Note: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are from the New King James Bible (underlining is added).
Abbreviations: NT = New Testament, OT = Old Testasment
Lessons from St Paul, the apostle:
#1 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Gal 3:27
St Paul writes that once a person has believed in Jesus and received Him, race (or genetics) does not matter.. But if race or genetics does not matter after receiving Jesus, then it doesn't matter FULL STOP! This is because Jesus said, "I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life." Living in Jesus means living in the truth, therefore truth says, "Race (genetics) is unimportant!" (NOTE: "does not matter" in this context is speaking only of spiritual matters/relating to God. Of course, genes do matter in physical ways - e.g. a person with a Y- chromosome won't get pregnant.)
#2 "....that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith." 1 Tim 1:3-4
It would be difficult to argue that genealogies were unimportant if one only had the OT, because many are found therein. In the NT, genealogies have prominence only in Matthew and Luke. But they are all about proving that Jesus satisfies the OT prophecies of the Messiah (Christ) being a descendant of King David ...... and that is the end of it in the NT!!! In this verse, Paul makes plain that, basing any spiritual relevance on genealogy, is a flawed way of thinking. Revelation has progressed! If you are human, you are ripe for a relationship with God!
Lessons from Jesus:
#1 'When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!" ' Matt 8:10
In Jesus' day, it is clear that many of the religious teachers trusted that their genealogical connection with Abraham would put them in right standing with God. See e.g. Matt 3:9 and John 8:33-44. But Hebrews tells us that something other than genealogy is essential.
Hebrews 11:6 tells us that faith is essential to please God, and here, Jesus is talking about the faith of a Roman centurion who needed healing for his servant. It is clear that God rewarded this man's faith, for we read further down in the chapter that "his servant was healed in the same hour" v.13. Apparently this Roman centurion had more faith (which is essential to please God) than all those who trusted in genealogies.
#2 'They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham." ' John 8:39
Jesus is having a conversation with those who were seeking to kill him (probably Pharisees). In verse 37, Jesus acknowledges that they are Abraham's "descendant", but in verse 39 says that they are not his "children". Jesus is clearly showing that to be "children of Abraham", genealogy is unimportant, but attitude and behaviour are important.
#3 'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.' John 8:39
God so loved the world, not just a particular race! "Whoever" means that no-one in this world is excluded!
In the video below, International Law attorney, and board member of Bethlehem Bible College, Jonathan Kuttab explains who receives the blessings of Abraham.
This website presents an amazing theology with the potential to calm the nations. Without this stunning theology, the world could go downhill very quickly. For a preview of how things could spiral downhill, watch the video below.
Lessons from the Lineage of Jesus:
#1 'Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, ' Matt 1:5
The genealogy of Jesus given in Matthew is an embarrassment to those who think there is a particular chosen race If Jesus were truly a genetic descendant (i.e a son) of David, then He would have got half of His genes through Mary. (It is generally speculated that the other half of Jesus' genome was miraculously supplied by God). Mary then must have descended from David.. But David (and therefore Mary and Jesus) had Canaanite blood (i.e. Rahab) and Moabite blood (i.e. Ruth) i n their ancestry!!! The takeaway is that Jesus is mixed race!
The lesson? Once again, God is shown to be no respecter of genes. To Him, one genetic lineage is as good as another, praise God!!
Lessons from Emancipation:
#1 "By mining the Bible for a doctrine of humanity (we are all divine image-bears) and a doctrine of salvation (Christ shed his blood for all peoples) and a doctrine of the church (in Christ there is neither slave nor free), we find the tools we need to battle racism and oppression—then and now."
- taken from https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/how-and-why-did-some-christians-defend-slavery/ "How and Why Did Some Christians Defend Slavery?"
The above article explains how slavery was advocated by some theologians and preachers, and mentions some of their biblical arguments. Indeed, another article at https://theconversation.com/the-curse-of-ham-how-people-of-faith-used-a-story-in-genesis-to-justify-slavery-225212 records the use of the curse of Ham (Genesis 9:24-27) by Christian denominations to justify slavery. The African races were said to be descendants of Ham, and so subject to this curse. However, as the quote above points out, slavery was defeated by the NT biblical understanding that there is only ONE race - the human race - and all have equal access to God!
The lesson? REJECT any arguments that use some wizened OT passages to support oppression, slavery, apartheid, ethnic cleansing or genocide by one race or ethnicity over another. Such arguments will always misunderstand and/or misuse such passages.
Lesson from Habakkuk in the OT:
#1 “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith." Hab 2:4
This verse is quoted in the NT in Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11 and Hebrews 10:39, giving testament to its importance! Being "just" (i.e. righteous) before God does not come through genetic heritage, but through faith. (Definitely, parents or grandparents with strong faith can inspire the next generation to also have strong faith - that's nothing to do with genes though.)