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News and views from the German-language region of Europe

November 30, 2012

"For you are all one in Christ Jesus"

Filed under Sabbath Thoughts

Imagine that you are living in 53 A.D. and you are attending Sabbath services in your local congregation. During the service a letter from your pastor is read to the congregation.

The letter was written by the apostle Paul. As a former slave, you are part of your local congregation. It is made up of Jews and Greeks, a retired Roman centurion is part of the group, along with a former pagan priest. Some members are wealthy, others are poor. There are former prisoners and also a couple more former slaves, like you.

What is your reaction when the elder reading the letter reads this text: "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. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:26-29).

Those were amazing words for the Roman world of the first century A.D.! The human differences among these believers and their unity in the faith is a sterling example for us today. All had been called by God and received the opportunity to support the work God was doing through the apostle Paul. You would have been inspired by Paul's words!

But harmony in a group whose members had such different backgrounds was not automatic. How was the group able to be "one in Christ Jesus"? The common element of unity was the spirit of God, which enabled them to be unified in Christian love and doctrine: "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all" (Ephesians 4:1-6).

That same spirit is available to us today. Let's use it and work at keeping "the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

With these thoughts I wish everyone a rewarding Sabbath!

Paul Kieffer's blog with personal insights and news from the German-language region in Europe.

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