God’s Word tells us He does not consider any racial or ethnic group superior (Acts 10:34). His evaluation of each and every human being is based on their willingness to hear Him and act upon what they hear (Romans 2:11-12).

However, God’s Word has been accused of racism, especially in the last few decades. And going back over the past few hundred years, misguided people have used Scripture to back up their own racist theories, and even institutional oppression (e.g. slavery).

The idea that any group of people are superior due to their ancestry, ethnicity or genetic makeup is a humanly devised notion. Bible readers make a big mistake when they project their own way of thinking upon God. He plainly tells us that the way we think is not the way He thinks (Isaiah 55:8-9).

The basis for charges of racism made against God and His Word come from many different directions but revolve around a common theme: the establishment of Israel as God’s chosen people. In this way, critics portray the entire Bible as based upon God’s favor of one race over others. Specific examples often cited include:

God’s command to wipe out the Canaanites—Deuteronomy 20:16-17

Religious exclusivity and forbidding intermarriage with other nations—Numbers 25:1-3; Nehemiah 13:23-30

Jesus’ comments to a Canaanite woman—Matthew 15:22-28

To some these are examples of racial preference found in Scripture. Let’s see if we can learn a bit more about how God views different races and peoples using His Word to guide us.

What does God’s choosing mean?

The human mind thinks of being chosen by God as a badge of superiority. But that is not how God views His choosing. God’s choosing means you are assigned a task, which, if you accept, you are then expected to carry out according to the instructions you were given.

Israel was chosen to perform a task, or work, for God: to move in and take over the land of Canaan as God drove out the Canaanite people before them. God informed Israel they were not chosen because they were superior to others (Deuteronomy 9:1-6).

The people of Canaan were not driven out because they were inferior and had to make way for others who were of better stock. The people of Canaan were driven out because of their flagrantly wicked behavior, which God would no longer tolerate.

God also warned Israel that if they acted in same way as the Canaanites they would also receive the same treatment (Deuteronomy 8:17-20).

God measures and assesses all people based on the same criteria: Do they listen to His Word and obey?

Does God exclude other nations from His plan?

Once Israel was established in the land, they had an even larger task to perform. They were to live by the instructions God had given them prior to their arrival. It was a task they had solemnly agreed to perform. That agreement is commonly referred to as the Old Covenant. In living this way Israel would provide a vivid demonstration of God’s way of living for the world to witness.

God intended that the surrounding nations could observe the good things that resulted from obedience and seek to adopt God’s ways themselves. Israel would teach these other nations the ways of godly living (Deuteronomy 4:5-8; Isaiah 49:3).

God did not want any external influences to undermine or confuse the true worship and morality He had given to Israel. This is the real reason for commanding Israel not to intermingle (Deuteronomy 7:2-4).

People of foreign origin were welcome to join Israel if they adopted and committed themselves to the laws and worship of God (Leviticus 19:34, Leviticus 24:22). There are simply too many examples to mention, such as Rahab or Ruth.

God intends to bless all people through Jesus Christ

Israel was given the opportunity to serve God to fulfill a promise made to Abraham. God favored Abraham, blessed him, and made a promise to his family because Abraham believed God, and obeyed God’s commandments, statutes and laws (Genesis 26:4-5).

God did not show favor to Abraham because Abraham was of superior breeding stock. The criteria God uses to evaluate and assess humans is their willingness to hear and obey His Word. God also saw Abraham as one who would faithfully teach his children to hear and obey God’s commandments (Genesis 18:18-19).

God’s promise to Abraham was to provide blessings for all humanity. He would do this ultimately through Jesus Christ. But in the meantime, He established Abraham's physical descendants as a nation called Israel and gave them His commandments, laws and statutes to live by. Their obedience would result in great material blessings for Israel. This would serve as an object lesson for all nations and peoples of the earth to copy.

Israel later agreed to perform this work in a covenant with God and also accepted conditions of severe punishment if they failed to do it.

Why did Jesus say He was sent only to the people of Israel?

Jesus did not limit His ministry to the territory and people of Israel because they were more worthy or superior in any way. In fact He told them that if other nations saw the things the Messiah was doing they would have responded much better (Luke 10:13).

Jesus limited His ministry to the children of Israel because the agreement God had made with Israel was still in place during His lifetime. God would continue to abide by the agreement and continue to work through Israel (Abraham’s children) right up until the day Jesus died (Matthew 10:5-6). Israel was presented with the sum of all truth in the person of Jesus Christ and the proclamation of the Kingdom of God. Their appointed task was to take that truth to the nations. They refused.

Did Israel fail because they were inferior to other people? No, Israel failed because they were no better than any other people (Romans 3:22-23).

The New Covenant

After Jesus’ death, God would work through the Church, which is composed of people from all humanity (1 Peter 2:9-10, Ephesians 2:19-22). Before God, physical status derived from ethnicity, gender or social standing is meaningless (Galatians 3:26-29).

Accusing the Bible, or God, of promoting racism is founded on a faulty assumption that God thinks like we do, and a misunderstanding of what God’s choosing means.

When we read our own evil ideas into His Word we insult God, and He will hold people accountable for attaching His name and reputation to worthless, vain, and deceptive ideas such as racism (Exodus 20:7).