No Favorites in the Kingdom, Part 2
According to Pastor Chuck Smith, Jesus has made equal access to God available to all people regardless of their demographic group. In his book, Why Grace Changes Everything, he reminds us that we are all the objects of God’s grace. Follow along in our teaching series taken from this popular work.
All Are Equal in the Kingdom
Prior to meeting Jesus face to face on the road to Damascus, the apostle Paul spent the majority of his life as a Pharisee. The Pharisees, you remember, were members of the strict, legalistic Jewish sect that so strongly opposed Jesus. You get a flavor for who they were by considering their prayers, a few of which have been preserved for us. Every morning the rabbis prayed, “I thank you, Father, that I was not born a Gentile, a slave, or a woman.” No doubt this was a part of Paul's devotional life for many years.
How interesting it is, then, that the apostle Paul turns all three components of this traditional prayer on their heads. He writes, 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 (Galatians 3:28, KJV).
Jesus is the great equalizer. His grace refuses to elevate one person over another. We all are one, because in Christ God accepts one sinner just as readily as He accepts another. God places tremendous value on each individual.
This gospel has made a tremendous impact in the world, wherever it has gone. Consider women's rights. Prior to the arrival of Christianity in New Guinea, women were considered unworthy to worship God. A woman had only to touch a place of worship to be put to death. Such second-class citizenship created a climate of fear and shame and led to an extremely high suicide rate among women. Oppression was heavy. Imagine the impact on this culture when the gospel of grace appeared on the scene. Suddenly, men and women discovered that in Christ there is no distinction between male and female.
Jesus has made equal access to God available to all people regardless of their demographic group. God does not receive us as justified strangers or distant acquaintances, but as His dearly loved children. John tells us, As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name (John 1:12, KJV).
This is the beauty of the gospel.
No matter what we have been like or what wrong we have done, if we will place our faith in Christ, we will be pardoned for all our sins. Even beyond this almost incomprehensible blessing, God also received us as His sons. That is what Paul meant when he wrote, For ye are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26, KJV). The word “children” in this passage literally means “placed as a son.”
God doesn't have any important people. The objects of His grace are not only the strong, or the beautiful, or the intelligent. He calls us ordinary folk to His side and wraps His strong arms around us in a gentle embrace of love. This is the gospel of grace.
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In our next installment, Pastor Chuck describes the apostle Paul’s life as the result of God’s gracious choice.
Follow the series “No Favorites in the Kingdom” at Part 1
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