Welcome guys to wisdom blog. In my last post, I wrote on the subject ‘ The Manifestation of The Sons of God’, where I emphasized that we manifest our Sonship by being obedient to the word of God (Spoken and written word). Also, I stated that in order to help us to be obedient, God will sometimes permit seasons of suffering (referred to as the wilderness experience).
Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
(Heb 5:8 KJV)
Manifesting our sonship is akin unto manifesting the glory of God. The word glory in the new testament was translated from the Greek word Doxa, and it means all that God is and all that God has. God’s glory is expressed in three dimensions; in His Character, in His Power, and in His Prosperity. Of these three, His Character is the most important. On this new series, we will be exploring the various biblical concept that will help us manifests God’s character. On this post, I will be writing on a concept that will enable us to manifest the love of God.
Let’s Begin
Just before His death, Christ entrusted to His disciples the commandment to love, calling it a new commandment (John 13:34). It was upon this new commandment the church was to be built. Sadly, very few understand this commandment, therefore, very few have been able to obey it. This post aims at helping us understand an aspect of this commandment (Our oneness in Christ despite our differences), thereby helping us to be obedient to Christ.
Without doubt, the coming of Christ is imminent as the signs given in scriptures about His coming have been fulfilled in our day and age. As Christians, this should be a source of joy for us; the idea of forever being with our Lord is the hope given to us in scriptures. But the big question is, are we ready? Ephesians 5:27 reveals that Christ is coming for a church without spot (without sin). This speaks of the fact that we have a part to play to make ourselves ready for His coming so that we will not be left behind with the world. This is further stated clearly in Revelation 19:7 that the wife of Christ (The Church) has made herself ready.
How can we be obedient when we do not understand His instructions (Commandments)? This was the reason God revealed Himself in a progressive manner in the bible, from the old to the New Testament. He did this so that we will be able to know His mind.
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
(Eph 2:14-15 KJV)
In this above verses of scripture, Paul was writing to the Ephesian Church, and here he revealed to them that the ‘middle wall of partition has been broken’. You may ask, what is the middle wall of partition, and why was it necessary for the Ephesians Church to know this? The middle wall of partition was a wall in the Herodian Temple beyond which a Gentile could not pass through. According to the commandments given by Moses, no Gentile was allowed to enter the temple of God. This wall symbolized the distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles. It was punishable by death if any Gentile should break the law and go beyond this point.
Throughout the old covenant, God specifically placed limits to the association between the Jews and the Gentiles. A Jew was not to go into to home of a Gentile, a Jew should not get married to a Gentile and so on. This created enmity between the Jews and the Gentiles, and this was intentional by God. Again, you may ask, why would a righteous and loving God give such laws to a people that caused enmity between them and the surrounding nations? (I will answer this question later).
Therefore, we see that the middle wall of partition represented the differences between various people. For the Jews and their religious practice, it represented the differences between them and the Gentiles. But it goes beyond them. There are things that put differences between people in the world today; the differences in colour, in languages, in nationalities, in religion, in social status and level of education etc. These have been a source of enmity between humans, the cause of conflicts among people and wars among nations etc. How do we obey the law of Christ to love our neighbours as ourselves when these are issues we are to deal with? Therefore, we as Christians need to grow beyond this limitation in other for us to be able to obey the law of Christ.
The Reason for the Partition
In the beginning, God created humans in His own image and likeness. He gave humans His own nature and instructed them to multiply and fill (spread) over the earth.
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
(Gen 1:27 -28 NIV)
Over time, man sinned and rebelled against the commandments of God by falling to the trick of the devil. By doing this, he obtained a new nature, a nature of sin, as he became the servant of him that he obeyed (The devil). Because of this, Man’s every imagination became evil and unyielding to God.
Mankind had one language at this time. As a result of a new nature they acquired, Man continued rebelling against the commandments of God. This was clearly expressed when man decided to embark on a project to build a tower reaching to the heavens.
And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
(Gen 11:4 NIV )
This plan of man was totally against the commandment God gave him at the beginning (Gen 1:27-28). Firstly, Man’s dominion as given by God extended only to the earth, here, they wanted to be in heaven. Also, it was God’s will for man to spread over the earth, here, they wanted to be in a single location. Because of this, God placed partitions (differences) in humanity by separating their languages in other to stop them from their purpose.
And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
(Gen 11:5 KJV)
Another partition was also seen in Genesis 10:25, where the division of the earth crust to the different continents as we know them today was indicated.
And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.
(Gen 10:25)
To further give credence to the division of the earth crust by God it was also indicated in the scriptures below;
From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us:
(Act 17:26-27 KJV)
From these stated above, we see the partitions (differences) we have in nature were placed intentionally by God so that His plans can be fulfilled. So it was for the case of the Jews. The enmity between them and the Gentiles because of the law was to preserve them from pollution, until the coming of Jesus Christ. The Jews were chosen to be the people from whom Christ would come to deliver the world from sin. Since Christ has finished His works, there is now no need for the division, we are now one in Christ.
What’s The Implication
The breaking of the middle wall of partition implies that all other differences that we have in nature have been removed in Christ. Therefore, there should be no discrimination among us on the basis of race, language or nationalities etc. only then can we obey the law of Christ.
Today’s Reality
Despite what Christ achieved at the cross of Calvary by breaking down the wall of partition, walls still exist in the minds of the people today. Sadly, this is not just found in society alone, it still exists in the Church. Believers judge another believer on the basis of colour and nationality etc., instead of judging by their actions. This is totally wrong, and it grieves the Holy Spirit.
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
(Gal 3:27-28 KJV)
The above portion of scriptures reveals our in Christ reality; we have all put on Christ and we are one and the same. Any act of discrimination based on sentiments because of the visible or circumstantial differences among us is not only unacceptable but also attracts judgment from God.
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
(1Co 11:28 – 31 KJV)
Though the above scripture talks about the Holy Communion, it also represents the Church which is the body of Christ. By not discerning our oneness in Christ by bringing division by discrimination, we are sinning and it attracts judgment from God.
What’s the Solution?
I found the solution to this problem of discrimination among Christians in a story, which I am going to share. In his autobiography titled ‘Living a Life of Fire’, Reinhard Bonnke (A German Evangelist who was a missionary in South Africa) shared an encounter he had with an American Televangelist named Kenneth Copeland. This was shortly after the Second World War. And at this time, a wall was placed at the middle of Berlin to separate the western and eastern parts of Germany. This wall was called The Berlin Wall. Despite the Germans were one people, the country was separated by different world powers, with different ideologies.
In that encounter, Kenneth Copeland gave a prophetic word to Reinhard Bonnke, among what he said to him was that ‘….the minds of the German people will be renewed, and the Berlin wall will be removed’. Not long after this, the wall was actually removed.
Therefore, the solution to the sentimental discrimination in the church today is the renewal of the minds of the believers. As we emphasize the oneness that we have in Christ in our sermons and bible studies, the believers will be encouraged to act in love towards another believer of a different race, nationality or social status etc., Thereby obeying the law of Christ (Love your neighbour as yourself)
THANK YOU.
Please, remember to share this post to as many people as possible so that they too will be blessed and admonished.
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