Reflection on Galatians 3:28

Galatians 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."  There is neither Jew nor Greek - All are on level ground; all are saved in the same way; all are entitled to the same privileges. There is no favoritism on account of birth, beauty, or blood. All confess that they are sinners; all are saved by the merits of the same Saviour; all are admitted to the same privileges as children of God. The word "Greek" here is used to denote the Gentiles generally; since the whole world was divided by the Jews into "Jews and Greeks" - the Greeks being the foreign nation best known to them. The meaning is, that whatever was the birth, or rank, or nation, or color, or complexion, all under the gospel were on level ground. They were admitted to the same privileges, and endowed with the same hopes of eternal life.   This is the way we view our community members, neighbors, volunteers, donors, friends - all have been created equally in God's image. We strive to see the face of Jesus in each person we encounter every day. Paul means to teach here that no person has any preference or advantage in the kingdom of God because s/he is a rich person, or because s/he is of elevated rank; no one is under any disadvantage because s/he is poor, or because s/he is ignorant. All at the foot of the cross are sinners; all at the communion table are saved by the same grace; all who enter into heaven, will enter clothed in the same robes of salvation, and arranged, not as princes/ses and nobles, and rich people and poor people, in separate orders and ranks, but mingling together as redeemed by the same blood.  We can all sit down at the same communion table; and look forward to the same heaven. Christianity does not admit the one to favor or exclude the other because of his/her position. Nor, when they are admitted to favor, does it give the one a right to lord it over the other, or to feel that s/he is of any more value in the eye of the Redeemer, or any nearer to his/her heart. The essential idea is, that they are on level ground, and that they are admitted to the favor of God without respect to their external condition in society.   Another thought on this is that although we are all equally created in God's image and equally accepted, each person is provided for differently, as needed. We believe that every person should contribute to society to the best of his or her ability and consume from society in proportion to his or her need. We try to live by Acts 2:45 where it says, "And they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, according to the needs of each individual person", not based on their status or position in society or any other defining factor, only based on need. (Written Fall 2010.)