More Than Skin Deep: Why the Gospel Transcends Ethnic Preservation
Introduction
I don’t usually wade into political conversations—not because I’m indifferent, but because I find little joy in the rhetoric they often produce. I tend to steer clear of the arena altogether. But lately, a particular sentiment has been surfacing—not just in secular spaces, but increasingly within Christian circles—and it’s been pressing on my heart.
Let me be clear from the outset: this article isn’t an attack, nor is it written to provoke controversy for its own sake. My hope—prayerfully—is to offer a loving but needed correction to a perspective I believe falls out of step with the gospel. That’s not to say those who hold it are outside the faith. Far from it. But I do believe the theology and assumptions underlying this view fail to reflect the heart of Christ.
So with humility and care, let’s take a closer look at the issue.
The Argument for Ethnic Preservation
The perspective I’m addressing often begins with a statement that, on the surface, seems harmless—even self-evident: “It’s not wrong to want your grandchildren to look like you.”
Taken in isolation, the sentiment may appear benign. But the theological and cultural framework built upon it warrants closer scrutiny.
Advocates of this view often cite Acts 17:26, where Paul says that God “made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.”
From this, it is reasoned that God not only created distinct nations but also intended for ethnic boundaries and distinctions to endure—and thus, to be preserved.
On this basis, it is argued that there is nothing inherently wrong with a Chinese man desiring a Chinese son, or a German man hoping for a German grandson. These desires are not seen as exclusionary or ethnocentric, but rather as affirmations of God’s created order.
In support of this view, some appeal to Ezra’s reaction in Ezra 9, where he tears his tunic, pulls out his hair, and sits appalled upon hearing that Israelites had intermarried with foreign peoples. Ezra’s grief is presented as a righteous defense of ethnic preservation.
Some even point to Jesus’ words in Matthew 15:24—“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”—to suggest that Christ Himself affirmed a kind of ethnic prioritization, or at least limited His mission within cultural boundaries.
Those who advocate for global unity among peoples are, in turn, sometimes accused of bearing the “spirit of Babel,” or labeled “globalists,” as though they are undermining the distinctions God established at creation.
Altogether, the argument asserts that it is not sinful to love one’s own people, to desire continuity of cultural heritage, or to hope that one's descendants maintain ethnic identity. In fact, such desires are presented as a reflection of divine design—a design that celebrates difference rather than erases it.
Affirming Shared Truths
Before offering a response, let me be clear: this is not a blanket rejection of everything within the view I’m addressing. There are real and important truths present—truths that should be acknowledged even as the broader framework is questioned.
Yes, God did ordain the existence of nations, boundaries, languages, and cultures—and there is genuine beauty in the diversity of appearance, language, cuisine, and tradition that flows from that design.
Yes, Ezra’s grief in the face of intermarriage was righteous.
Yes, Jesus declared that He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
And yes, in some modern expressions of global unity, important truths are sacrificed in the name of a shallow sameness.
So the issue isn’t whether these texts are true—they are. The problem is how they’re being interpreted and applied in ways that subtly distort the gospel’s trajectory.
Why God Divided the Nations: A Response to Babel
Yes, God did ordain the boundaries, dwellings, languages, and cultures of mankind. But the crucial question is why He did so. It wasn’t because unity among humanity is inherently wrong—on the contrary, unity was part of God’s original design: one people, one language, living together in peace, harmony, and worship of their Creator. The problem wasn’t unity; it was sin.
After the fall, humanity became dead in trespasses and sins, united not in righteousness, but in rebellion. That’s why God scattered the nations at Babel—not because He prized ethnic separation in itself, but because unity, in our sinful state, becomes a dangerous amplifier of evil. The division was an act of mercy, a restraint against collective rebellion.
This doesn’t mean that cultural diversity is a mistake. Quite the opposite. God, in His sovereignty, brings beauty out of brokenness. The variety of cultures, languages, and peoples is a display of His creative grace—even as it arose from human failure.
But we must be clear: division was not the ideal. Unity was, and remains, part of God’s redemptive aim. At Pentecost, we see the beginning of that restoration. The very thing that once divided—language—was overcome as the Spirit enabled all to hear the gospel in their own tongues. The curse of Babel was being reversed, not through coercion or conformity, but through the Spirit’s unifying power.
This points forward to the consummation in Revelation 5:9, where we see a redeemed people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation gathered around the Lamb. In Christ, they are made one: a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession (1 Pet 2:9)—not to preserve their separateness, but to proclaim the praises of the One who called them out of darkness into His marvelous light.
Ezra, Covenant, and the True Israel
Ezra’s grief over intermarriage in Ezra 9 was righteous—but it had nothing to do with ethnicity and everything to do with covenant faithfulness. His concern was not with bloodlines, but with the spiritual compromise that comes from yoking the people of God to those who worship foreign gods.
Scripture is clear: a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, but one who is inwardly, whose heart has been circumcised (Rom 2:28–29). Not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but the children of promise who are counted as offspring (Rom 9:6–8).
This principle is already present in the Old Testament. In Exodus 12, we’re told, “No foreigner may eat the Passover” (v. 43). But just five verses later, God makes provision: “If a sojourner dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover… let all his males be circumcised, and then he may come near and keep it. He shall be as a native of the land” (v. 48).
The distinction was never ultimately ethnic, but covenantal. What mattered was not one’s lineage, but one’s allegiance to the Lord.
If Ezra’s concern were about race, it would stand in contradiction to God’s response to Moses’ own interethnic marriage. When Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses for marrying an Ethiopian woman (Num 12:1), God didn’t side with their indignation.
On the contrary, His anger burned against them, and Miriam was struck with leprosy—her skin turning “as white as snow” (v. 10)—a striking reversal of her prejudice.
So then, if God does not condemn Moses for marrying outside his ethnicity, but instead condemns those who opposed it, we must conclude that Ezra’s grief was not about ethnic purity, but spiritual fidelity. The call not to be “unequally yoked” (2 Cor 6:14) is a call to covenantal unity in the Lord—not cultural sameness. The dividing line has never been race, but faith.
Christ and His Earthly Ministry
Jesus did tell the Gentile woman who asked for His help, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt 15:24). But does that statement affirm divine ethnic preference—or is something deeper going on?
We must take His words seriously. He wasn’t lying. Yes, He came for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But we also need to pay close attention to His actions to understand what that phrase truly means. If it meant He was operating on the basis of ethnic exclusivity, it wouldn’t make sense for Him to immediately heal the Gentile woman’s daughter after saying it.
And if “only coming for Israel” implies some form of ethnic favoritism, then why did He heal the Roman centurion’s servant and praise his faith, saying, “I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” (Matt 8:10)? Why did He cross into the region of the Gadarenes—Gentile territory—just to deliver a demonized man and then commission him to go home and “tell them what great things the Lord has done for you” (Mark 5:19)?
If we isolate Jesus’ words, it can sound like He’s expressing ethnic preference. But when we look at His actions—and the broader biblical witness—a different picture emerges. So what does the phrase actually mean?
When we take Scripture as a whole, we see that salvation was always meant to reach beyond Israel. From the beginning, God's redemptive plan encompassed all peoples.
God said to Abraham, “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12:3). And of the coming Servant, the Lord declared, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob… I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isa 49:6).
But for that salvation to reach the world, Jesus had to become the stone the builders rejected (Psa 118:22; Matt 21:42; 1 Pet 2:7). He had to come first to His own to be despised and rejected by them (John 1:11). He had to be the man of sorrows, acquainted with grief—esteemed as stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted—so that He might be wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities (Isa 53:3, 5).
We can see, then, that when Jesus tells the Gentile woman, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” He isn’t saying she’s unworthy because she’s not a Jew. He’s not denying her dignity or worth. Rather, He’s revealing something of the divine sequence of redemption. In essence, He’s saying, “This isn’t the appointed moment yet”— and yet, even then, her faith draws out His mercy.
The Beauty of Biblical “Globalism”
Yes, there are forms of “globalism” today that echo the spirit of Babel—movements that seek unity at the expense of truth, righteousness, and submission to God. Like the builders of that ancient tower, they aim to make a name for themselves, not to glorify the name of the Lord. Their unity is not a fruit of righteousness but an alliance in rebellion.
But we must not reject the desire for unity simply because it is often misused. The problem is not the longing for global harmony; the problem is seeking it apart from God. The Bible itself envisions a day when true unity will be restored—not in defiance of God, but in joyful submission to Him.
Isaiah spoke of the latter days when the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established above all mountains, with all nations flowing to it, beating their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. No longer lifting up sword against each other or learning war (Isa 2:2, 4).
Jesus told the Jews, “I have other sheep, which are not from this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.” (John 10:16), showing that one flock, united under Him—the one shepherd—was always His ideal.
He Himself was always meant to be our peace, by making Jews and Gentiles one group and breaking down the dividing wall by abolishing the enmity in His flesh. So that in Himself He might create the two into one new man, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross (Eph 2:14-16). So that they could be one kingdom of priests to our God, to reign upon the earth (Rev 5:9).
Conclusion
Now, let me be clear: biblical unity in Christ does not erase culture, nor does it flatten the beauty of our ethnic distinctions. The gospel does not stamp out the rich flavor of the nations—it redeems it. God is not glorified in the separation of peoples, but in the Spirit-wrought unity of diverse peoples, reconciled through the cross.
There is nothing inherently wrong with loving your ethnic heritage. Paul himself could write, “I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Rom 9:3). But even Paul, with that deep familial longing, recognized that the true children of God are not defined by ancestry, but by faith.
Christ declared, “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matt 12:50). The family of God is redefined—not by shared bloodlines, but by shared allegiance to the Father’s will.
So when ethnic identity becomes the lens through which we read Scripture—when it begins to eclipse gospel priorities or be baptized as a kingdom virtue—we distort the very message we claim to uphold.
God’s redemptive plan is not to preserve ethnic bloodlines but to create a new humanity in Christ—a family drawn from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation, united not by the blood of our ancestors, but by the blood of our Savior. Our identity is no longer anchored in ancestry, but in adoption.
Let us then be a people who celebrate God’s providence in crafting a beautifully diverse world—but who rejoice even more in His purpose to make us one in Christ. Let us resist the temptation to sacralize ethnic preservation, and instead set our hope on the kingdom that is coming: a kingdom where the Lamb is the light, where every nation is gathered, and where Christ Himself is our peace.
May our hearts be shaped not by nostalgia for heritage, but by hope in the new creation. For in Christ, the dividing wall has been broken. And that is very good news.
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What a wonderful article which explains how we are united through Christ our Redeemer. Thank you for this most explicit explanation. This is truly prayerful executed. Gods Grace is ever present.
Beautifully written, dear friend! It truly captures the essence of our Father, who has wonderfully created both diversity and unity. His plan of redemption restores dignity and order. Praising Him for this message!