Word@Work Gal20h - Galatians 3:28-29
Published: Tue, 11/19/13
We are sorry that, due to an error, Word@Work covering Galatians 3:15-29 was not broadcast.
The missing 8 devotionals (Gal20a to Gal20h) are being emailed between 8-19 November.
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ALL ONE IN CHRIST JESUS
Galatians 3:28-29 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (NIVUK)
Religious people love hierarchy. They delight in being somewhere on a ladder which they can climb by their own efforts. They also think that there are some people higher than them and some who are lower. In Jesus’ day, the Jews considered the priests to be higher, and the chief priests to be very high; they also considered women and children to be much lower than the men. The Gentiles were the lowest of all.
Jesus taught differently, and the apostles reinforced His message - that all those who come to God through Jesus Christ are equal. Poor slaves were equally valued by God as their wealthy masters; Gentiles were as welcome as those who came from Jewish ancestry; women have the same inheritance rights in God’s kingdom as men; and nobody should despise children. Abraham looked forward to that day (John 8:56). He was a man of faith, looking forward to the time when God’s sacrifice would atone for the sins of all people. So all who believe in Jesus are the true descendants of Abraham, and share an eternal inheritance with him.
Our human nature is full of pride and self-centeredness. It instinctively dislikes the idea that anybody who is not like us can be a friend of God. But that old nature is speaking falsely. The truth is that there are no barriers of gender, race, religious background, social class, financial status to separate those who have put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are all one. And so we need to find ways to express that unity, in the workplace, the community, internationally and across the vast range of denominational preferences. It will be normal in heaven ( Revelation 7:9-10 ); it needs to be normal until we get there too.
Prayer: All embracing God. Thank You for welcoming people from every ethnic and language group, including me, as each of us has found salvation in Jesus Christ alone. I am sorry when I forget that all Your children are equal before You, and I fail to treat them as You would. Please help me to rejoice in the diversity of Your family and in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ which urges me to cherish every way in which Your church honours Him. In His Name. Amen.
You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages
Religious people love hierarchy. They delight in being somewhere on a ladder which they can climb by their own efforts. They also think that there are some people higher than them and some who are lower. In Jesus’ day, the Jews considered the priests to be higher, and the chief priests to be very high; they also considered women and children to be much lower than the men. The Gentiles were the lowest of all.
Jesus taught differently, and the apostles reinforced His message - that all those who come to God through Jesus Christ are equal. Poor slaves were equally valued by God as their wealthy masters; Gentiles were as welcome as those who came from Jewish ancestry; women have the same inheritance rights in God’s kingdom as men; and nobody should despise children. Abraham looked forward to that day (John 8:56). He was a man of faith, looking forward to the time when God’s sacrifice would atone for the sins of all people. So all who believe in Jesus are the true descendants of Abraham, and share an eternal inheritance with him.
Our human nature is full of pride and self-centeredness. It instinctively dislikes the idea that anybody who is not like us can be a friend of God. But that old nature is speaking falsely. The truth is that there are no barriers of gender, race, religious background, social class, financial status to separate those who have put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are all one. And so we need to find ways to express that unity, in the workplace, the community, internationally and across the vast range of denominational preferences. It will be normal in heaven ( Revelation 7:9-10 ); it needs to be normal until we get there too.
Prayer: All embracing God. Thank You for welcoming people from every ethnic and language group, including me, as each of us has found salvation in Jesus Christ alone. I am sorry when I forget that all Your children are equal before You, and I fail to treat them as You would. Please help me to rejoice in the diversity of Your family and in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ which urges me to cherish every way in which Your church honours Him. In His Name. Amen.
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