Dr. Martin Luther King made a big mistake.
Like many black activists today, he believed that answer through public pressure and the public sector would do away with racism prejudice, and intolerance.
Unfortunately, the heart of man ungenerated is wicked, whether white or black or any other color, beyond the calculation or care of man. (Jeremiah 17: 6)
The solution to prejudice is not found in man, in marches, in boycotts, or in sending the correct elected officials to office:
"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house
of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind,
and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be
to me a people:
"And they shall not
teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord:
for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
"For I will be
merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I
remember no more." (Hebrews 8: 10-12) Man needs a new heart, not just a new set of ideas, not just "consciousness-raising". Man needs to be raised from the dead. He needs to repent in his mind from believing that this is a harsh world where God either does not care or is mad at the world, to accepting that God so loved the world, so loved man, that He sent His son to die for our sins and give us everlasting life (John 3: 16). This life, this promise of a new heart, is based on one gift: righteousness. Righteousness is not something that we do, not something that we have, not something that we create, and definitely not something that we can earn. Righteousness is accorded to us through the grace of God, which has appeared to all men because of Jesus' death on the Cross (Titus 2: 11-12). This righteousness is a gift, one which we receive along with the abundance of grace through Christ (Romans 5: 17) Yet too many people, especially among certain minorities, are dead set on pursuing and asserting their "rights". Paul had this to say about fighting for "rights": "Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust,
and not before the saints? 2Do ye not know
that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you,
are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3Know ye not that
we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?" (1 Corinthians 6: 1-3) Keeping in mind that Paul appealled to Caesar because of his unjust treatment (but it was for the glory of God, not for his own glory that he made appeal (Acts 25: 11), Paul disdained the petty attitude of the Corinthians to sue over anything, specifically suing each other in court before unbelievers. Jesus disdained pursuing people in court because of greed or material gain: "13And one of the company
said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with
me. 14And he said unto him,
Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? 15And he said unto them,
Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the
abundance of the things which he possesseth." (Like 12: 13-15) Instead of fighting for our rights, Jesus invites us to rest in His righteousness, that Jesus Christ has paid for it all: "9There remaineth
therefore a rest to the people of God. 10For he that is
entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did
from his. 11Let us labour
therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of
unbelief. " (Hebrews 4: 9-11) The devil loves to see men and women fight over things, when God has promised that Jesus gives us all things (Romans 8: 31-32)
The key element is righteousness: "33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof (Matthew 6: 33-34)
Righteousness is the key that unlocks the door to every good and perfect gift from God the Father (James 1: 17), and James features that God is the Father of Lights, for in His light, the Blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1: 17)
Stop fighting for your rights, church! Rest in his righteousness, and whatever persecution that man may bring, you can trust that God's grace will superabound towards you (2 Corinthians 12: 9-10), because:
"Herein is our love
made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he
is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17)