Answers

By   •   June 1, 2004   •   Topics: ,

Q:

Where did all the different races come from? I have a hard time believing that God meant for there to be so much strife because of race, but does that mean the devil created the races?


A:

No, the devil did not create the various races. Instead, God created them and gave them their unique identity. The Bible says, “From one man (Adam) he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live” (Acts 17:26).

But God did not create the strife between races, nor did He intend for it to be that way. Strife between races and ethnic groups comes from sin—and sin resides in the human heart. The Bible says, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” (James 4:1). When one group or one race claims it is superior to another, pride has taken control—and pride is a sin.

Instead, God wants us to learn to accept each other and love each other—and this becomes possible, as we turn our lives over to Christ and allow Him to change us from within. When we allow sin to rule us, we easily give in to hate and anger. But Christ’s Spirit gives us love, even for those we once despised. The Bible says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love” (Galatians 5:22).

It has often been said that the ground at the foot of the cross is level—and it is true. No matter who we are, we need Christ’s forgiveness and grace. Have you come to Him for the forgiveness and new life He offers?

Don’t wait any longer.