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One of the perks of working at RZIM was access to the Green Room. When we hosted packed events at our headquarters, it felt nice to open an unmarked door, sit on a comfortable couch, and talk privately with the speakers. We love to build our status by excluding others. Ethnic groups look down on outsiders, men dominate women, and the rich buy VIP passes. But how does this reflect God's design?
Galatians 3:27-29
For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to the promise.
Visualize the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Gentiles were restricted to the outer court. Jewish women could go to the Court of Women. Jewish men could take the next step closer to the altar. The architecture taught that access to God was restricted to free, Jewish, male priests. In Galatians, Paul explains that Jesus bulldozed the floor plan. Notice that he transitions from "Jew or Greek" and "slave or free" to "male and female." Why? It's a direct quote from Genesis 1:27, where God created us in his image. In the Temple, gender was a barrier. But in the church, we're fulfilling the Garden Promise. For decades, I thought that the unfortunate but "tough truth" was that only men could lead churches and homes. But God kept inviting me to meditate on this passage. As I considered the scandal Paul's words created in the first century, I had to ask myself: If priestly robes indicate who can lead God's people, what does it mean if every Christian is clothed with Christ? Likewise, imagine the shock that Jewish men felt when Paul explained that both Gentiles and women are full heirs of God's promise to Abraham. We're all tempted to place people beneath ourselves to prop ourselves up. But now that Christ has demolished our social hierarchies, it violates the logic of the gospel to recreate them. It's exhausting to manage our status by excluding others. Jesus invites us to see that we are complete in his love, and free to love one another as fully equal members of his family.
Imagine standing in the Court of Women, watching the men go closer to God. How does that image impact how you read Galatians 3:28?
Where do you still see hierarchies separating groups of people in your church?
If you truly believed you were a "co-heir" with the full status of a firstborn son, how would that change the way you serve God this week?
Think of one person you subtly treat as 'less than' in your church. This Sunday, ask them a genuine question about their life and listen with respect.
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