“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)
Many of us do not know who we are if we aren’t opposing something or someone. There’s such great energy underlying angst and rage, such momentum in the desire for retribution, in the urge to assert one’s agenda.
How long, O Lord, how long? How long will we continue to do battle from the security of our ideological fortifications? We feel so safe behind walls built of ego and fear. We launch grenades of blame, shouting at one another through bullhorns of fury.
What do we hope to gain? This whole drama has been going on so long - perhaps we don’t know anymore, if we ever did. I sometimes wonder if the whole drama is built on the premise of keeping us distracted from something greater, something deeper.
That something? Life characterized by whole-heartedness, authenticity, vulnerable love, redemptive healing, gracious sharing, abundant vitality - for all, not just for some. Christians call it salvation.
What if the apostle Paul was correct in his first century letter to the churches of Galatia? “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.” If this is true, if all of the ways we use to distinguish ourselves from one another are primarily facades or masks, then why do we cling to them so much?
Perhaps we are afraid our sense of self will become lost. But what if Paul was making this declaration to encourage people to be who they were - no matter how different - while allowing others to do the same, without fear or rejection, without breaking into factions? What if you becoming your true self enabled me to become mine?
Could we step out from behind our ramparts, lay down our ideological weapons, and choose a different way? I hope so. Until then, let us seek out the truth of Paul’s words in the unmasked hearts of one another.
Reader Comments(0)