It is a controversial topic but we must confront this idea, because it has had a detrimental impact on Christianity. Therefore my topic, my assertion is that Jesus in not black or white. Jesus is God. When we understand who Jesus really is, then we will understand the futility of the discussion about the color of Jesus.
Why do I make this bold statement? Because the truth of scriptures will show that the color of Jesus is a pointless, shallow evil proposition for many reasons. My primary point is that the people who promote the color of Jesus idea are in one of two camps. Either they are trying to deceive or they really don’t know who Jesus is. And it’s not who Jesus was, but who He is. According to the scriptures, right now Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God in heaven, as the advocate for Christians, for believers.
Then who is Jesus? Some people and religions believe that Jesus was just a prophet who lived a highly moral life and was a good example. Some, especially those who believe in reincarnation, see Jesus as achieving the highest moral state that a human can achieve i.e. Nirvana. Some even believe that Jesus was not a real person who lived on earth about 2,000 years ago (Its January 2022)
However there is historical, archeological, and documented evidence that Jesus lived on earth during the time that the Caesars ruled Rome. Any scholar worth their salt can easily find the evidence of a historical Jesus, including His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. The Roman form of execution at that time was crucifixion of the most dangerous rebels. And Jesus was considered a rebel against the ruling authorities of that day.
But Jesus is more than that according to the scriptures, according to the Bible.
According to the gospel of John, Jesus was in the beginning with God before the creation of the earth. John opened his writing in the gospel this way: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God” The Word is synonymous with Jesus. So Jesus was in the beginning with God. Note the Word was with God and the Word was God. These are 2 distinct personalities but one God. Our limited mind cannot understand this, it takes faith in God.
Also, we can go back to the first book of the Bible, Genesis, which begins this way “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and the Spirit of God moved Upon the surface of the earth and God said “Let there be light”; and there was light” So we see God, the Holy Spirit and the Word (which is Jesus) working together in the creation. So we see here again that Jesus is not some prophet or holy person, He is a part of the Godhead (which consists of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost).
So Jesus is part of the Holy Trinity; God the father God the son and God the Holy Spirit and they are three persons but one God. You cannot apply human reasoning to understand the Godhead, it’s by faith in Christ. This is why unbelievers cannot understand this truth, because they do not have the Holy Spirit, who is in us from the time of salvation, being born again in Christ.
There are many passages in the Old Testament which shows the presence of Jesus. Jesus was in the burning bush that appeared to Moses in the book of Exodus 3 when God chose Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt
This is called a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ
You see, Jesus did not just appear as a baby to Mary and Joseph in the New Testament. Mary became pregnant through the miracle work of the Holy Spirit. You may say; Wait, if Jesus was born of a woman then He mst have the sin nature. It’s a scientific truth that the blood of the baby does not mix with the blood of the mother. So He was born without the sin nature of human beings. So, only a perfect, sinless person could give their life for the salvation of all humanity. That was Jesus.
So far we demonstrated that, Jesus was at the creation of the world, He was in the Old Testament and He was perfect, without the sin nature of mankind
That person was Jesus who lived as fully God and fully man on the earth for approximately 33 years. Jesus is not half-god half man like the Greek gods. We read about Greek idols like Zeus and Apollo who are demi-gods. Jesus is fully god and fully man. He is not close to God or hang out with God. Jesus is God.
Now if Jesus is not God then Christians are in trouble with our worship. It would mean that Christians are worshipping someone who is not God. The conclusion of this scenario would be that Christians are worshipping an idol. That is idolatry. But Jesus is God.
So I have established that Jesus is God, or as the scriptures say, God the Son. And we can understand that people who claim the Jesus is black or white are either deceived or don’t understand the real Jesus of the scriptures.
But why the debate about the color of Jesus?
We have seen Jesus depicted as a white man, a slender hippie looking white man with long hair. This is an abomination against the Word of God and the 10 commandments. The second commandment clearly states that we should not make any image or likeness of God.
Exodus 20:4-5 (NKJV) 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, any likeness [of anything] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.“
So any image, any picture, any sculpture, or any drawing of Jesus is a violation of God’s law. And to worship or lift up any such image is wrong. . And God hates it according to the scriptures In my opinion, churches need to take down all such images.
How did we get here? You see, the origin of Christianity was the Middle East not Europe. However at the time Jesus walked the earth, the European powers (Greece then Rome, otherwise known as the Roman empire) was in control of the entire region. The Caesars tried to eliminate the growth of the belief in Jesus, especially after His crucifixion death and resurrection. However they were unsuccessful. About 300 years later, the Roman emperor Constantine incorporated Christianity into their pagan religions which eventually became what is known as the Roman Catholic religion. However they also kept most of the pagan practices. It’s under this system that we begin to see paintings of Jesus, the angels and apostles as white Europeans.
So we can say that Christianity was Romanized and Europeanized. This abomination has had a negative influence on Christianity. Chattel slavery and colonialism have been justified in many quarters by this idolatry including the abominable image of Jesus as white. Christianity has been painted as a white, “a white man’s religion” etc.
Unfortunately even most church history taught in seminaries are really European church history. The history of the Christian church in Asia , the Middle East and Africa are hardly taught. The historical truth is that Christians were in Egypt, Ethiopia Northwest Africa even parts of west Africa before Islam and the European chattel slave trade. This is neglected by the majority of "Christian" scholars. But that's a whole teaching by itself. No because people paint Jesus as white means it's true. That's abominable and all Christian leaders and churches must expose this lie. No such thing in the Bible, end of story
The American Civil War was largely influenced by this abomination of a white Jesus, the betrayal of the Reconstruction, Jim Crow period were all influenced by this image of a white Jesus. Fake Christians always tried to justify a white Jesus. However, real Christians like William Wilberforce made great contributions to the abolition of slavery. So that we cannot make generalized statement that Christianity is a “white” religion. The Bible clearly contradicts such a philosophy. Also there is no biblical justification to leave Christianity by saying it’s a “white man’s religion”. This must be addressed because it’s a reason nonwhite people use to reject the Gospel. The church must address it, its roots and sins against God and His Word.
This philosophy of a white Jesus promotes white superiority. No question about it. Some like to pretend that it’s not relevant to Christians. There are many Christians who battle the sin of racism and prejudice. This philosophy has nothing to do with the Scriptures. In fact, the Bible knows nothing about race the way we define it today Let me Repeat that ]the Bible knows nothing about race the way we define it today]. The Scriptures are clear - there is only one race, the human race. In Acts 17:24-29 the Bible clearly states that all humanity came from one blood, meaning Adam and Eve; we all came from the same ancestor. Race, as we know it is a human construct designed to divide and exploit people for power and financial gain. (Let me repeat that) Race, as we know it, is a human construct designed to divide and exploit people for power and financial gain. Division of people based on “race” or “skin color” is an affront to God and an affront to the Scriptures. It is sad that too many churches today still practice this abomination, this lie, some openly, some subtly. The American church needs to intensify its guard because this philosophy is constantly promoted in almost all areas of our society: in media, in business, in movies, in schools and especially in the home. It is understandable why some people are angry and opposed to a white Jesus image in our churches (including images, written materials for children etc.)
So, the color of Jesus is hardly relevant to the Bible. The people who promote the color of Jesus idea are Either trying to deceive or they really don’t know who Jesus is. Like I said, Jesus is neither black nor white. Jesus is God and the color of God is irrelevant. Jesus is neither black nor white. He is God. I like how Dr. Frederick Price put it. "We don't need a black Jesus We don't need a white Jesus We need the real Jesus"
Remember that you always need to Hear and Do the Right Thing. Knowledge is powerful, but the wisdom of God is the principal thing.
Until next time, see you right here. Peace
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