COLOSSIANS 3:11
NO DISCRIMINATION
Colossians 3:11 (Amplified Version) [In this new creation all distinctions vanish]; there is no room for and there can be neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, [nor difference between nations whether alien] BarbariansG915 or ScythiansG4658 [who are the most savage of all], nor slave or free man; but Christ is all and in all – everything and everywhere, to all men without distinction of person.
G915 barbarŏs – a foreigner (i.e. non-Greek): – barbarian.
G4658 Skuthēs – a Scythene or Scythian, i.e. (by impl.) a savage.
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
All distinctions vanish
for those in whom Christ lives,
For we are no longer who we were
because of the life He gives.
Our nationality, education, or status
should not be dividing lines;
For we should be as one in Christ,
and our lives be intertwined.
There should be no discrimination in the church. There should be no prejudice in the house of God. Race, education, socio-economic status, age, ability level—none of these should divide us. A popular gospel song says, “If you belong to Jesus, you belong with me.” Oh, how God would be glorified if our churches would live out those words!
When I (Susie) was in my early twenties, I was a member of a predominantly white protestant church. One of my closest friends heard about an organization that paired larger church groups with small, economically challenged neighborhoods and churches. She approached our singles minister with the idea of partnering with a black church in southeast Fort Worth and he, in turn, asked me to co-lead this adventure. The most memorable project was working alongside our brothers and sisters at the 2nd Timothy Missionary Baptist Church to tear down a condemned building on their property. It took two Saturdays (one of them in the rain!) to complete the project and make their property safe for their children. Our singles furnished sandwiches and soft drinks the first Saturday, and their congregation prepared chili dogs and lemonade the next. After breaking down the racial barriers by sweating side by side, Pastor Amos invited our group to sing at a Sunday afternoon church anniversary service. Then one Sunday, their entire congregation (about 25 people) visited our church. I believe they felt welcomed as well.
I, Susan, have faced discrimination even in church, not because of my race but because of my disability. I have cerebral palsy and use a power chair to be mobile. I remember attending a church with other students with disabilities who attended and lived at the Bob Hope High School. We were made to sit in the very back of the sanctuary because our chairs were a “fire hazard.” However, a friend from school who was a member there was allowed to sit up front with her church friends even though she used a wheelchair as well. It was only the group from school that was relegated to back seats. Praise the Lord, I now attend a church where those in wheelchairs are valued, and the aisles are wide enough to accommodate us sitting at the end of a row.
Father, we pray that we might come alongside our brothers and sisters of all races, nationalities, socio-economic backgrounds, ages, and varying abilities for your glory. Help us to look deeper than all those things and see your Holy Spirit within each other so that we may serve you together. Thank you for loving each of us even before we loved you.