Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Are you “woke”? This is a term that has gained a lot of traction in America, especially among young people. You are said to be “woke” if you have a keen awareness of social justice and racial justice issues. If you are a middle-aged white male, like me, you are assumed to NOT be woke…pretty much by definition. In reality, and minus all of the political implications and virtue signaling around the usage of the term, followers of Jesus Christ should be the most “woke” of everyone.
America is deeply divided along every fault line you can imagine:
Black/Brown/Yellow vs. White
Rich vs. Poor
Educated vs. Uneducated
Right vs. Left
Liberal vs. Conservative
Christian vs. Non-Christian
Urban vs. Suburban vs. Rural
Red States vs. Blue States
American vs. Illegal Immigrant
Division is the name of the game and it has been used to fuel media empires, political campaigns, grassroots organizations, social media platforms, and personal net worth. Sadly, there has also been plenty of division in the Church…and by Church, I mean bible-believing, bible-preaching churches. It was one of the biggest problems in the early church, as well. At that time, some Rabbis quoted a morning prayer that was popular among many Jews of that day. According to William Barclay, in that prayer the Jewish man would thank God that he was not born a Gentile, a slave, or a woman. Paul takes each of these categories and shows them to be equal in Jesus. We would do well to do the same.
What does a “real” Christian look like to you? Do they have to like Trump, hate wearing a mask, vote Republican, avoid certain denominations, support keeping Confederate statues, and give money to crisis pregnancy centers? Perhaps your list is the exact opposite. Whatever fault lines you choose to draw, Paul is not talking about ignoring significant differences…but when it comes to our standing before God with respect to salvation, all of those fall away. Does that unifying reality matter to you, or do you lean towards division?
In Jesus’ church, there is no place for racial prejudice (…neither Jew nor Greek).
In Jesus’ church, there is no place for social strata (…neither slave nor free).
In Jesus’ church, there is no place for sexism (…there is no male or female).
How does your heart and mind look by comparison?
