Your Spiritual Identity (Message #1)

The Spiritual Blessings of God
Ephesians 1:3-14

The book of Proverbs makes an astute comment when it says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he...” (Proverbs 23:7) In other words, what you think...you are. Part of the struggle we experience in living out the Christian life is in not seeing ourselves as God sees us. Many of us will spend our entire lives living out our old identity in Adam, rather than living out our new identity “in Christ.” It’s been said, “If you don’t believe right, you’ll never behave right.” And that’s true! In Paul’s epistles right doctrine is usually up front followed by the practical applications based on that truth. In other words, he demonstrates in his letters that we have to believe right in order to behave right.  

What lies behind many of our spiritual failures is simply that we don’t know who we really are in our new relationship with Jesus Christ. We don’t see ourselves the way God sees us and consequently, we don’t tap the resources available to help us live the victorious Christian life. Ask the average church member to describe his relationship with Christ and he might respond with something like, “I’m just a sinner saved by grace.” While that’s a true statement, probably motivated by a person’s humility, we are so much more than this description portrays. Actually, before you came to Jesus Christ you WERE a sinner in need of grace. But, now you ARE a saint and a child of the living God. If it wouldn’t be received as being proud, we could accurately say about ourselves, “Hello, my name is...Saint David, Saint Katie, Saint Mark, Saint Linda,” etc., etc.

Someone might argue, “Well I’m not living much like a saint, therefore, I don’t think I should call myself a saint.” Is there a greater motivation to live like a saint than to believe you are a saint? The lowest form of motivation is rules/regulations and the highest form is living out your identity in Christ to the praise of His glory. Until we recognize who we are in Christ and acknowledge the blessings He has bestowed upon us, we will never experience the passionate desire to become all that God has made us to be. We don’t want to live for Christ primarily driven by the fear of punishment. We want to live for Christ because we’ve been privileged to be called “the sons of God!”

This series of messages will expose us to some of the blessings God has given to us and help us to see more clearly our true identity in Jesus. Today we will start with the simple truth that we are a blessed people. We don’t have to manipulate God to bless us; we are already blessed. In Ephesus peopled lived superstitious lives thinking they had to manipulate their false gods into favoring them. Before we get too critical of first-century Ephesus, the truth is we find people doing exactly the same thing today. By repeated promises, self-denial, large contributions, sacred pilgrimages, etc., many people believe they are convincing God to bless them. One of the most freeing thoughts comes when you realize you are ALREADY blessed...because of God’s grace!

To be blessed (1:3) is “to bestow a favor, provide with benefits,” which Christ has done for all of His children. (Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, [Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000], 408) Before Paul launches into telling us what we need to do in this epistle, he first tells us what has already been done (blessings) for us by Jesus Christ (right doctrine then right practice).

Ephesians 1:3-14 is one long sentence in the Greek text that contains 202 words. It is one of the most succinct declarations in scripture of the riches that God has already bestowed on His children in Christ. A key phrase in Paul’s writings is, “in Christ.” And, we find this phrase, or something equivalent, eleven times in these twelve verses alone. One theologian writes about the importance of this phrase, “The diversity of expressions to describe being in Christ in this one long sentence (Eph. 1:3-14) is astonishing, and the sheer repetition of the formula indicates that it is crucial.” (Thomas R. Schreiner, Paul, Apostle of God’s Glory in Christ: A Pauline Theology [Downers Grave, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2001], 156)

Of course, the point is that all of these blessings are the result of being “in Christ” (1:3) and the only way to be “in Christ” is to trust Him as your Savior (1:13; cf. 2:8-9).

Of the many blessings we might consider, there are six we will discuss.

1. The blessing of holiness. (1:4)
The idea of holiness has two aspects: one relates to our position (standing) and the other to our practice (state). Paul has in mind here our positional holiness and the fact that we stand before God “without blame.”

The only reason this can be true is because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross. The moment a person places his/her faith in Jesus the great exchange takes place. Our sins (and their penalty) are removed and we receive the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Consequently, God now sees us as being righteous and holy before Him because we are robed in the perfect righteousness of His Son. Recognizing this truth enables us to move away from performance-based Christianity where we are constantly trying to appease God and earn His favor. It allows us to rest in our relationship with Him without fear of losing that relationship because of some unholiness in our lives.

Knowing our standing before God in holiness should also lead to the practice of holiness in our daily lives. We will never be perfect or sinless in our obedience. But, we should increasingly reflect our actual standing in Christ, which is a standing of holiness.

“...because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16; cf. Leviticus 11:44, 45; 19:2; 20:7).

2. The blessing of adoption. (1:5)
At this point in the text many are drawn into a debate about the Sovereignty of God and the free will of man because of Paul’s use of the words “chosen” and “predestined.” The result is that they often miss the greater blessing of what it means to be adopted into God’s family.

This idea of adoption was drawn from the Roman laws of Paul’s day. This action enabled a person to take into his own family a child not biologically his own with the intent of treating the child as if he was biologically his own. This includes bestowing all the privileges and responsibilities that are associated with the new family relationship. An adopted child had the same rights/responsibilities as a biological son and surrendered all his rights/responsibilities in his previous family. The adopted son enjoyed the exact same privileges as a natural born son. All debts are cancelled, and he is absolutely the son of his new father.

Paul uses this well known custom in the Roman Empire to demonstrate the great truth that the believing sinner, who is not God’s natural child, has been given an unchanging eternal position as an adult child in the Father’s family. This is now their new legal standing as God’s adopted “sons.”

Because we are “adopted as sons” we have a new relationship with God and a new standing before Him. He deals with us differently than He does with the rest of the world. Being “adopted” in Christ through faith is the source of our hope, the security of our future and the motivation to “walk worthy of the calling with which you were called” (Ephesians 4:1).

Because of this new relationship we are given the privilege of calling God our Father. We are even encouraged to refer to Him as, “Abba Father.” The word “Abba” is an Aramaic word that could be translated as “Daddy.” It was a common term that children used to address their fathers. It signifies the close, intimate relationship of a father to his child, as well as the simple trust a child puts in his “daddy.”

For further discussion: “Election is the corporate choice of the church ‘in Christ.’ Before the foundation of the world God made his choice: Those in Christ would be his people.” (William W. Klein, The New Chosen People, A Corporate View of Election, [Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1990], 180)

“Paul’s concern in predestination is not how people become Christians nor who becomes Christians, but to describe what God has foreordained on behalf of those who are (or will be) Christians. Predestination pertains to God’s causative action in marking out the present and future benefits and the priorities which accrue to those who are his children.” (William W. Klein, The New Chosen People, A Corporate View of Election, [Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1990], 185)

3. The blessing of redemption. (1:7)
This blessing deals with our freedom in Jesus Christ! We were once slaves to sin, but Jesus paid the price to set us free. The imagery of redemption comes from the OT when the nation of Israel was in bondage to the Egyptian Pharaoh. After repeated attempts to get the Pharaoh to release the Jews from their cruel enslavement, God sent death into every household that did not apply the blood of a lamb to the doorpost of their houses. As a result, Israel was delivered from the Egyptians and set free.

Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God, applied His blood to our lives and He sets us free. “...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28) Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient for all, but it is only efficient for the “many” that believe. (cf. 1 Timothy 2:4, 6, 4:10; Hebrews 2:9; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 John 4:14) “Many” is not used for a definite number, but for a large number set against the backdrop of the ONE sacrifice that saves.

The word translated “ransom” in Matthew 20:28 "is the one commonly employed in the papyri as the price paid for a slave who is then set free...Jesus gave his own life as the price of freedom for the slaves of sin" (A. T. Robertson).

The Lamb of God shed His blood and applied it to our lives when we believed in order that we might go free. There is no more fear of death or enslavement to sin for the Christian. Whatever has kept us in bondage no longer holds sway over us, except what power we give it. We can now put to death our old way of life and live in a brand new way.

4. The blessing of forgiveness. (1:7)
Guilt is a hard taskmaster, but for the ones that are “in Christ” God has taken away their sins forever and promised never to remember them again.

Of what deeds are you ashamed in your life? What are the regrets from which you can’t escape? What words haunt you when you let your mind think on them? What motives do you know have never been right? What lies have you believed that cost you daily? What actions do you wish you could do over? What do you keep excusing by blaming someone else? What are you hiding, praying that no one ever discovers about you? 

Of the two words in the NT translated as “forgive,” one means, “to send forth, send away,” and denotes “to remit or forgive” debts (Matthew 6:12; 18:27, 32), or sins (Matthew 9:2, 5, 6; 12:31-32; Ephesians 1:7-8; 1 John 1:9; 2:12). It is used for deliverance of the sinner from the penalty, and the complete removal of the cause of offence based on the death of Christ for the sinner. The other word literally means, “to wipe away,” “to rub out,” or “to turn one’s back on”(cf. Colossians 2:13). It is primarily about God restoring the relationship between Himself and the sinner who believes on Jesus Christ. The blessing is that “in Christ” we are totally, completely, and eternally forgiven forever. No matter what you have done or will do, Jesus paid it all.

5. The blessing of inheritance. (1:14)
Knowing the fullness of our inheritance is not possible until we see Jesus face to face in Heaven. It is beyond our ability to fully comprehend all that God has prepared for us as His children. The riches of glory, the presence of God, our eternal home – these don't even begin to describe all of the blessings that belong to our inheritance.

In this life we struggle and hurt awaiting our deliverance. But, we must stay focused on the blessing of our future inheritance that will be a reward beyond our present comprehension.

Paul uses the metaphor of the believers “inheritance” more than any other NT writer (ex. Acts 20:32; 26:18; Ephesians 1:14, 18; Colossians 3:24). This inheritance is described as eternal and joyful existence with God. All believers are promised “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you...” (1 Peter 1:4).

6. The blessing of sealing. (1:13)
I reversed the order of these last two only for the purpose of emphasis.

Is it possible that we could somehow lose these beneficent blessings? The answer is an emphatic “NO!” The reason is because we have been “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.”

The practice in the ancient world was to affix a seal to personal possessions, thus demonstrating authenticity and ownership of the possession. God has imparted to each of His children the Holy Spirit that marks us as His own and secures us until the “redemption of the purchased possession...”

When recently renewing my driver’s license I was required to bring several items of proof with me. These documents included items showing that I was a U.S. citizen, that I lived in the State of WV, and that my taxes were paid. Included in the necessary documentation was my birth certificate with the official seal affixed proving it was authentic.

God has guaranteed that we are His and our blessings secure because of His authenticating  mark on us (the Holy Spirit).

With His presence comes not only the blessing of authenticity and security, the Holy Spirit also empowers us, enlightens us to His Word, enhances our worship, and brings us into relationship with other believers.

Conclusion:
All of these benefits are given to us because we are “in Christ.” They are not the result of any goodness in us, but are displays of the grace of God in Whom we should glory. One of the tests as to whether somebody’s theology is good or bad is to ask who is magnified through it: God or man (1:6, 12, 14).


Application:

• Regularly recount the blessings of God so you can give praise to Him.
• Periodically relate the blessings of God so others can join you in praise to Him.

Rescue

Luke 15:1-32

We’ve all heard stories of miners trapped underground, hikers/skiers lost on snowy mountainsides, and ships disabled at sea, adrift on the current. A couple of things common to all of these situations is that normally a search effort is made to recover those that are in danger and when they are recovered there is a celebration of their rescue.

On Friday, December 7, 2012, The New York Daily News reported about a tiny woman (5-foot-2) by the name of Doreen Winkler that helped save two men trapped on the tracks of the Bowling Green Subway Station in New York City.

The terrifying incident occurred as Winkler was waiting for the train...just before 10 p.m. She said she heard an odd noise and spotted an apparently drunken man laying on his back in the middle of the tracks. People were shouting for someone to help him when Winkler, afraid she was too small to move the much larger man herself, encouraged another man nearby to jump down and try to rescue him. The rescuer was “pushing him, trying to get him to stand up” when the northbound train suddenly appeared. Winkler said she saw the lights of the approaching train and with the help of two other women, pulled the two men to safety just in time. She said, “I had one arm...of each man.” She continued, “I don’t understand how people can just stand there and watch and not help.” She concluded, “This is not about attention...it’s about what everybody should do...You can’t ever, ever, ever watch somebody die.”

Doreen Winkler’s sentiments are those of most of us when we see someone in danger. But, it’s not just physical rescues that are needed today...it’s spiritual rescues, too. Though it’s difficult to see a person’s true spiritual condition, the plight of the unconverted soul is an even more pressing situation than that of a man laying on the tracks of a subway station. For the person without Christ physical death brings immediate judgment for his/her sins and separation from God for eternity.

Unfortunately, the Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day weren’t the type to assist in rescuing people from their impending spiritual deaths. They were willing to let those drowning in the sea of their own sinfulness pass into eternity without even a semblance of a rescue. They were much too busy admiring their own self-righteousness to care about the souls in danger all around them. And yet, among the several things the parables of Luke 15 teaches us is the fact that, unlike the Scribes and Pharisees, God is always seeking to rescue the lost. It is, in fact, the mission of Jesus! The noted Jewish New Testament scholar C. G. Montefiore said that “these parables [found in Luke 15] were revolutionary because while the rabbis agreed that God would welcome a repentant sinner, the idea that God seeks sinners was a new insight.”

In considering these three parables we must look at the context Luke gives to these profound teachings of Jesus, exposing what is wrong with the Scribes and Pharisees that prevents them from caring for the lost.

• Possessions were more important to them than people. (Luke 14:1-6)

• PRIDE was their greatest inhibitor to compassionate rescues!! (Luke 14:7-14)
• The Pharisees kept their search narrow, while God kept widening His. (Luke 14:15-24)

Though the Scribes and Pharisees wouldn’t help to rescue the lost, it was Jesus’ main mission. The three parables of Luke 15 emphasize this mission and how it differed from the religious establishment of his day.

Review each of the three parables in Luke 15.

There are many facts that have already been mined from these parables of Jesus. For instance: In each story something is lost: (1) a sheep; (2) a shekel; and (3) a son. The sheep was innocently lost, the coin carelessly lost, but the son willfully lost.

The percentage of loss grows in each case from one out of a hundred, to one out of ten, to one out of two. In other words, there is both increasing scarcity and an increasing value as we move from a missing sheep to a missing son.

Each story concludes with a celebration after the thing lost is recovered. Especially notice that these parables teach that God rejoices when the lost are found. The description of God in this passage is one that many do not fully recognize. He is shown as One laughing, congratulating and celebrating. It even says that there is more rejoicing about the one found than the ones that are safe. The initial joy momentarily outshines other settled joys. It’s like the immediate joy over a sick child that has recovered more than the settled joy that the rest of the family is healthy.

In the first two parables (sheep and shekel lost) you see:
A. An immediate search (because you know the value of what is lost)
B. An intentional search
C. A determined search
D. A thorough search

But, do you know what is strikingly absent from the last parable that is seen in each of the first two parables? In the last parable there is no one searching to rescue the lost son. While it is true that this last parable emphasizes the mercy of the Father, the older son that stayed at home was not motivated to look for his younger brother. He hated the actions of his brother and knew that his Father would restore Him to sonship, if he returned home. Consequently, he really didn’t want his brother to come home! It’s unfathomable that the older brother wouldn’t even come in and celebrate the fact that his younger brother had returned home.

One of the lessons of this last parable is that even if we aren’t motivated to rescue the lost by our love for them, our love for the Father should motivate us. In essence, if the lost being found makes our Father happy then we should at least be motivated to bring happiness to our Father by rescuing the lost. After all, our lives are to be spent bringing glory to Him!

Think about the faces of your loved ones and friends that are still without Christ. At death they will be confined to Hell and not until the last judgment, The Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15), will you see their faces again. Watch as God calls them before Him for their final sentencing. He searches the books where their works are recorded and then He casts them into the Lake of Fire. You get one last glance at their faces and then for all eternity they are gone, separated from God (and you) forever. Now they will pay the penalty for their own sin because they refused to accept Christ’s payment on their behalf.

In the words of Doreen Winkler, “You can’t ever, ever, ever watch somebody die.” We have to act and we have to act now. God is calling for rescuers that will venture out to share their faith for the sake of the souls of mankind. And, if you won’t do it because you love the people who need rescuing, will you do it because it brings happiness to the Father when just one sinner repents?

The missionary C.T. Studd said, “Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.”

One In Christ Jesus

Galatians 3:26-29

When Paul wrote this letter to the churches of Galatia he was dealing with some serious issues that had arisen among them concerning the means of eternal salvation. People called “Judaizers” had crept into the church and were teaching that the OT Law was still applicable to NT believers. Consequently, they insisted that faith in Christ was necessary, but that it was not adequate alone to experience full salvation. They added to faith the practice of the Law, most specifically the practice of circumcision. This emphasis was in direct contradiction to Paul’s preaching that salvation was by “grace through faith” alone! This simple message of the Apostle is what the Galatians had believed, but now they were being told it was incomplete. Paul writes this strong letter to confront the heresy of these “Judaizers” and to set the record straight that salvation is only through faith in Christ apart from the Law.

In making his argument he emphasizes (chapter 3) that the Law was temporary and like a “tutor leading us to Christ.” He wants us to understand that “in Christ” we are no longer children, but we are all “sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” This is an important phrase emphasizing that in the spiritual realm we all enjoy the same privileges and responsibilities that come with the position of sonship. In other words, through faith in Christ apart from the Law, there are no “haves and have nots,” as the Judaizers were implying. We all enjoy the same standing with/before God by grace through faith in Jesus.

The phrase “in Christ” (3:26) is key to enjoying these equal privileges and provisions. It is found at least 172 times in Paul’s writings, sometimes in the sense of “by” or “through” Christ. More often, though, it describes the believer’s union with Christ through the presence of the Holy Spirit in his/her life (1 Corinthians 12:13). And, the only means of being “in Christ” is “through faith.” This position (“in Christ”) cannot be attained by keeping the Law or any other requirement that someone might prescribe. It is solely the gift of God by His grace to all that believe in Jesus as their Savior, which is the only means of being made right with God.

In the context of our right standing before God as His “sons” (with all the rights and privileges that accrue to this position), Paul demonstrates that there are no favorites with God. Regardless of race, class or gender (the three most common distinctions of his society and probably most other societies), we all enjoy the same standing as the “sons of God.” While distinctiveness of service (responsibilities) is maintained in various settings, distinction of standing (relationship) is eradicated in Jesus Christ. Everyone has equal access to God through His Son and all enjoy the same eternal blessings, inheritance and freedom as His children.

When Paul speaks of there being “neither Jew nor Greek...slave nor free...male nor female,” he is actually touching on the fundamental distinctions that were common in ancient society. The morning prayer offered by Jewish men thanked God that they were not born a Gentile, a slave, or a woman. Supposedly, this prayer was not meant to belittle Gentiles, slaves, or women, but simply to remind them that these classes of people had limited spiritual privileges that were open only to Jewish males.

Paul’s entire point is that “in Christ” as the “sons of God” there are no such distinctions of spiritual standing with God. There is a spiritual oneness that all believers enjoy by being justified through faith in Jesus Christ that gives us equal access to God and to the inheritance He has promised to all His children.

This oneness believers enjoy has practical implications that can be applied throughout the body of Christ. For instance, it means that...

1. Racial discrimination has got to go!

Paul says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek...”

What an incredible statement from a man that was once zealous with nationalistic pride. In the early days of Paul’s life he could only be termed a “rabid Jewish activist.” If I were choosing a man to take the Gospel to the Gentile world I probably wouldn’t have chosen Paul. I likely would have selected someone with less strident attitudes and values about the distinctions of people groups and nations. Someone with less concern about the interpersonal and international politics of the day. Just listen to the description Paul gives of his life prior to meeting Christ on the Damascus Road.

“...circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” (Philippians 3:5-6)

“I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished...” (Acts 22:3-5)

“And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.” (Galatians 1:14)

Paul was a man trained in the Law at the feet of the famous Rabbi Gamaliel in the holy city of Jerusalem. He was on the fast track to becoming a member of the Sanhedrin, if he wasn’t already a member prior to his conversion. He was a proud, nationalistic Jew that believed other nations were barbarians and probably used the common slur of that day for Gentiles calling them “dogs.”

It is this man that makes this incredible statement that there is “neither Jew nor Greek” and it is all because he has been changed by the power of Jesus Christ. He has seen the resurrected Christ and learned that His love reaches to all nations. His entire perspective has been transformed to see all people as valuable to God and within the reach of His great love.

There is no place in the church (where we are all the “sons of God”) for racial prejudice. We can never permit ourselves to treat people of other nationalities as though they have less than an equal inheritance among God’s people or as if they have missed out on the fullest blessings of Christ.

Peter learned this lesson through a vision given to him illustrating to him that there is no racial distinction in Jesus Christ (Acts 10:35). The early church practiced this truth and among the church leaders in Antioch was a man named “Simeon who was called niger,” which means black. Paul lived out this principle as his son in the faith was a young man by the name of Timothy whose father was a Gentile and his mother and grandmother were Jewish (Acts 16:1-2; 2 Timothy 1:5)

Racial discrimination has to go!!

2. Class discrimination has got to go!

Paul also said, “there is neither slave nor free...”

There is no denying that there were distinctions in social status in first century society, as there are in twenty-first century society. What Paul affirms is that within the body of Christ all members are to receive the other members of Christ’s body regardless of that person’s social standing. At the foot of the cross the ground is level. Power, prestige, and position have nothing to add to the eternal inheritance and privileges for a “son of God.” Nor do these things give you special spiritual rights that are withheld from other Christians.

Paul wrote another letter to a man that was his friend who owned a slave by the name of Onesimus. The slave ran away and crossed paths with Paul who proceeded to lead him to faith in Jesus Christ. Knowing that this man’s life has been changed, Paul sent Onesimus back to his friend, and tells him to receive him “no longer as a slave but more than a slave---[as] a beloved brother...” (Philemon 1:16). The status of the relationship between these two men had changed because of Jesus Christ and that is to be the way it is everywhere within the body of Christ. We treat no one as a second class citizen of God’s Kingdom or fail to show them respect due to their social standing.

James was addressing Christians who were showing respect to people’s class when he wrote these words:

“My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ and say to the poor man, ‘You stand there,’ or, ‘Sit here at my footstool,’ have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” (James 2:1-9)

Illustration:
A family with three adult children struggling financially with hard times and living on welfare began attending a local church where they were loved and accepted. People from all walks of life welcomed and talked with them, making them feel at home among the people. Gradually, each member of the family came to Christ, all except one of the sons named Brian. He was angry and so full of bitterness that people in the community would often cross the street to avoid encountering him. There were times when he would be out all night drinking and running with a gang. Sometimes after those nighttime binges he would return home and beat up his own parents and brother. Because the rest of his family had become Christians the spiritual atmosphere in their home changed, but rather than this helping Brian it only made him worse. One Sunday he was sober and his sister invited him to go to church with her where the rest of the family had been so welcomed and their lives changed. He agreed reluctantly, but little did he know on that day God was going to meet him there. Before he left that service he had become a brand new creation in Christ Jesus with a brand new life to live for God.

As Brain began maturing in his faith he became a powerful witness for Jesus Christ. Scores of people heard his testimony and trusted Jesus themselves. A gentle and quiet nature had replaced his angry bitterness and Brian left a sweet savor everywhere he went. He later felt called to the ministry, went off to Bible college (though he had dropped out of school when he was thirteen), and finally became the senior pastor of a church where he encouraged his people to welcome everybody no matter their social standing in life.

Class discrimination has got to go!!

3. Gender discrimination has got to go!

Paul finally said, “there is neither male nor female...”

On this last point I don’t want our study to degenerate into a debate about Egalitarianism or Complementarianism. Suffice it to say for our purposes that the NT differentiates between a person’s role and a person’s worth; between their function and their position. The emphasis of this passage isn’t about a person’s service (role/function) in the church or home, but about their standing (worth/position) before God. To use this passage to say anything else is to wrest it from its context in order to make it fit your predetermined argument. Paul’s emphasis here is to affirm that all people who believe on Jesus become the “sons of God” with all the rights and privileges that come with that position. It is about every believer inheriting fully the Abrahamic promises by grace and apart from the works of the Law. And, all Christians (“male and female”) enjoy this equality in the body of Christ.

To fully grasp what Paul is teaching, you have to know that because women couldn’t receive circumcision they were considered by some as less than full participants in the old covenant. Paul makes it abundantly clear that this is not true under the New Covenant of grace and there is no place for such thinking in the body of Christ.

Our new position in Christ doesn’t abolish all distinctions where we function in life, but it does declare that there are no superior or inferior believers before God.

Following are the words of other scholars concerning what Paul is discussing in this text:

“All believers are ‘one in Christ Jesus.’ This is positional oneness and equality. In Him there is no spiritual superiority or inferiority. All mundane divisions are eliminated: racial (‘Jew nor Greek’), social (‘bond nor free’), and sexual (‘male nor female’). The man is not more accepted in Christ than the woman nor is the Jew more justified than the Gentile. All share the same standing before God [Emphasis mine]. The removal of classifications refers only to the spiritual position, however. People do not lose their distinctiveness within the functional order of society. A woman is a woman both before and after conversion, and so is a man a man. Within the oneness of the divine essence, there is an equality of the persons of the Godhead, but there nevertheless remains an order for the execution of the divine purpose of redemption. The Father is the head of Christ and the former sent the latter into the world. In the same sense, the man and the woman are one in Christ, but the headship of the man over the woman remains in order to carry out the divine purpose for the home and for the local church (1 Cor. 11:3).” -- Robert Gromachi

“This verse must not be pressed into meaning something it does not say. As far as everyday life is concerned (not to mention public ministry in the church), God does recognize the distinction between male and female. The NT contains instructions addressed to each; it also speaks separately to slaves and masters. But in obtaining blessing from God, these things do not matter. The great thing is to be in Christ Jesus. (This refers to our heavenly position, not to our earthly condition.) Before God the believing Jew is not a bit superior to the converted pagan! [Emphasis mine] Govett says: ‘All the distinctions which the law made are swallowed up in the common grave which God has provided.’ Therefore, how foolish it is for Christians to seek further holiness by setting up differences which Christ has abolished.” ---Believers Bible Commentary

“...believers are all one in Christ Jesus. Since all believers became one with each other, human distinctions lose their significance. None is spiritually superior over another, that is, a believing Jew is not more privileged before God than a believing Gentile (Greek, in contrast to Jew, suggests all Gentiles; cf. Col. 3:11); a believing slave does not rank higher than a believing free person; a believing man is not superior to a believing woman. [Emphasis mine] Some Jewish men prayed, “I thank God that Thou hast not made me a Gentile, a slave, or a woman.” Paul cut across these distinctions and stated that they do not exist in the body of Christ so far as spiritual privilege and position are concerned. Elsewhere, while affirming the coequality of man and woman in Christ, Paul did nonetheless make it clear that there is a headship of the man over the woman (cf. 1 Cor. 11:3) and that there are distinctions in the area of spiritual service (cf. 1 Tim. 2:12).” ---Bible Knowledge Commentary

Conclusion:
In this present world cursed by sin there will always be division based on race, nationality, gender, and social status. But, it should not be found in the body of Christ. In Jesus, all Christians have equal standing before God and equal access to Him! All Christians have put on Christ, belong to Christ, and should look like Christ.

Application:

1. Let’s repent of our pride that creates these divisions among fellow believers.
2. Let’s respect all members of the body of Christ equally as the family of God.
3. Let’s remember to welcome people to our church like we want to be welcomed.
4. Let’s reach out to every race, class and gender with the Good News of God’s salvation.

What Really Happened...(Updated 1/17/13)

While I was gone celebrating my mother’s 90th birthday in Atlanta, GA, there were some unsettling events occurring back home with our television broadcast that is seen by a viewing audience covering nearly our entire state, as well as parts of Ohio and Kentucky.

After almost eight years WCHS-TV decided to sell our Sunday morning time slot without informing us and without giving us the opportunity to repurchase the time slot ourselves. The only way we knew our program was off air was when our Daily Walk staff and viewers commented that the program had not aired the previous Sunday. It was not until we initiated contact with the station that we learned the aforementioned details.

When I arrived home from my mother's birthday celebration I further learned that a Daily Walk viewer had called WCHS-TV about our program not being broadcast. It was reported to me that she was told we were off air due to a “financial situation.” Another viewer that contacted the station was reportedly told that we no longer wanted our time slot anymore.

I don’t personally know what responses representatives of WCHS-TV are telling our viewers when they call the station. However, I feel it is important to clarify some facts for our viewers as I know them for the sake of the testimony of our Lord and the Daily Walk ministry.

1. We have always paid the full amount of our weekly broadcast promptly.
2. We have always made adjustments to our technology to accommodate things requested of us by the station.
3. When the FCC began requiring TV broadcasts to be closed captioned, we paid to have one of our staff members trained (at considerable cost), as well as purchase the equipment to do this work so we would be in full compliance.
4. WCHS-TV has never spoken negatively to us about our programing, whether referring to its overall quality or its content (some of their staff have previously been complimentary of the program).
5. There was NEVER any indication from the station that our program could potentially be replaced by other programing. No notice, no phone call, no letter, no email, no visit from any WCHS-TV representative...nothing at all!
6. We were NEVER contacted by WCHS-TV and given the opportunity to repurchase the time slot prior to them selling it to infomercials.
7. Not until Daily Walk staff/viewers told us the program was not aired the previous Sunday and we contacted the station did we learn that our time slot had been sold to other clients.
8. Subsequent calls about our situation resulted in the station sending us a new contract for the same time slot (9 a.m. to 10 a.m.) at an increased price, which we promptly signed and faxed to WCHS-TV.

9. When our staff contacted the station to make sure they had received the signed contract we were told the contract was a non-binding agreement and needed the approval of the parent company in Tampa (none of which was indicated to our staff during the discussion about the new contract).
10. Setting aside whether the new contract is binding or not, common courtesy and honorable business practices would seem to require WCHS-TV to contact present clients about potential programing changes (at least thirty days prior to those changes) and/or allow them to repurchase their original time slot before selling it to someone else.
11. If all of this was due to an internal error on the part of WCHS-TV or a matter beyond their local control, you would assume they would quickly apologize for the problem it has caused us, but that didn’t happen either.
12. This decision on the part of WCHS-TV to replace our broadcast will cost us financially in other ways than the weekly cost of the broadcast. We have spent considerable money advertising our program and including it in our church publicity. All of our printed literature will eventually have to be redone and a significant advertising campaign undertaken to direct our viewers where to find the program and to attract new viewers to the program.

Our ministry has acted honorably throughout this entire negotiation process and we are working diligently to find the right outlet for our Daily Walk broadcast. Until then viewers can watch our services live online at LMBC.tv or go to our website (LMBC.org) and watch the Daily Walk TV broadcasts from the media dropdown menu. My prayer is that by the first Sunday in March we will be back on air proclaiming the truth of Scripture and readying people’s hearts for the Easter season. Unfortunately, we will likely not have the prime viewing hour of 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. that we have enjoyed for several years.

My greatest burden throughout this whole process has been for the viewers that we hear from regularly and that depend on the ministry of the Daily Walk. Some of these people are elderly, others are homebound or in nursing homes, and many are providentially hindered for other reasons from attending church services. These dear souls have relied weekly on the Daily Walk as their spiritual help. And, many of them don’t have access to our program over the Internet as a replacement for the TV broadcast. It is because of them and others that need us that this whole situation has made me personally feel like the analogy in the book of Ezekiel.

"They were scattered for lack of a shepherd; they became food for all the wild animals when they were scattered." (Ezekiel. 34:5 HCSB)

Instead of the shepherd looking for the lost sheep in this passage, it is the sheep looking for their lost shepherd. There are probably many people not in our viewer database (whom we can contact) that do not know what is going on and that may feel like we left them without telling them where we have gone.

To those we have ministered to for years through our broadcast, we did not leave you intentionally or willingly! Please know that we deeply appreciate you and will not stop praying for you. God willing, we will return soon to continue proclaiming the truth of Scripture that changes lives. God has a plan in all of this and He is bigger than the mountain we must climb to connect again with our viewers. Thank you for your patience while we work through this process of relocating to another station.