The Bible's view on Racism and Xenophobia

Racism has become more pronounced since the beginning of 2016. Ugly racist remarks were and are still being made on social media from both whites and blacks and even from High Court judges. The country seems to be more polarised now since the dawn of our democracy in 1996.

The church should make its stand clear on the matter. We cannot be silent and we, the Church, must be the catalyst for reconciliation. Hear what the Apostle says concerning this, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:17-19. The Bible makes it clear that racism and xenophobia are both sin because we are all equal in the sight of God. This is what the Bible has to say about this, "The community is to have the same rules for you and for the foreigner living among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the foreigner shall be the same before the Lord. The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the alien living among you." Numbers 15:15- 16.

As a Christ-believing community, we must love both our fellow citizens and the foreigners alike, irrespective of our colour, cultural and religious differences. Our diversity is our strength - let's build on it.