Every Soul Sacred
July 1, 2023 2023-07-01 8:02Every Soul Sacred
Revlee Every Soul Sacred.
Galatians 3:26-28
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (NIV)
The Bible has been addressing racism, sexism, and classism for thousands of years, but these continue to be a struggle for humanity.
Paul is teaching us here in Galatians that in Christ, there is no distinction between race, sex, or class. All are equally loved by God and we should love one another regardless of race, sex, or class.
100 years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, Dr. King stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and gave us these timeless words:
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day
Live in a nation where they will not be judged
By the color of their skin but the content of their character.”
Martin Luther King, Jr., August 28,1963
Our nation fought hard to come to this place, but in recent years, we have seen a resurgence of judging and treating people differently according to the group they belong whether that group consists of race, sex, religion, class, political party, or vaccination status. Society justifies anger, vengeance, and ridicule for those who belong to different groups. But this is not from God.
This problem was in the church of Galatia and Paul’s point of this letter was to remind them that those in Christ should see every soul as sacred, valuable, and worthy of respect and dignity. Our higher calling is to love our neighbor whoever that may be.
God loves every human being the same. No group is better or worse. No group is favored more than another. The milieu of our American culture is returning to group discrimination and if we are not careful, we will be influenced away from God’s desire that all humans be loved and treated with value, none being better than another.
Our lot in life, whether that be our race, class, or sex says nothing about our value. Jesus died for all so we must love and esteem every soul. This way of imagining humanity should be most prevalent in the church. Yet, churches have been rocked by racism, sexism, and classism since the book of Acts. God’s call to the church is to live and think differently not conforming to the pattern of this world. Every soul is sacred to God and must be to us.
Prayer: Lord, guard me against the philosophy of this age and let me love and treat every soul as a sacred creation from Your hands. Amen.
Comments (6)
Gary Boswell
Pastor Lee, I look forward to your emails every day!
Pastor Lee
Thank you for that encouragement Brother!
M.J.
So much vitriol seems to he thrown at Black people for expecting the basics that have been given to Whites for centuries, everything from voting rights to access to loans. How can we help the White brothers and sisters (and the small percentage of people of color that are their allies) who believe the lies see that they aren’t losing anything when another group gets to thrive as well?
Pastor Lee
That is an age old question. Scripturally, God has given us all the ability to produce wealth (Deut. 8:18). This should tell us all that the amount of wealth on Earth is not fixed. God can and does promise to prosper all who seek Him earnestly. And God’s promises are not dependent upon how much someone else has.
Judy
Love your devotions! You are the encourager for all of us! Thank you!
Pastor Lee
Thank you Judy and you are encouraging me!