There is Unity in Jesus…

As in Ephesians, so we find in Colossians, that Jesus has broken down the walls that separate us, uniting us all in Him.

We se in Col. 3:11 that “Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.”

“Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.”

Col. 3:11, NIV

At this time, this wording included all significant differences at the time. Paul is trying to make it clear that there is no place for division in the body of Christ over what we would consider racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic differences.

There is no place for divisions in the body of Christ!

So how is it that we as the church find ourselves separated as the body of Christ? This shouldn’t be so! This has been discussed for a while. Martin Luther King Jr mentioned that Sunday mornings were the most divided time of the week.

Is it much different now?

Unfortunately, we (collectively) seem to love our plans and our ways of doing things more than we love people. Instead of humbling ourselves, we seem to see this as an opportunity for others to humble themselves and be more like Christ.

He goes on through this chapter to share how this is to be lived out in Col. 3:12-17. And he points out that above all the key to unity is love.

What might things be like if we love others as Jesus calls us to?

What if Christians, and the church, look at this as an opportunity to love as scripture calls us to, and to allow God to use us by thinking about how we can sacrifice some of our desires to see the body come together.

My next post will look at this more deeply as we move into Philippians.

Lord, we need to love as You love, and seek to be unified so that we can be a good witness for You. This is easier said than do. We need Your help if we are to be the people You have called us to be. Help us, Lord, we pray!