Guilty or not guilty. This question is at the center of scripture and undergirds the Christian faith. It’s popular to emphasize our love connection with God and to encourage one another in this way: that God loves us, we are cherished, we have relationship with Him and that’s all He really wants. All of this is true, but my concern is we’ve allowed the enemy to weaken our understanding of the verdict that serves as the foundation of that relationship: not guilty. Righteous – because of Jesus Christ and His death on the cross. (Col 2:13-15) Never forget it.
The second thing to remember is the armour of God we are told to take up. You remember: Shield of faith, breastplate of righteousness, helmet of salvation, shoes of the gospel of peace, belt of truth, and the sword of the Spirit. (Eph 6:10-18) You will also remember that there is nothing guarding your back. Reading Derek Prince this morning, there was one small page that pointed this out. He basically said, never give up resisting the evil one, because the moment you turn your back on him it’s open season. When I read that I realized something else. If the enemy starts a movement and you turn to follow, your back is also turned. Hear me out – God also starts movements. The trouble is, sometimes they both start a movement at the same time, and we are left to discern which is which.
The attack against the body of Christ right now is twofold. One, he is accusing us. As Derek Prince puts it, guilt is the enemy’s greatest weapon against us. In Revelations we are warned that Satan is the “the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night.” (Rev 12:10) At the moment if you’re white you are guilty, and the enemy wants to put a new book of law upon you and make you agree with it. You can be righteous only if you follow the program and speak the words. This is being packaged in the guise of “anti-racism work,” which in its true meaning is good but the enemy means something else. If you’re spiritually in-tune, you’ll have felt the push and pressure in the air right now. I’ve tried and tried to express my heart for unity, and it hasn’t been enough for the spirit in the air. Because unity is not what this spirit is after. This is why we must unite – white and black and brown believers – like never before.
Two, the enemy has turned this into a movement. If you turn and join, your back is exposed and he can strike. But if you don’t turn and join, you are opposed and find yourself fighting and being fought. Remember – “our battle is not against flesh and blood,” (Eph 6:12) and he’s not really after your stuff or health. He’s after your heart, mind, and soul. (1 Peter 5:7-9) Your faith in what Christ has done for you – “not guilty.” Satan wants to snatch it from the soil of your heart. And he is hurling guilt like I’ve never seen before.
“When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart.” – Jesus Christ (Matthew 13:19)
In the movement it doesn’t matter if you are white or black, because if a black or brown skinned person doesn’t also turn and join, doesn’t agree with the accusations against white people, they are also opposed. They are guilty by association. They are accused of “drinking the kool-aid,” and are therefore guilty. Whatever this is, it’s not the gospel.
I’m going to take a moment to tell you what I’m not saying, because I can already feel the outrage. I’m not saying white colonials haven’t committed atrocious historic crimes against the black community. These atrocities are not unique to white people, but white people did commit them against black and brown people groups. (And the Irish and Jews, if I’m not mistaken.) I am not saying the grief and lament of the black community is unwarranted, or that it’s not valuable and precious in the sight of God. I believe in reparations, ministries of mercy to bring life and healing to communities suffering from generational bondage, conversations, and the truth of history being exposed. I believe in peaceful protest, and heated dialogue.
I do not believe in inherent white guilt that is greater than the guilt of any other human, the moral superiority of oppressed groups, or the forceful destruction of government and property in the name of liberty and justice. (“Those who live by the sword must die by the sword.” – Jesus Christ. Matthew 26:50-52) I believe there’s a place to take up arms in defense of self and others. It isn’t something to be decided lightly, and there are moral and government laws to help us discern.
Back to guilt and the armour of God.
A walk with the Lord that involves relationship and love, humility and repentance is of course vital – (Eph 4:1-3) – but it’s fragile and hollow if we don’t understand a) what Jesus Christ accomplished for us, and for every human who will believe, and b) that the only weapon we’ve been given is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. I’m all for the rhema word – but when you’re in a war, you need the written. That’s why when Jesus Christ Himself was tempted by Satan, he said, “It is written,” “It is written,” “It is written.” Pow, smack, bam! (I am literally paraphrasing “Life-Changing Spiritual Power” by Derek Prince here – download his ministry app or grab the book.) Jesus could have said, “I really feel the Father saying” – but He didn’t. He used Deuteronomy. Know your bible!!!
I’m going to be very stark. This is a spiritual war, and it’s “take no prisoners.” You don’t get to choose to be neutral. You are either going to resist what the enemy is hurling at you, or you’ll turn your back and he’s got you. When the weapon he is using is a full-scale guilt assault, you are in serious danger if you don’t fill yourself on the truth of Christ’s work on the cross for you – that you are righteous and NOT guilty, there is no one who can rightfully accuse you for the colour of your skin and there is no system you can be born into that will overpower the work of the cross and tarnish you – make you guilty. This lie is demonic. You are not guilty for being white, and you are not guilty for being brown or black and doubting the guilt of white people, you aren’t guilty for being born into a nation with colonial roots. All have sinned, and the one sacrifice of Christ is enough for each of us. (Romans 3:21-24)
Jesus came and released salvation to Jews and colonial Romans. Ouch.
There are consequences for history, and we do have a great opportunity and responsibility to embrace our brothers and sisters and increase efforts to make policing safe, schools better, create opportunities, and to bring healing from emotional wounds, fatherlessness created by the demonic misapplication of justice (justice without mercy), and deliverance. After reading some black American history this week, the only thing I can compare the black community to is Israel in Egypt, and the Jews in the holocaust. I take very seriously the call of God on black westerners as a (very diverse and multi-ethnic) people group. Anyone who cries out to God and has faith while being abused and violated, and does not accuse God but sees His heart and His hand of hope – is someone worthy of great honour. “Precious in the sight of God is the death of his saints.” (Psalm 116:15) This is the process of testing and trial God uses to raise up great men and women – and peoples – of all colours and ethnicities. I don’t blame Him for the atrocities, but I honour Him for the way He redeems them. He makes us warriors.
My heart and hope is that we would partner with what God is doing, while resisting the work of the evil one. May relationships form, flourish, and may practical solutions and changes come. Amen. ❤
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