We are continuing to examine how Christ lived and served the Father.

According to Google, racism is defined as”prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior.” Partiality or discrimination based on race or gender has never been acceptable to God but sadly has been a sinful problem throughout history and continues to this day. Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well in John 4 exposes all these practices as sinful.

Samaritans were hated by the Jews, and the woman’s response to Jesus’ request for a drink demonstrates this concept: “’How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?’ For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans” (John 4:9).

There was a misconception which permeated the Jewish culture at this time—that God desired them to hate the Gentiles, primarily because He commanded them not to marry outside of Israel (Deut. 7:1-3; 1Kings 11:1-2) and did not allow Gentiles who were not proselytes (those who were circumcised) to eat of the feast (Ex. 12:43-45; Lev. 24:22; Num. 9:12, 15:15). However, Israel was clearly to treat the Gentiles who lived among them fairly, justly, and lovingly (Lev. 19:34-37), demonstrating that God is not racist or prejudiced toward people based on where they were born.

God loved the Gentiles in the Old Testament the same as He loved His people, because He does not show partiality (Deut. 10:17; 2 Chron. 19:7). This is shown in the fact that God sent Jonah to Nineveh (a Gentile city) to give them the opportunity to repent of their wickedness (Jon. 1-3:5) and when they repented, “God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them” (Jon 3:6-10). God created all humanity and proclaimed it to be “very good” (Gen 1:27-31), but sin separated them from God (Gen 1:1; Isa. 59:1-2).

The Scriptures record that God walked in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, and it was not until they decided to break His commandment and eat of the forbidden tree that God removed them from the garden and His presence (Gen. 3:1-24).

By the time of Noah, the sin which began in the Garden of Eden had grown so “great in the earth” (Gen. 6:5) that God would repent of making man (Gen. 6:6). Some would accuse God of showing partiality to Noah and his family, but all of mankind was offered the chance to be on the boat that offered salvation (1 Peter 3:18-21). Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Gen. 6:8) because of his obedience to God and built the ark according to God’s specifi cations. Then with his family, he boarded the ark that was offered to everyone, though they refused.

Later, the Israelites would become God’s special people, because God chose them and again, this might seem as if God was showing partiality, but they were chosen because of Abraham’s obedience to the voice of God (Gen. 19:18). All the rules that God had toward the Gentiles were to keep His people safe from their wickedness, not to discount them from salvation.

Jesus offered the woman at the well living water that springs up into everlasting life, emphatically demonstrating that He showed no partiality to her race or gender. Neither of these acts demonstrated by Jesus to this woman would have been accepted by the general population of Jews at the time (John 4:27), proving that the common consensus of the people does not dictate truth.

It does not matter your race, gender, or income; if you are obedient to Christ, “then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:28-29). If you are showing partiality, then you have made yourself a “judge with evil thoughts” (James 2:4) and “you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors” (James 2:9).

Jesus lived and served the Father by showing no partiality (2 Peter 3:9). “Fulfill the royal law” (James 2:8) today by showing no partiality to anyone, no matter how many around you are conforming to the world; simply be obedient to God (Rom. 12:1-2)! Just something to consider.