All Are In Christ
Today’s Reading: Galatians 3:24-29, SOAP: Galatians 3:28
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
My Observations:
I love zeroing in on one Scripture verse, however, sometimes – if not often – we risk missing the beauty of the message. While today’s verse can definitely stand alone and packs a wonderful, life altering message – I believe the beauty is in knowing the truth it preaches wasn’t always the way that it was.
So let’s look back to the first four verses of the passage, where we read about what guarded the people before faith came into the picture. That guardian was the ‘law’, a captor. more-or-less, that made sure we knew our sin and offered a way to purge ourselves only to then reveal another sin and another. It was a hopeless cycle that kept the people fully aware that there was truly no way to escape. Until out Champion was born made a way for us to escape our captivity and the burden that the law placed upon us! No longer did we serve a law of rituals and requirements but rather a Savior who paid our penalty and set us free!
Understanding this freedom is vital to understanding and appreciating the truth that “we are all one in Christ Jesus”. No longer are we governed by our race, status in life, or gender but simply and purely by placing our faith in Christ alone. When we do this, Paul told the Corinthians, “we are a new creation, the old has gone , the new has come”, 2 Corinthians 5:17.
For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.
Galatians 3:26-27
We are now identified as “belonging to Christ”, and this identity changes everything. Why? Because – now that we belong to Christ we are made His heirs, sharing in God’s promise to Abraham. Why? Because, as Paul explains:
The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.
Galatians 3:7-9
How Then Should We Live?
- First and foremost we should put our faith in Christ and be saved, Rom. 10:13a
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved..."
- We are to measure ourselves, not by who we are or were but by the faith God has given us, Rom. 12:3
3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.
- We are not to think of ourselves as greater or better or even lesser than others – regardless of our “station” in life.
- We are to live as one with our brothers and sisters in Christ – through the Spirit
- We should live praising God for the Savior who fulfilled the law thereby releasing us from captivity to it.
My Prayer Response:
Father – thank You for the work You have done in us through Christ. Help us as Your children, belonging to Christ, to always measure ourselves only by our faith in Christ – not by works or possessions or status. Help us, by Your Spirit’s power to live as one body for one Lord and Your glory. In Jesus’ Name – Amen!