I am continuing with the series, “A Renewed Mind” which means we must accept the truth - God’s Word is true.
Who is the Jew and Who is the Greek?
This scripture has been controversial, misleading, and misunderstood.
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26-28). To those who are born-again, there is no distinction.
Many people use this scripture when it comes to ministry. If you have a particular ministry and we all do, you are shepherding those God has entrusted to you. You could be someone’s spiritual mentor, a teacher and wherever the Lord has placed you, you are there with purpose.
In modern terms, we use stay in your lane, and try to drive in the wrong lane- somebody will suffer. Remember this, no one position/ministry is better than the other. Not only that, trying to fill a role that has not been ordained by God will cause a loss of rewards.
According to the grace of God, which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:10-11).
Let me put it like this, some people say only what you do for Christ will last, but that is not properly stated. Why? Many people are doing “quote on quote” good works in the name of the Lord, but the truth is, only what Christ tells them to do will last.
What does Galatians 3:28 mean? First of all, the Gentiles were just as equal to God as the Jews, because they also are included in salvation. Secondly – we are neither slaves nor free, still means all are equal. Thirdly – neither male nor female, there is no distinction when it comes to being equal; however, the roles are different.
Explanation
We know that God shows no distinction (Romans 2:11), so we need to see what He is saying and what He is not saying. He is not saying that we are unequal; what God is saying that the roles are different.
Let’s look at the order
God is the God of order, and from the beginning of the human race, He placed man in the leadership role of his family, although Adam and Eve were equal, their roles/positions were not the same.
In the family, the born-again father is not greater than his son, but his role is greater, which makes sense. He has been given the responsibility of taking care of his family. Wouldn’t it be out of order if the son were the leader of the home?
The Trinity - God the Father, God the Son, and the Spirit of God are equal, but their functions are different. God the Father initiated everything, Jesus Christ the Son carried out the plan and the Spirit of God is the power behind everything. When God said let Us in creation (Genesis 1:26), He was referring to the Triune God. The Triune God is known as One God in three Persons.
I am not judging anyone when it comes to their call, but it becomes evident to spiritually mature Christians that someone is not walking in their call; fruit will be revealed- I am not talking about how many followers one has; it’s about God adding to their ministry. On that note, the Word of God tells people about their call, and the five office ministers (Ephesians 4:11) are also able to help them to know their call and to be developed in it.
What I do caution people about is to make sure they’re doing what God has called them to do, not what they want to be (the choice is not theirs), and not what someone else wants them to be.
~ Betty A. Burnett ~
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