09/24/17 One in Christ

READING: Song of Solomon 4-5, Galatians 3

“There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Galatians 3:28

I love the church. It’s an amazing organism God created for His glory. He puts us together and unites us despite our differing backgrounds. And, it’s not that God removes all the differences and makes us a bland group of uniformity; rather, it is that He celebrates His creative diversity even as He makes us one.

The distinctions that could divide us are numerous (e.g., white vs. black, man vs. woman, rich vs. poor, urban vs. rural, educated vs. uneducated, married vs. single, etc.), but God grants grace that unites us beyond those differences. Here’s the way Paul described it: “There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). Somehow, God breaks through all these things that could easily become obstacles to our fellowship – and that would have, in Paul’s world, clearly divided people – and He instead produces a supernatural unity amid diversity. Thus, all who follow Christ are my brothers and sisters. 

The implications of this truth are at least two. First, I have no room for pride about who I am. If I were to dare think that being a white male somehow makes me superior, this text reminds me that I’m foremost a sinner saved only by the grace of God. All believers are one in God because we were all first guilty of rebellion, and we’ve all been saved the same way: through the shed blood of Christ. As new creations, we’re now in a new family—the family of God.

Second, I must take the gospel to all people. None of us is worthy of God’s grace, yet He chooses to use us to speak of His grace to the nations. He truly does love the world (John 3:16), and one of my responsibilities is to get the gospel to that world. Few things are as humbling and as life-affecting as joining arms with new believers from around the world after they’ve turned to Christ. We have different backgrounds and don’t even speak the same language, but we’re somehow now one in the family of God.

That’s incredible.

ACTION STEPS: 

  • Thank God for the unity and diversity in your church.
  • Confess to God any feelings you have of superiority over other people.

PRAYER: “God, thank You for making us one. Help me to celebrate with my brothers and sisters around the world.” 

TOMORROW’S READING:  Song of Solomon 6-8, Galatians 4

 

 

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