Who’s Responsible? 

God doesn’t give us revelation knowledge so we can know more — He gives us revelation knowledge so we can do more. Understanding yourself and others isn’t just about gathering more information — it’s about equipping yourself to play your part in ending racism. 

God’s Word makes it clear that it’s never enough to simply feel bad because someone is in need or pain. When God saw us in our pain, He didn’t just feel bad for us. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

In Luke 10, a religious expert asked Jesus what he must do to gain eternal life, and Jesus told him, “You must love the Lord God with all your heart, all your passion, all your energy, and your every thought. And you must love your neighbor as yourself.” 

The Bible tells us that the religious expert wanted to justify himself, so he asked, “Who is my neighbor?” (Side note: if you’re trying to justify yourself, then take that as a potential red flag that you might not be concerned with justice for others.) 

Jesus answered the religious expert with a story about a man who was attacked by robbers, stripped of his clothes, beaten, and left for dead. 

Jesus said two different religious leaders (aka the “ultimate Christians”) saw the injured man, but crossed the street to pass by on the other side. Maybe they pretended not to see so they could avoid the problem. We don’t know their motives — we just know they missed the point. They knew a lot, but they didn’t do anything to make a difference. 

Eventually, a Samaritan saw the wounded man and had compassion for him. Jesus was strategic in his storytelling — in that day, Jewish culture looked down on Samaritans because of their race and religion. However, it was the Samaritan who bandaged the man’s wounds, put him on his donkey, and paid for him to stay safe in an inn until he was fully recovered.  

Jesus concluded this story by saying, “Go and do the same.” 

When it comes to ending racism in our world, you don’t always need to do something heroic — but you do need to do something practical. This isn’t an issue that we can simply post about and pray away. Like the Samaritan, we must take action. 

Listen to the people in your life who have been knocked down or held back because of racism, and then use your resources, your time, and your influence to help them move forward.

For many of us, racism isn’t a problem we caused — it’s one we inherited. However, just because we didn’t cause it doesn’t mean we aren’t all responsible to solve it.