Galatians 3
Psalm 76
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.
Galatians 3:28-29
This is a clear reminder that there is no distinction in God’s eyes between people of different race, nationality, class, education or socio-economic group. The reason is that we are all made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27*). It doesn’t matter whether you are male or female, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, black or white – we are all image bearers of God.
We also have another thing in common – we are all sinners. Romans 3 reminds us that there is ‘no one righteous, not even one‘. All of us have sinned and turned away from the truth. There is no difference in this regard as well between male or female, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, black or white – we are all sinners.
But the good news is that we are all saved in exactly the same way – ‘for in Christ you are all sons of God, through faith‘ (Galatians 3:26). One of the points Paul is making in this chapter is that we are saved in the same way that Abraham was saved – by faith. Verse 6 tells us that Abraham ‘believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness’. We too are saved when we believe in Jesus Christ and His work (verse 22).
The only differentiator in God’s eyes is therefore whether you believe and have faith in Jesus Christ or not. That is the only distinction that matters. Gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, education, socio-economic class – none of these matter in God’s eyes. The challenge to us at TCC (and as individuals) is whether we also display this same attitude or do we differentiate people based on their gender, race, nationality, education level or socio-economic status.
Prayer: Lord help me to not differentiate people on anything else except their spiritual standing with you. Please help TCC to be welcoming to all people regardless of their backgrounds. Amen.
*All quotations are from the ESV