Sometime in the last quarter of the second century and somewhere in the eastern Mediterranean, potentially in the city of Alexandria, an anonymously authored letter was written to a man named Diognetus. Diognetus had been asking questions about the Christian faith and the Christian author of the letter sets out to answer those questions. The letter serves as an example of apologetics in the early Christian church. Topics such as the foolishness of idolatry, the superstitious cult of Judaism (now that the Messiah had come), and the nature of Christ’s incarnation as the Son of God are among those addressed.
But one theme keeps surfacing throughout the letter. The author seems burdened to explain what makes Christians different from others in the world, what sets them apart, what makes them tick, what causes their unity. These are good questions to ask, not only in Diognetus’ day, but also in our own day. The author answers relevant questions for any period of church history, questions about Christians such as: Who are they? How do they relate to one another? What are their practices? Why do they sacrifice so much (even their lives and livelihoods) to keep their beliefs? How can people of different nationalities, languages, and cultures come together as one people with a bond so strong that persecution itself can’t even break?
The letter begins by explaining the Christian’s identity right out of the gates. In fact, the opening section is essentially an apology of sorts attempting to crystalize the identity of God’s people- the church. This section comes with the heading, “The Mystery of the New People” (1.1-2). Later in the letter, under the heading “The Church in the World” (5.1-10), we find another section. In part, this second section reads:
For Christians cannot be distinguished from the rest of the human race by country or language or customs. They do not live in cities of their own; they do not use a peculiar form of speech; they do not follow an eccentric manner of life. This doctrine of theirs has not been discovered by the ingenuity or deep thought of inquisitive men, nor do they put forward a merely human teaching, as some people do. Yet, although they live in Greek and barbarian cities alike, as each man's lot has been cast, and follow the customs of the country in clothing and food and other matters of daily living, at the same time they give proof of the remarkable and admittedly extraordinary constitution of their own commonwealth...They live in their own countries, but only as aliens. They have a share in everything as citizens, and endure everything as foreigners. Every foreign land is their fatherland, and yet for them every fatherland is a foreign land...They busy themselves on earth, but their citizenship is in heaven...They obey the established laws, but in their own lives they go far beyond what the laws require...They are reviled, and yet they bless; when they are affronted, they still pay due respect. When they do good, they are punished as evildoers; undergoing punishment, they rejoice because they are brought to life. They are treated by the Jews as foreigners and enemies, and are hunted down by the Greeks; and all the time those who hate them find it impossible to justify their enmity (5:1-5, 9-10,15-17).[i]
Several interesting paradoxes about Christians pop out from this paragraph. Here are just seven that I’ve put in my own words:
· Christians live in their own countries, but live as aliens in those countries.
· Christians share in everything with one another as fellow citizens, but endure everything together as foreigners.
· For Christians, every foreign land is a fatherland, and yet every fatherland is a foreign land.
· Christians are busy on earth, but their citizenship is in heaven.
· Christians obey the established laws, but go beyond the established laws in their love for others, especially one another.
· Christians are reviled, but in return they bless.
· Christians do good, but they are punished as evil.
These paradoxes indeed make the church a collection of curious people before the world’s eyes. Such was perplexing to Diognetus.
But what exactly explains these differences? The author of the letter answers that question by describing the church in a way that we aren’t used to hearing, but one I’m convinced should be used more often in today’s evangelical climate of social justice warriors. This description is found at the very beginning of the letter, which opens this way:
To His Excellency, Diognetus:
I understand, sir, that you are really interested in learning about the religion of the Christians, and that you are making an accurate and careful investigation of the subject. You want to know, for instance, what God they believe in and how they worship him...You would also like to know the source of the loving affection that they have for each other. You wonder, too, why this new race or way of life has appeared on earth now and not earlier (1:1).
The author calls the church “this new race”. In fact, he alludes to both Jews and Greeks throughout his letter in an effort to distinguish those groups from “this new race”. He points out that Christians have neither the gods of the Greeks nor the superstitious practices of the Jews. Christians are like a different race of people. They are marked out by their love for one another. Their customs, ways, purposes, and passions are derived from their relationship with Christ, the God-Man. Because of His love for them, they are able to love one another regardless of their divergent backgrounds. They are joined to this Christ and therefore joined to one another. There is an unbreakable union that perceived or real differences don’t interfere with. As far as I can tell, we read nothing of the early church demanding racial reparations or justice regarding past sins or failures of the forefathers of other Christians. Victimology was hardly a term coined in the second century, nor even a concept understood or recognized.
To think of Christians as a “third race” is helpful in our own day. It’s also a biblical concept. Although the apostle Paul didn’t use this exact language, he certainly came close. Paul, unlike the author of this anonymous letter, wrote many letters under inspiration of the Holy Spirit. One of them is his epistle to the Ephesians. The Ephesian congregation was largely made up of Gentiles converts. And Paul reminds them how the gospel of Jesus Christ sovereignly brought these Gentiles (who once were far off) near to God (and other believing Jews) through the blood of His cross. Paul, an ethnic Jew himself, says to these Gentile Christians:
11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.[ii]
The historically well-documented hatred between Jews and Gentiles hardly needs to be established here. Jews despised Gentiles and Gentiles loathed Jews in return. But the church is a third race constituting both Jews and Gentiles. The church is a new people formed by the work of God. Through the shedding of His Son’s blood, God has brought the blood types of all men together into one new people. They are now a spiritual family. Christians are a new creation.[iii] They are a third race, if you will. In fact, this was no passing assertion on the apostle Paul’s part. He elaborated on this concept by providing three rich images that help us see this new creation of people – this third race- that God is building.
In the next article, I ‘d like to elaborate on these three images. But for now, let’s ask ourselves some practical questions that need answered in our own day. As we ask them, may we be driven to the biblical text for our answers.
· How should our understanding of race relations in the church be shaped by the concept of the church as a third race?
· Does our understanding of the church as a third race liberate us to forgive seventy times seven other brothers and sisters instead of constantly bringing up the past?
· Does a third race allow for an emphasis on racial distinctions within the church? If so, to what extent? Or does this only work to divide?
As one who signed The Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel[iv], I think Ephesians 2 is a wonderful place to see the unity of races within the third race of the church. Christ is the Prince of Peace and He came to establish peace- both vertical (between God and man) and horizontal (between man and man). Peace with other men is only possible through peace with God. Peace with God only comes through the cross. By faith we are justified in order to receive peace.[v] This peace with God results in peace between others who have peace with God- those from every tribe, tongue, and nation. It’s only as the church reinforces what she has in common, namely her union with Christ, that she will experience peaceful union and practical oneness among the individual members who make her up. Forgiveness, longsuffering, patience, and kindness are all fruits of the Holy Spirit. So in this sense, peace is not only possible, but inevitable because such is produced by God Himself. Furthermore, such peace is inevitable because the consummated kingdom will bring ultimate peace. But until then, we should not view peace as simply possible, nor should we merely view it as inevitable. To be clear, we should obviously view it as both possible and inevitable, but additionally we should view it as obligational. Paul tells the church in Ephesians 4:3 to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”. Unity is achieved by lives focused on Christ as the glue that binds us both to God and one another recognizing that together (not apart) we constitute His third race of people.
God’s people live in a new neighborhood (God’s kingdom). We are part of a new brotherhood (God’s household). And we constitute a new priesthood (God’s Temple) regardless of the color of our skin. The past is just that- it’s the past. We’re a new people. We belong to Christ and to one another now. We have an entirely new, more meaningful, and eternally valuable identity than the ethnicity God sovereignly ordained for each one of us. 2 Corinthians 5:17 speaks to this directly:“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
[i] The Letter to Diognetus, Christian Classics Ethereal Library (https://www.ccel.org/ccel/richardson/fathers.x.i.ii.html#fna_x.i.ii-p3.1)
[ii] Ephesians 2:11-14
[iii] 2 Corinthians 5:17
[iv] https://statementonsocialjustice.com
[v] Romans 5