What Does the Word of God Say About Race?

By David Rives May 3, 2021

Have you ever heard the children’s song “Jesus Loves the Little Children”? It goes like this:

Jesus loves the little children,

All the children of the world.

Red and yellow, black and white,

They are precious in His sight.

Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Now this song teaches an important truth: Our Savior loves everyone. But what about that middle part? “Red and yellow, black and white?” Did you know that there is actually no such thing as a black, white, red or yellow, person? You can test this yourself. If you have a skin shade that’s light, like mine, hold a piece of white paper up to your face. All of the sudden, you look light brown! Or if you have a darker shade of skin, hold a piece of black paper to your face. Chances are, your skin is not technically “black”?

All humans are actually different shades of brown because of a pigment called melanin. I only have a little melanin, so my skin is lighter brown. Others have a little more pigment, so their skin is middle brown. Still others have a lot of melanin, so their skin looks dark brown. While there’s a wide variety in shade, there’s only one basic color—brown! In fact, when you spend a lot of time in the sun, your body begins to produce more melanin to guard your skin against the sun. That’s the reason you get a darker tan when you are outdoors a lot.

Now, some throw around the word “race” to describe the differences we see in people. But there’s actually only one race, the human race. This is a concept that comes directly out of the Bible. We’re all descended from the first man, Adam, and the mother of all living, Eve. Because of this, we’re all one race, or “one blood,” as Paul puts it in his sermon in Acts. This biblical teaching was confirmed when scientists mapped the human genome around the year 2000. They confirmed that genetically we’re all one race.

It would be more accurate to state that there are physical differences between “people groups” or “localized populations.” The physical differences we see between people such as eye shape or skin shade are very minor differences from a genetic standpoint. Between any two people on the planet, there’s only a .2% genetic difference—that’s really, really small. And of that .2% difference, only .012% codes for what most consider “racial” differences at the phenotype level—that’s really, really, really small. There’s actually more variation within a group than between groups.

All of this makes perfect sense and points back to the robust genetic code that God instilled in each one of us. We’re wonderfully made! But, because we’re all descendants of sinful Adam and Eve, that’s why we all need the salvation that Jesus Christ has offered. {eoa}

Listen to The David Rives Show on the Charisma Podcast Network for more fascinating content about creation like this and watch “Red, Yellow, Black … and White?” on the David Rives Ministries YouTube channel. {eoa}

The Creator left a pattern of His fingerprints across each corner of the universe, a pattern that David Rives has devoted his life to researching, revealing and sharing, while declaring the glory of God. The president of David Rives Ministries, his weekly TV show Creation with David Rives airs to millions globally on TBN. Author of 21 Verses Backed By Science, his work has been featured on the History Channel, DirecTV, NRB, TBN, CBN, METV, and heard daily on Christian radio. Having gained millions of views on social platforms, his Facebook, TikTok and YouTube pages continue to grow, as Rives captures the attention of Christians and skeptics of all ages. Rives leads annual dinosaur field trips, photo safaris to Africa, expeditions into the Grand Canyon and shares the gospel to millions along the way. He may be reached at [email protected]