“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, and there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (rf. Gal. 3:28 MEV)
Much ink has been spilled and words used in news coverage over the past few years to spotlight the perceived and real divisions within our nation. Where we used to view ourselves as “One nation under God, indivisible”, we now are told that we are nothing but a collection of individuals, each with our own cause to raise, our own interests to protect. We can magnify the differences if they will enhance our own respectability and capacity to influence others to take the same path. It is now an “us vs. them”, “they are the enemy”, an angry people bent on mutual destruction. We have become a land of extremes with no real place for moderation and civil discourse.
For far too long, American Christians have looked to the government to solve these issues, a perspective which, in fact, has resulted in our presently strained election process and policies that bringing us no closer to resolution. Rather, the situation has only been made worse by the rabid politicizing of every issue and action. The question then is begged: Is there any hope for our future?
As believers in Christ, we have become too easily distracted by the actions and interests of our culture, government and society. We have failed to realize that we have an important responsibility to fulfill for God and for our country. We have been called by Christ Himself to be “the salt of the earth…the light of the world” (rf. Matt. 5:13-14). We have been appointed His ambassadors (rf. II Cor. 5) to show by our lives, actions and words the example of Jesus to a world that needs to hear and see that message.
Now, having covered that overall responsibility, let’s look at it in further detail through the words of the Apostle Paul in the above passage. Specifically, Paul is telling his fellow Christians in Galatia that the former social and racial distinctions no longer apply now that Jesus has brought us all together into His one Body, the Church. Implicitly, Paul is sharing with believers in all time periods that these distinctions are part of our past lives; these differences in race, gender, origin, etc. have no bearing as to our being a part of His kingdom.
The Bible does teach the value of differences between us because God has made us with these dissimilarities according to His purposes for His glory. Scripture only recognizes Jew and Gentile in terms of race and male and female in terms of gender. The laundry list of designations as proposed by our present society have absolutely no basis in God’s Word. None!
Rather, what God wants His people to do is to exhibit in His Church what it means to be of one mind and heart, regardless of the differences. He desires for us to mirror the unity that He has within the Persons of the Trinity (rf. Jn. 17:11b). It is our responsibility to show the world that we can worship, serve and minister in His name as one Body. We can relish in the value of our dissimilarities while working side-by-side and walking hand-in-hand to accomplish His will.
As Jesus-followers, we need to search our hearts and make sure that we are not allowing ourselves to be negatively influenced by the present society of division. Instead, let us commit ourselves to seeing past our distinctive traits in being “Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female” to fulfill Christ’s own prayer that His people be “one as(He, the Father, and the Holy Spirit) are one”. As with light to darkness so may we be the counterpoint to the divisiveness that is so prevalent now; may we be His agents of love, mercy and unity.
