Dan Cathy Says Christians Need To Repent For Racism
The CEO of Chick-fil-A – Dan Cathy spoke at a large church in Atlanta GA recently and he said that Christians need to repent for racism. Mr. Cathy continued his virtue signaling by polishing singer Lecrae’s shoes and suggested that Christians should do the same. So all this begs the question: Do Christians need to repent for racism? Mr. Cathy’s company makes a great chicken sandwich and I submit that he should stick to making sandwiches instead of virtue signaling.
Christians do not need to repent for racism because true Christians, true followers of Jesus, true disciples of Jesus are not racists. If we are truly Christians, we cannot be racists. Racists are anti-God and they are anti-Christ. Each and every one of us are made in God’s image. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them (Genesis 1:26-27).
One Human Race
There is one human race. God didn’t make multiple races. No, He made one human race and we have varying degrees of skin color. God made us male and female. One human race and two sexes; that’s how God made us. Jesus also confirms that God made us male and female and no other distinctions. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female (Mark 10:6). God and Jesus make no distinction between skin color. The only distinction is between male and female and men are not better than women and women are not better than men. God, in His sovereignty, made us male and female, in His image. Again, no distinction in skin color.
The Bible also says that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, black or white, God doesn’t hold any person above another person. So if you hold one skin tone above another whether that’s a white person thinking whites are better than blacks or if you are black person that thinks blacks are superior to whites, then you do not hold a biblical world view. You are going against God. All racism goes against God’s word. You can’t be a true follower of Jesus and be a racist.
10 Commandments Summed Up
True Christians obey Jesus and the Lord summed up the 10 Commandments with these two commandments: And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these (Mark 12:29-31).
How is being racist loving your neighbor as yourself? It isn’t. Thinking one skin color is superior to any other skin color is racist and goes against God. You can’t be a true Christian and go against God. So do Christians need to repent of racism? Obviously not because real Christians can’t be racists. If you are out here tonight and you profess to be a Christian and you hate a group of people because of their skin color, you do need to repent. Not just repent of racism, but you also need to truly repent and believe the Gospel. You can’t be a racist and a child of God’s at the same time. You may be one or the other, but you cannot be both.
Every Tongue, Tribe And Nation
It doesn’t matter what your skin tone is, if you believe that only white people can be saved or only black people can be saved, then you greatly err in reading the Scriptures. Listen to what the Bible says in Revelation 5:7-9: And he (Jesus) came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou was slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.
Revelation 7:9 states: After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.
Heaven Would Be Hell To A Real Racist
So the book of Revelation talks about people in Heaven being from every tongue, tribe and nation. Folks, that includes every country, every ethnic group. To all professing Christians who are racists; Heaven would not be Heaven to you since there are people there from every tongue, tribe and nation. That’s another way you can know that Christians can’t be racists. Heaven would be Hell to a real racist. If you can’t stand people who have a different skin color, then spending eternity alongside those you hate, would be torture for you. It would truly be Hell to you.
So again. I repeat, you cannot be a true Christian and be a racist. True Christians love our fellow mankind and we have a special love for fellow believers. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle John said that no murderer has eternal life abiding in them (1 John 3:15). Ah, but the verse says even more than a murderer not going to Heaven. Please listen to the whole verse: Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
Christians can’t really be racists. So do we need to do virtue signaling like Dan Cathy and polish a black person’s shoes? Obviously polishing shoes isn’t going to end racism and Christians don’t need to spend time on virtue signaling. I implore Mr. Cathy to stick with making chicken sandwiches. Virtue signaling may make you feel like you are doing something, but as the name implies, you are just signaling. You aren’t really accomplishing anything by virtue signaling. Instead, you are just trying to appear to be concerned over a particular issue.
Don’t Waste Your Time On Virtue Signaling
Instead of Christians wasting time on virtue signaling, we need to be doing the one thing that truly puts a stop to racism (and other evils in the world) and that is proclaim the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord! What’s the answer to racism: The Gospel! What’s the answer to abortion: The Gospel! What’s the answer to the sex slave industry: The Gospel! It doesn’t matter what social issue or evil you insert as a question; the answer is the same: The Gospel.
Yes, God has made each of us in His very own image, but we have all marred that image. We’ve all rebelled against God. You and I have sinned against God. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). What do we earn for rebelling against God? We earn death. The soul that sins, it shall die. We all have sinned and we all die. You were born to die. You can’t cheat death. For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
Not One Righteous Person On Earth
There is none righteous, no not one. We’ve all gone astray. We’ve all said no to God and yes to our own way (Romans 3:10-12). There is not a righteous person on earth (Ecclesiastes 7:20). My friend and I have no righteousness of our own. We are sinners that have been saved by the grace of God. It’s not about your skin color, it’s about your soul. Have you been saved? Are you lost or found? Are you saved or still on the broad road to destruction? Are you Heaven bound or Hell bound? Heaven you say? What are you counting on to get there? If you are counting on your own righteousness or goodness, you will fail miserably.
Salvation is of the Lord and Jesus is the only Savior of mankind. But all of us have failed miserably when comes to loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves. We have all broken the 10 Commandments, many times over. If you are like me, you have blasphemed God’s Holy name, have put other things before God at one time or another. Have lied, stolen, lusted, coveted, been angry and hated someone. We have broken the 10 Commandments many times over.
But God…
Because we have sinned against God, we deserve His punishment. Yes, each and every one of us deserve to suffer the torments of Hell for all eternity. That’s what we deserve. But God. These have become some of my favorite words in the Bible…but God. But God commended (demonstrated) his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). God demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (Ephesians 2:4-5). But God who is rich and mercy, loved us, even when were spiritually dead in our sins, saved us (that is those of us who are saved – true Christians who are not racists).
Come To Jesus And Be Saved
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23). The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus. If you are walking by tonight and you are a racist, I plead with you to repent and put your faith in Jesus. Maybe you are walking by tonight and you gladly say that you are not a racist – good for you. But is Jesus your Lord and Savior? If not, I also plead with you to repent and trust Jesus.
Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation. There is no other. What you need tonight more than anything else is for your sins to be forgiven and to receive eternal life and that is found in Christ alone. Only Jesus saves, but what a mighty Savior He is. Recognize that you are a sinner who deserves God’s everlasting wrath upon you for all eternity. Cry out for God to save you. Repent of your sins and surrender your life fully and completely to Jesus. Godly sorrow works repentance to salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10). Ask God to forgive you for your sins and put your faith in Jesus Christ to save you. Then read the Bible every day and obey what it says.
If you are a true follower of Jesus Christ our Lord then forget virtue signaling. Instead, obey Jesus Christ and do what He said, Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). The answer to racism, social ills and evil in the world is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let’s spend less time virtue signaling and more time actually telling others about Jesus Christ and how only the Lord saves lost souls. Plead with people to repent and believe the Gospel (Mark 1:14-15).
(This message was lifted up in downtown Springfield, MO on June 26, 2020)