All Are One

 

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

—Galatians 3:28

Over the past ten years, and even more particularly over the past seven years, here in the United States we have become a nation severely divided. At the same time, some individuals have fostered a strong push for the celebration of diversity. This is a startling change from the days in which I grew up more than 60 years ago.

In those long ago days, we celebrated the fact that the United States was a great melting pot where people from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds had immigrated to this soil and, while retaining all of the best parts of their culture, had melted into the fabric of our great nation. We honored the past, but put far more emphasis on what the future might hold.

Part of that melting pot experience was an assimilation into the cultural fabric of the United States of America. Languages from the old country were dropped in favor of American English. People eagerly sought out the experience of tasting foods from the diversity of cultures represented here.

Yes, there was always a bow of honor given to the land from which they had come. But, they seemed very interested in becoming an American. So, we experienced a sort of ethnic recognition, but championed our new identities as belonging ot the greatest nation on earth.

My, how things have changed in the last few years.

As citizens of God’s eternal Kingdom, we “Christ’s-ones” sometimes forget that we have a new identity in Christ. While we will not forget from where we have come—a horrible pit of sin and death—we eagerly celebrate our new belonging. We are chosen of God to be His dearly loved children. We belong to His Kingdom.

The Apostle Paul reminds those gathered in the church at Galatia of this very fact when he writes the words recorded in Galatians 3:28:

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Our new identify is fully in Christ. We belong to Him. He is our Sovereign and Lord. He is the King of All Creation and our King, too.

As we begin another new day, let us remember that we Christians are all one in Christ Jesus. We belong to Him and to each other. His shed blood has stamped us with His glory. He has forgiven our sins and made us new in Him. We belong! Yes, we belong! We belong to Jesus!

 

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