Day 13 | One in Christ: The Impossible Made Possible – "Who I Am In Christ" Firm Foundation 21-Day Devotional
There are realities in Christ that cannot exist anywhere else. I thought about our church family, New Covenant Church in Indianapolis. We are a predominantly African American congregation, but we've always had social and economic diversity. We've had White members in the past, but the differences among people are much greater than their ethnicity and nationality.
I realized that many of the members of our church would not be related any other way, if it were not for Christ. Some came to the church with family and friends. Others came without connection to persons in the church. Our spiritual and kingdom connection is Jesus.
God has made us one “body” in Christ. We've learned to value Who unites us more than things in everyday life that might separate us. We've grown to value the reality of covenant relationship through the New Covenant that Jesus ratified through his life.
In principle, this reality exists for all believers in Christ, everywhere. In fact, believers have to deal with their own training, miseducation, and social adaptation. It's not enough to quote Galatians 3:28 while failing to practice love and intelligent social engagement.
For example, the cure for systemic racism is not Galatians 3:28. Spiritual practice by itself does not unify people or solve problems in society. I often hear that the answer to social ills is getting people saved. This seems right until you realize that Christians have also created systemic problems for others, by ignorance or by neglect. As Rev. Dr. King's generation understood, we cannot wait for the oppressor to get saved to stop practicing oppression. We need public policy and laws to restrain evil people and stop oppression––which is a Scriptural concept.
Galatians 3:28 is a statement of possibility based on the reality of unity in Christ. For example, the Apostle Paul never indicated that Jewish persons who became followers of Christ ceased to be Jewish. The non-ethnic, “colorblind” fallacy only serves people whose color/culture/ethnicity is dominant.
Revelation 7:9 provides a glimpse of heaven. We see diversity within unity, not uniformity:
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands
Reflection Questions:
1. Why is Galatians 3:28 not a cure for racism or social ills?
2. What remains for you to do AFTER reading the words of Galatians 3:28?
3. How does the possibility of unity in Christ become a reality?
Action Items:
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