One, But Not the Same

Being “one” does not mean being the same.

“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.

Paul points to three great divides in the human race; the divide of culture, or race, the divide of rank and status and the divide between genders. Bridging these divides confronts any healthy church that reaches out to a mix of people. All these diverse people become “one” when they come to Christ and all must then must figure out the process of being “one” after that.

Take the male-female divide. Say there is a single young woman on the phone with an auto mechanic, cringing at the thought of replacing a high-dollar vacuum pump in her car because it is leaking oil. A single guy looks at his man-cave and knows its a dump. They meet. They marry. She says the $50 sofa with the end-table of stacked pizza boxes has to go. He buys a $13 seal to fix the leak in her car. The Bible says that they are now “one,” but in a real sense, they have also become more diverse. He does more guy things. She gets to be more girly.

In the same way, in the Christ, when a Jew comes to Jesus the Messiah, he or she is still a Jew. Jesus simply completes their Judaism and we gentiles get to revel in the Jewish stories of Moses, King David and Daniel in the lions’ den. Slaves are told they are free in Christ and a freed person soon learns that “… whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all” (Mark 10:44 KJV).

A healthy church, like a healthy marriage, allows diverse people to combine their strengths and, with the help of Jesus, leave their flaws behind.

Published in Pagosa Sun, Matter of Faith Column 30 Mar 2017

http://www.pagosasun.com/being-one-but-not-the-same/