As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:27-28
It is human to make distinctions between people. We love to decide who's in and who's out, who counts and who doesn't. Our country is founded on the principles of making distinctions between people. First it was the Native Americans who were deemed to be less than deserving of their land. Because they were considered less than fully human the early immigrants decided they could justify their genocidal agenda. Then it was the highly lucrative slave trade. Because Africans were subhuman they could be used as property and exploited in order to generate more profit for the burgeoning cotton market. In fact many pastors and religious leaders used the bible to justify slavery. Women were oppressed and kept from voting, gays and lesbians are denied the right to marry and receive benefits, and the poor are constantly blamed and told they are undeserving. This is a brief sketch at how we as a society have made distinctions and share in a national history that is deeply flawed and troubling.
As individuals we too make distinctions about people who matter and people who don't. But, as Paul reminds us, in Christ there are no distinctions. In Christ these differences are not important. Through Christ we share a deep connection to every person. We are all children of God. So what should this mean for how we live? There are of course those who can bend these scriptures to imply that in the heavenly realm these distinctions will dissolve, even as they remain in place. After all, Paul never condemned slavery. But do not be misled. God's saving grace has deep ramifications for eternal life and life here and now. Because God makes no distinctions, we are called to see all people as children of God. Because God loves all people, we are called to love all. Until we confront our own sinful tendency to discriminate and make distinctions we cannot truly understand the deepness of God's love--it is truly a radical for all kind of love. The kind of love that changes everything.
Posts
2 comments:
I love your post and find it brave and loving, and am thankful it is out there in the world. However, it also leaves me with questions.
Is there distinction between those who walk with Christ, and those who do not believe Christ as the savior? Doesn't the Christian faith, while requiring we walk through the world in compassion and love for others, also inherently separate us, as humans, with the "who's in" and "who's out" of heaven and who will be granted God's grace after death? I love your post, but I struggle with continuing on as Christian if it means I should believe that all people on Earth should believe and act the same, requiring millions and millions of people to completely deny their entire history and culture...which may be very beautiful and something I can learn from. My life has been made more beautiful and my heart more loving, wondrous, and I would say even spiritual, due to the influence that others' spiritual beauty has had on me. I thank God every day for my spiritual growth, as I feel part of humanity, and not just Christianity.
Thank you for a great reflection. For me no distinctions is really about how we live in this life. For those who are Christian, we know that God did not "distinguish" our sinful nature but through Christ we are children of God. We receive grace first. How we respond to Gods grace should be to live without judging people. God showed us grace and mercy so we should strive to show love and mercy to others. It doesn't mean everyone is or should be the same. I celebrate diversity and learn a great from those who are different. No distinctions means those differences should not carry value that determines who counts and who doesn't. It is not our job to make distinctions but God's and through Christ we confess that God chooses to offer grace.
Post a Comment