Recap: The Origin of All Nations

In the first two sermons we established the biblical account of the origin of the nations: all men descended from Adam and Eve, all nations originated at the Tower of Babel from the three sons of Noah, and all the diverse peoples of the world can be traced to the three broad divisions of Japheth, Shem, and Ham. The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 is the most accurate historical record of the origin of the peoples of the earth in existence, and its accuracy can be verified from secular history and archaeology.

“God that made the world and all things therein… hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him.” — Acts 17:24–27

Offspring of God by Creation — and by Grace

Paul, preaching to pagan Athenians, quotes one of their own poets in support of a truth so obvious that even unbelievers have stumbled upon it: For we are also his offspring (Acts 17:28). In what sense are all men the offspring of God? In the sense of creation. God formed each human being in his mother’s womb. Every person who has ever lived is in that sense his creature and his offspring.

But this is not the highest sense of the relationship. Only Christians can truly say they are the children of God in the full spiritual sense — those who have been born again by the Holy Spirit and adopted into the family of God through faith in Jesus Christ. The children of God by creation are all men; the children of God by grace are believers only.

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” — John 1:12–13

Sin Is the Great Equaliser

Although the nations differ in language, appearance, culture, ability, and many other ways, there is one respect in which all human beings are absolutely equal: all are fallen, all are sinners, all are under God’s condemnation, and all stand in need of the same salvation.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” — Romans 3:23
“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” — Psalm 51:5

This is not a popular doctrine, but it is the foundational one. No nation is superior to another in the sight of God on account of its morality, its religion, its culture, or its achievements. All stand equally guilty before the throne of a holy God. And all stand equally in need of the same gospel of free grace.

God’s Purpose in the Diversity of Nations

The diversity of the nations is not an accident, not the random product of genetics and geography, but the deliberate creation of the sovereign God of heaven and earth. He set the bounds of the people. He determined where each nation would dwell and when. And the great purpose behind this distribution was that all peoples in all places might have the opportunity to seek after him, and to find him — though he be not far from every one of us.

The unity of the human race in Adam and the diversity of the nations from Babel together form the backdrop against which the glory of the gospel shines. The one gospel, the one Saviour, the one blood of Christ — are sufficient for every tribe and tongue and people and nation that has ever existed.

“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.” — Revelation 7:9

The Christian’s Calling

The world will always be full of racial conflict. No conference, no legislation, no social programme will remove the hatred between nations that has existed since Babel and will continue until the Lord returns. But the people of God know something the world does not: that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither bond nor free, and that all who are Christ’s are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.

The Christian’s calling in a racially divided world is neither to pretend the divisions do not exist nor to inflame them, but to preach the only gospel that has ever brought true reconciliation between men — the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, who shed his blood for people out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation.