthians 2:11). But yes, they are designs – schemes. Complicated.

Don’t forget about the house we talked about earlier! The lies always come mixed with truth. The lies are nothing – they’re not real. And so the enemy has constructed a house that is unstable, incomplete, in ruins. But from this, his headquarters, he still attacks.

In the last section we talked about Marxism. Marxism is an anti-christian philosophy that divides the world into two groups – the oppressed, and the oppressors. That’s the basis for the ideology of communism. And we’ll talk more about Marxism in this section.

But remember that every philosophy has its history, its roots. Marxism is only a part of the history of modern ideas of justice. It’s not the beginning of the story, nor is it the complete story. And so many who use ideas that are common in Marxism will deny that they’re Marxist, and may even claim that they are against Marxism. And if they’re in a Christian environment, they will use Christian terminology for their ideas.

Of course, some people admit their Marxist roots openly. As a recent example, the leaders of Black Lives Matter in the USA. They were listed by TIME Magazine as some of the most influential people in the world. One of the founders explained that they are trained Marxists. And also talked about invoking spirits – an involvement in the occult.

But there are indeed Christians making use of these ideas, who will deny any connection with Marxism. So why are we even bothering with this term?

Simply because it is a useful marker in history, a hook to hang our conversation on. Some may call modern ideas “neo-Marxism” – new Marxism. And from this come ideas such as liberation theology (so common in Latin America), social justice, critical race theory, and many related concepts.

Many believers have expressed concern about this stream of ideology for a while now. A well-known example, Pastor John MacArthur has said that the current ideas of social justice among Christians is the greatest danger to the church that he has seen in his lifetime. He, of course, is talking about the United States. But as many of you know, these ideas are all over the world, although sometimes they come in different forms.

And so what we’re doing here is taking very very complex ideas, and trying to simplify them into a manageable form. My hope is that we can take home some practical concepts that we can use in everyday life.

Often Marxist ideas are connected with a symbol – a symbol I’m sure you’ve seen: a raised fist. You see it everywhere if you take the time to look.

This symbol was actually made famous in the Olympic Games in Mexico City in 1968, when two athletes from the USA raised their fists during the playing of their national anthem.

Now of course, no every time someone raises a fist is it related to some neo-Marxist ideology. But when you see the symbol, it’s not a bad idea to ask some questions.

Is there a division being made between oppressed and oppressor? Who is who? Are the ideas being promoted here biblical? Is someone asking a government or political party or other group to promote non-Christian ideas? Are these ideas promoting constant conflict and division? Is there a “revolution” being advocated here? (We’ve talked about many of these things earlier – be sure to read the series in order.)

And always remember – the lies will always be mixed with the truth. Remember the house.

And here’s another question to ask. What does this person or organization believe about sin?

Marxism advocates an idea known as the perfectibility of human nature. What’s that? The idea is that if we have proper systems in place, a properly organized society, if everyone had the same opportunities and resources, the world’s problems would disappear. The solution to the human problems is to improve the human environment – society, culture.

And so, what is said? Tell me if you’ve heard any of these phrases, or something similar. “This is for your safety, for your health.” “The poor children, suffering from racism, climate change, COVID-19…” “Look at all the disruptions in our world systems. We need to rebuild better.” All you must do is give us, the experts, the control. The problem isn’t the heart – it’s the social systems and institutions.

Ok, they may not exactly say that last part out loud. Or, they may.

As Christians, we know that this is not the solution. Why? Because humans are sinners. Don’t forget what Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said (from an earlier post): “…the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.”

A human being can never be perfected, outside of a spiritual new birth. If there are unjust, unbiblical laws, we should be happy to fight against them. But evil will never be erased until the human heart changes. And so the final solution will never be a political party, a new law, a new system.

If our problem is that we don’t all have the same resources, that makes God Himself the evil oppressor. Listen:

Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Deuteronomy 8:17-18

Human perfectibility. For the neo-Marxists, we enter the world like a blank memory stick. And it is the culture, the government, and the systems that copy data onto that stick – good or evil, written onto our being. It’s not our fault – it’s the system. And that’s why we must burn it all down and create something new. That is the Marxist hope.

But as Christians, we know that we start life as sinners who need a Saviour – the Lord Jesus Christ.

And yet many people are attracted to this type of activism. Why? Because we all want justice! Right? We all want to do something. And we want to be seen as people who really are concerned about the oppressed – we want to be known as good people.

At the end of this section, we will try to get to some practical things that we can do. Because yes, action is very important. But we’ll leave it there for today, and get on to the topic of racism, etc., next time.