More Than Just Forgiveness

“John’s vision not only says that Christ’s blood is available to forgive all sinners from every part of the human race, but he also says that these individuals are more than forgiven — they are made kings and priests, and they shall reign on the earth. Enslaved blacks in the ante-bellum South who came to faith in Christ were coming to something far greater than personal forgiveness. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, and when Christ brings men to salvation, He also brings them (over time) into cultural maturity. There is no biblical reason for assuming that any race of men will be shortchanged in this. What possible exegetical grounds could we have for saying that blacks can be forgiven, but are somehow excluded from enjoying the fruits of cultural maturity? This is important because paternalistic Christian whites have sometimes allowed blacks into the faith because they have no trouble seeing how blacks need forgiveness. But the astounding grace of the gospel never stops with just forgiveness; the forgiven one is always summoned to glory. And not an invisible Gnostic glory either” (Black and Tan, p. 26).