Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Colossians 3:11

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:28

All are equal in Christ Jesus.

Paul makes this assertion twice, to two separate churches for different yet related reasons; they were both struggling with the identities that their members brought into the church as individuals.

We as individual believers suffer with the same problems; our color of our skin, our accent, our education or any other factor others might see can change how they perceive us. We may be more inclined to meet those expectations since we know how we are seen, especially with the added pressure of being “Church people.”

Let me highlight the stumbling block for you: you are an individual and are unique and important for that reason, but you feel as though you also have to be part of some other group as its best Christian example.

You are indeed special, but Grace has freed us from the need to be exceptional.

One more time.

You are special, but through Grace, you do not need to be exceptional. You don’t need worldly standards to judge yourself by, only Jesus. You can do exactly what is right by God without having to make yourself also fit in with anyone else. Being the Christian you are is enough. Jesus made us all equal. How can we possibly want to go back to being divided?

Ethan Kirl

Originally Published March 10, 2021