Taffi Dollar - Racial Equality
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I want to start this morning and really pick up where we left off because I know that word equality has been floating around for a long time, centuries of time, and it will help us and behoove us to know what it means in the light of the Scriptures. The word equality is not used in the original transcripts, it’s not in the Hebrew, it’s not in the Greek, but it is something that the privilege of the translators have used to put it in context of some of the things that happen as a result of Jesus’s redemption for us.
And so, when we talk about equality, we’re talking about the fact that we are one in Christ Jesus. When we say equality, we’re talking about the fact that because we are in Christ, we are one with him. And so, the new creation realities are such that we are born again and because we are born again, the reality of our past distinctions, differences, and classifications of ourselves are gone away, in essence. We looked at 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 17 last week, and we talked about how «If any man be in Christ, he’s a new creature: old things are passed away; and all things have become new,» and so as a result of us becoming born again, we are now one in Christ Jesus. And he says over in that passage how we are reconciled unto God.
So, when we look at this word equality, it’s a powerful, loaded concept, and the connotation of it goes back to even what Jesus did when he came and put us in the position to be elevated so that now that we are in Christ, we all stand on equal ground. And so, the word equality is not sameness. That’s key because I want you to understand when we say equality, sometimes we immediately think sameness, that we’re all the same. Men and women are not the same. Blacks and Whites, Jews, Gentiles, rich and poor are not the same, so that’s not what the word equality means. It means oneness. So that’s vital, and I want you to really get ahold of the importance of that, because if nothing else, as I’ve been teaching on this subject now for about four or five years, if you begin to understand what equality is, then you won’t think incorrectly, but you’ll know what it means, and that means to be one in Christ Jesus.
And so in Galatians 3, verse 28, when we talk about the term equality, it is not mentioned in this passage. Scripture does not teach that Jews are equal to Gentiles, or that slaves are equal to masters, or women are equal to men, but that we are made one in Christ Jesus, we are all one body. We looked at 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 12 last week, and we saw how the body is one. So it’s not saying that women are a lesser specie of men, that Gentiles are lesser or inferior to Jews, that poor are inferior to the rich. He’s saying in the context of the Scripture, it means to be one. And so, when we understand that it’s focusing more on oneness than it is on sameness and equality.
And so, we know just according to the specie of mankind that men and women are both a part of mankind. I dare not to go down that path, 'cause I’ll detour and not accomplish what I’m trying to accomplish this morning, but men and women are both part of mankind according to Genesis 1, verse 26, when he says, «Let us make man,» or mankind, men and women, humanity, «in the image of God». So, both men and women are both part of the specie of mankind, and so, God made them both, they are to stand side by side, and that’s what Jesus came to do. And so, he enabled women to be in a position where they could receive all the rights, the privileges, the blessings, access that men had. And so, it was the same with Gentiles because of what Jesus accomplished on our behalf.
So it’s not the fact that, you know, we are unequal, but we are equal in the sense that we stand on equal ground. But in the light of the Scriptures, I want you to make sure that you understand that word means «made one in Christ Jesus». So that is pivotal because there’s an era, in terms of thinking that, as I mentioned, it means sameness, and that’s not what the word is used to mean here in Galatians chapter 3, verse 28. The cultural superiority of race, class, and gender is eclipsed by the newness of life in Christ. I’ll say that again, the superiority of men, superiority of Jews, superiority of the rich is eclipsed by newness of life in Christ Jesus.
So now, women are elevated. We all are in a position to be in the position that we are new in Christ and we are a new creation that expresses the new realm of existence and conquers death, it conquers sin, and it conquers prejudice. And so, I started to talk about unmasking prejudice this morning, but we really want to just focus on the subject of racial equality. So, Galatians 3 promotes not sameness of race. We know that all races are not the same. We are one race, one human race according to Acts, where it says that «we are one blood,» one ethnos, one new race of people no longer divided by social, or economic, or gender hostilities. The newness of life in Christ lived differently causes the eyes, the hands, and the feet of the church are no longer Jewish, free, male, but now, as a result of Jesus becoming our redeemer, those distinctions have been eliminated.
And we’ve looked at Onesimus in Philemon chapter 1 last week. I won’t belabor that, but in essence, what it said about Onesimus was the fact that he was a slave, he was in the category of the bound, but because Paul, in essence, said that «he is my brother, he is my son,» and that was because Paul had a revelation of the newness of the new birth, new creation reality, and as a result, Onesimus’s status was elevated, and he was entrusted, he was empowered, and Paul saw the reality of new creation. And so, that’s found in Philemon or Philemon, however, you like to pronounce it, verse 16. And so, I want us to really look at some things this morning as it relates to equality.
Let’s begin in Matthew chapter 5, let’s just start there and look at what we’re talking about the racial equality or being one race, and that’s why I say equality in one sense, but it’s really talking about being one race. And so, the church in and of itself must become the light to the world. I believe that we have to accomplish and do the assignment, and it is my prayer that we all understand the intricate parts that we are to play. So, we can allow the world to be the example. We can be the example to the world or model to the world what newness of life really means, and that was the purpose for Jesus coming. He says, «You are the light of the world,» and we must begin to model this elevation, this newness of thinking, the renewing of the mind, where we’re no longer looking down upon one another, thinking that we are superior, that we’re not thinking low, that we are inferior, but it is vital that we think in line with how God sees us and that we model how to treat one another, because we allow the Bible to be the roadmap to govern our conduct and govern our character.
And so, it says here in, let’s see, Matthew 5:13, he says, «You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has lost its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is therefore good for nothing, but to be cast out, and be trodden under foot of men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it gives light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven».
Look at what he says here in Ephesians 1. I like this from The Message translation, Ephesians 1, verse 20. It talks about how the church is to model to the world. The way that the church is to influence is the right way that it’s supposed to be, not that we are to, you know, focus more on what the world is doing, but we are to set the example. So in Ephesians 1:20, verse 23, it says, «All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has a final word on everything. At the center of all of this, Christ rules the church.
The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the church,» listen to this, beloved, «The church is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church,» and so what he’s saying is the world is supposed to be surrounding the church and outside looking at the church, not that the church is looking at the world and outside of what, you know, the world is doing. And so, he says, «The church is, is not peripheral to the world; but the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, in which he fills everything with his presence,» and so the church, in essence, should be leading the example of what superiority should not be looking like, what inferiority should not be in the body of Christ in the church, but it should model thinking in-line, treating one another in-line, seeing one another as Christ sees each and every one of us.
And so, we have to understand that this is so vital and that we are talking about the spirit of prejudice, the spirit of racism. You know, that word is not even mentioned in the Bible. It is a spirit, it is a spirit of division, it is the spirit that doesn’t want to unify, it is the spirit that creates dissension, tension, strife, and so, we have to understand that it is the enemy who is behind this spirit, and he has endeavored from the beginning of time to create the division between mankind. And when we look at Ephesians chapter 6, we look at what it says here in verse 12, «For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,» so our wrestling, our contending is not against people.
And we know that out in the world today, there is great wrestling, contention, strife between subgroups of color, between people of color, between minorities, and majorities, and just classes, the rich, the poor, Blacks, White, gender wars going on between men and women, women and men. So he says, «For we wrestle not,» understand this morning, our wrestling is not, «against flesh and blood,» your fight is not to be against people, your fight is to resist what the enemy is trying to do and to acknowledge that it’s the enemy and Satan who was behind all of the strife, «but against principalities,» he says, «against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places».
The Amplified says, «We are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirit who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere». So I want us to really understand some things this morning. Because of what Jesus came to do, we are to model what it means to be one.
He says in John 13:35, «By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another». The church has this charge from Jesus, and he says, «It is your love that people will know that you belong to me,» not you being at a place of dissension, stress, strife, fighting, arguing, bickering. He says, «By your love,» by you seeing one another as part of the body of Christ, «will people know that you belong to me». And so I think this Scripture is so important. He says, «If you love one another,» in the Amplified, «[If you keep on showing love among yourselves],» so I hear somebody say, «Well, Pastor Taffi, what does that mean? Just in terms of, you know, does that mean that you just become a slaughter or you don’t deal with the ills of this day»?
There’s a way that the Holy Spirit will begin to allow himself to lead spiritually to deal with spiritual things, but I think it’s vital that we allow God to enable us to use our spiritual weapons because this is a spiritual fight. This isn’t a physical fight. This isn’t, you know, men fighting each other, fighting women, women fighting men and, but it’s a matter of recognizing that we are in Christ, and we must begin to renew our minds and to see one another as Christ sees us. And so he says, «By this shall men know that you are my disciples,» indeed, «[When you understand that your weapons are not carnal],» they’re not fleshy, but the Bible says, «[they are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds],» and so we’re talking about strongholds that have been in place for centuries of time, where men have looked down upon the marginalized, men have looked down upon women, the rich have looked down on the poor.
This is not anything new, but you know what? These strongholds are able to be broken because of the Holy Spirit. There’s nothing like the Holy Spirit that can begin to dishevel things in a person’s life. You can’t change someone’s life through legislation, you can’t change someone’s life through physical things, but there’s something about the Holy Spirit, when the body of Christ begins to understand that they have power through spiritual means and allow the Holy Spirit to be a part of directing our steps, and giving us wisdom on what to do, and allowing ourselves to get before God and repent, and understand that:
Lord, I thought outside of your plan, I thought too low, I thought too high. I need to think in line with your Word, I need to see my brother and see my sister how you see them. I don’t need to see them based on unsaved, ungodly patterns that have been passed down that are in error, that are ungodly from generations to generations. I wanna break away from all of that and begin to have insight and revelation on the love that you have, first and foremost, for me and then that same love, I can show to other people.
But you know what? If hatred and self-hatred is on the inside, then you know what? That’s what’s gonna come out, and that’s what you’re going to project onto other people. And so that’s what we’re seeing in society today is, you know, «Out of the abundance of the heart,» the Scripture says, «the mouth speaks,» and so we have to get to a point of knowing and having our identity in Christ and knowing who we are in him.