Vol. XXXIX June 1, 2007 No 6
ALL OF YOU ARE ONE
by Tom McLemore
In the epistle to the Galatians, Paul wrote, “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). Perhaps most of the discussion of this passage among us has centered upon the subject of roles of males and females in the church. This passage is used by some to suggest that there is no distinction whatsoever between men and women, i.e., that women may assume any role in the church that men may assume.
Status vs. Stations
This article is not about roles of men and women in the church, but I do want to observe in passing that this teaching does not contradict what Paul clearly declares about the roles of men and women (see 1 Corinthians 14:33-35; 1 Timothy 2:8-15). It ought to be sufficient to note that Paul’s point in Galatians 3:28 is the status of people in Christ rather than stations (roles) in the church or in daily life. (E.g., in Christ, the slave was equal to his master, but his master was still his master).
With regard to males and females, God’s order in the church significantly parallels God’s order in the home (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5:23, 24). While affirming that men and women are “joint heirs of the grace of life,” Peter does not indicate that the status alters the station (1 Peter 3:1-7). Christian men and women are equals in terms of inheriting the blessings of God’s inheritance as his children. Yet, wives are to be submissive to their husbands, and husbands are to honor their wives. Equality does not mean that roles are indistinguishable.
Different Yet Equal
Back to Galatians 3:28. This article is about is the equality of all Christians. A broader and kindred truth is that all human beings are equal. All human beings are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26, 27; James 3:9). This truth is reinforced by the often repeated declaration that God is no respecter of persons (2 Chronicles 19:7; Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11; Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 3:25; 1 Peter 1:17) and is reflected by our own Declaration of Independence. Christ died for all human beings, and all responsible human beings are in need of forgiveness (2 Corinthians 5:14, 15; Romans 3:10, 23; 1 John 2:1, 2, et. al.).
There were differences between persons when the Bible was written, and there are even more possibilities today for differences between persons. It staggers the imagination to consider that within the DNA of Adam and Eve’s chromosomes were all the possible traits of all the human beings who would ever live. Except for children who develop from the same egg cell (identical twins), each person’s DNA is unique. Yet, even identical twins grow to be different in many ways. Likewise, everyone’s fingerprints are unique.
However, it seems there has always been the attempt to determine status on the basis of differences. Because of the way one person/group differs from the other, one considers the other lower or higher, better or worse, superior or inferior. It continues today, even in our “enlightened society.” From prejudice to performance, human beings and groups of human beings grade one another, condescendingly evaluating each other and assigning greater or lesser value to each other. It was happening in the church of the first century (e.g., Galatians 3:28; James 2:1-9; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34), and it continues in the church today. Only God has the capacity to calculate all of the emotions experienced, words spoken, and acts perpetrated on the basis of this universal tendency.
Could it be that every last one of us (especially those of us who accuse others of thinking they are better than we are) has been guilty of it at one time or another? Just consider how much thought and effort has been involved in “posturing for positioning.” Look your best, make the best grades, be the most skilled, have more money, know the right people, etc., etc.,–all for the purpose of establishing ourselves as having higher qualities while distancing themselves from lower qualities. And if you ever find that you are thought of as a person on the lower end of the scale, you can always compensate by discounting those who think of themselves as higher than you!
God’s Purpose Includes All
One of the marvelous truths of the gospel is the purpose of God that is inclusive of all things (and that includes all of us): “For in [Christ] all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:19-20).
Each of us humans is equal to one another. This is the message of creation. No matter what kind of car you and I drive, what your salary or mine is, whether you and I are management or labor, what team you or I root for, what your or my educational attainment is, what kind of clothes you and I wear, what color your or my skin is, what language you or I speak, whose child can bat better, whose favorite restaurant is the fanciest, or what kind of music you or I like, it is not any of these things that makes us human beings. What makes us human beings is that you and I are made in the image of God.
Each of us Christians is equal to one another. And even if the world won’t, the church must recognize human equality. And though some church members won’t, the faithful must preach and live Christian equality. This is the message of Galatians 3:28. It is not ethnicity, social status, or gender that makes us Christians, but the fact that we are in Christ. “[F]or in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26-28).
Simply Different
The deacon is equal to the elder, the janitor is equal to the preacher, the poor woman is equal to the rich man, the black woman is equal to the white man, the uneducated man is equal to the educated woman, the young school teacher is equal to the elderly retiree, the secretary is equal to the bank officer, the one who drives a beat up old car is equal to the one who drives the new expensive car, the white man is equal to the factory worker, and on and on it goes. It is not any of these characteristics that makes us Christians, but only the fact that we are in Christ. (Of course, as we observed earlier, we are not discussing stations [roles] but status. The stations in the church may be different, but the status in Christ is the same).
All of these are simply differences. Differences should be understood just for what they are. They are simply differences. Possessing different characteristics means nothing more than we are not the same. Different-ness is no indication of superior or inferior. We are all unique individuals living unique lives, nothing more, nothing less. And yet, in the world and in the church, there are many words and acts that are designed to compartmentalize and grade people. But the voice of God is heard in the Scripture: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” The Holy Spirit pleads, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts...” (Hebrews 3:15).
What of Standards?
But is there no standard? There is such a thing as good character and bad. There is such a thing as quality. There is such a thing as nobility. There is such a thing as superior and inferior performance. There is a right way to do things and a wrong way. There is good behavior, and there is bad behavior. Yes, but it is easy to forget that people are not machines, and human beings are more than mere performers. It is not performance that determines if we are in Christ. It is not achievement or quality that puts us into Christ. It is being baptized into him as persons who trust in Christ. All Christians are sinners, and every single Christian comes short of the glory of God. Short is short, no matter how short or how far short. If there is one thing to be learned about us from the gospel it is that we are all equal. And we are all clothed in Christ.
It is good to have standards for evaluating ourselves and our performance, and it is good to encourage each other to do our best. But the standard is not me or you, but Christ Jesus. “We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another, and compare themselves with one another, they do not show good sense” (2 Corinthians 10:12).
Christ is All
There is no human being that is higher in value and no human being that is lower in value. There is no Christian that is higher in value and no Christian that is lower in value. It is Christ’s image which is our goal, and none of us has attained it! The one is in Christ the same as the other.
Rather than practicing “one-upmanship,” let us “hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:23-25). Ultimately, “Christ is all” (Colossians 3:11). Our hope is in Christ, and all of us are one in him.
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