And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwelling . . . Acts 17:26-27 NKJV

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God . . .  Ephesians 2:8 NKJV 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed “that his children would one day live in a nation where they wouldn’t be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Interestingly,  the apostle Paul was a Jew, he wrote to the gentile Christians in Galatia and said “[t]here is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28). Thus, we are not to make judgments on the basis of race, social status, or gender. Jesus taught us to “judge not, that you be not judged” (Matt. 7:1). Racial discrimination, prejudice, and segregation are often driven by fear and ignorance. But the true church should be driven and guided by a scriptural vision of inclusion because it is about grace not race.

The word “race” doesn’t appear in the Holy Bible. It is a known fact that “race” is an 18^th century invention that was introduced to justify African slavery that had everything to do with societal greed and oppression. A through understanding of the relationship of Noah’s sons exposes the demonic lie about the curse of Ham (Gen. 9:18, 22-27; 10:6). You will quickly come to understand that there was no curse pronounced upon Ham, the father of blacks. The curse was placed on Ham’s youngest son, Canaan.

Notwithstanding, whether a person is black, white, brown, yellow, or red—a descendant of Canaan or not—Jesus has redeem them from the curse (Gal. 3:13-14). “From one [blood] God made every “race” 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” (text). This is a truth that every believer in the body of Christ should walk in. We are all brothers and sisters of one blood, i.e., the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19), saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Let’s say no to racial discrimination, prejudice, and segregation within and without the Church of God. A person’s color or culture is not his or her character. One’s true character is always of the heart. It’s about grace not race!