A synopsis of the sermon delivered by the Rev. David L. Hicks at St. Paul’s Reformed Episcopal Church on Trinity II, June 20, 2004. Please read Galatians 3:26-29.
People have a tendency to divide humanity into groups. Whether the distinctions are based upon language, ethnic background, socio-economic factors or some other criteria, all to frequently lines are drawn between “them” and “us.” The ancient world in which the early Christians lived was no different from today in this respect, and some may wish to argue that it was worse. Members of Greek and Roman society were ranked from the superior to the inferior, the powerful to the powerless. Among the Jews a sharp distinction was made between Gentiles and the nation of Israel. Saint Paul, writing to the churches in Galatia, notes that the gospel of Jesus Christ makes these kinds of distinctions irrelevant. “All who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27); therefore the most prominent characteristic of a baptized person is not his or her social rank but identity with Jesus Christ. Consequently, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28).
Notice that Saint Paul tells us that the disintegration of these distinctions is based upon solidarity with Christ and not social justice or political theory. The aforementioned distinctions are irrelevant because of the unity shared by believers due to their connection to Jesus Christ – for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Paul elaborates on this idea elsewhere, explaining that God’s purpose in saving the world is to recreate humanity into a unified whole through the cross. “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ, For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace…” (Ephesians 2:13-15).
This truth should have a profound effect on the way that we look at others and ourselves. The truth of the gospel prevents us from thinking of ourselves more highly that we ought to think, and it precludes us from considering ourselves to be something less than we are. We who have been baptized into Jesus Christ have “put on” Christ, and we are part of God’s re-creation of humanity. There is nothing that can give us a greater sense of self-worth, and there is nothing that engenders a deeper sense of humility in response to the wonderful grace of God.
