Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, salve, free; but Christ is all, and in all (Col. 3:11).

When Billy Graham started refusing to segregate his crusades in the 1950s, and when Promise Keepers made racial reconciliation for men a priority in the 1990s, they were echoing the Apostle Paul’s charge in the first century: We are all one in Christ.

Throughout history, believers have been learning what it means to be united as one body in Jesus, our Savior. When we celebrate this unity, we are really celebrating what Jesus has done to form his family.

As our nation renews its struggle with racial injustice and ethnic prejudice, Christians have special opportunity to testify to the transforming realities of God’s grace by treating believers of different backgrounds as brothers and sisters in Christ. In fact, we betray the grace that gives each of us Christ’s identity if we do not treat one another as family.

Ultimately this means that receiving one another in love is not just nice but necessary to fulfill God’s purposes. We are not called merely to tolerate those unlike us in race or ethnicity but to recognize that without love for them we fail him.

One day those from every tribe, language, people, and nation will sing praises to our Savior. To prepare for that day, we are called to love brothers and sisters united in Christ today. This means that we must not only appreciate and welcome the gifts and perspectives of those with different backgrounds but confess that we need them.

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for making all believers one family in Christ! Help me share the beauty of my identity by loving all Christians and confessing my need of demonstrating such love for the sake of Jesus’ witness in a hateful world.