3 Biblical Responses to Race and Gender Equality

1. The entire human race is created in God’s image with equal value.

Various people groups live throughout Latin America—indigenous groups, mestizo groups (descendants of European and indigenous peoples), and people of African descent. Sadly, I see how discrimination continues to persist against those who are made in God’s image. People in Mexico are treated differently based on skin shade, class, and even height (indigenous people tend to be shorter, whereas people in the cities tend to have more European ancestry, which tends to make them taller).

Every person alive today, regardless of their people group, belongs to one race—the human race

The Bible shows us that all people groups are descendants of Adam and Eve, the first humans God created in his image on day six of creation week. After the tower of Babel event, people dispersed and spread throughout the world, leading to the formation of different people groups. But every person alive today, regardless of their people group, belongs to one race—the human race. We are all made in God’s image and have the same inherent value and dignity.

2. We are all created either male or female.

Students in Latin America—and around the world—are taught that any appeal to exclusivity in truth (such as the gospel) is a mere vestige of an oppressive system. The culture says that true equality comes only by obliterating any universal distinctions, such as gender.

Humans were created distinctly male or female from the beginning.

Scripture provides clarity and simplicity when it comes to gender. According to Genesis, humans were created distinctly male or female from the beginning (Genesis 1:27). An example of the distinctiveness between the sexes is that God gave men and women different roles within marriage and the church (Genesis 2:18; Ephesians 5:21, 25; 1 Timothy 2:12–13). We are obligated to define ourselves the way God defines us as either male or female.

3. We are all sinners in need of a Savior.

The Bible teaches that we are all sinners.

Just like in the US, higher education in Latin America often promotes secular ideologies as the only answer to inequality. They blame systemic injustice for inequality with little to no assent to personal integrity, work ethic, or responsibility. Although people have sinfully acquired power at the cost of others throughout history, postmodern thought teaches that historically this has been one-sided, with only a few privileged people groups holding power over other innocent people groups.

The Bible does not teach that anyone is relegated to innocence due to being oppressed by others. Rather, the Bible teaches that we are all sinners, as the first humans were (Romans 3:23). All past and present sin is the result of the fall. But like Adam and Eve, we are given the promise of the Seed (Genesis 3:15), Jesus Christ, who offers us the free gift of salvation.