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September 19, 2022

In Christ, There Is No Race or Nationality

Col 3: 10 And have put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 Where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.

Christ is the center of God's economy. Among the thousands of verses in the Bible, one verse is extremely crucial regarding this matter, and this verse is Colossians 3:11. In the light of this verse none of us should boast in matters of race or nationality. During my travels around the world, I have observed that everyone is proud of his country and race. But as believers in Christ, we should not pride ourselves in our race or nationality. According to Colossians 3:10 and 11, the church, the Body of Christ, is the new man. In the new man there are no distinctions of race or nationality. As Paul says, in the new man there cannot be Greek and Jew. The Jews are known for their religion, and the Greeks, for their culture, especially for their philosophy. However, there is room for neither Greek nor Jew in the new man. Paul goes on to say that there cannot be circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or freeman. This indicates that in the new man there is no place for religion or culture, no matter what a particular culture may be. Rather, Christ is all and in all. Colossians 3:11 gives us a strong basis for saying that in God's economy Christ is everything. He is every person, every matter, and every thing. Christ must be our race and nationality. If someone asks you to what race you belong, you should reply, "I belong to the race of Christ." We should have the realization within that we are not Chinese, Germans, French, New Zealanders, Americans, or any other nationality, but are members of Christ. If all Christians knew that Christ is the center of God's economy, all divisions would disappear. Not long ago a particular racial group held a meeting in a cathedral. During this meeting, some things were said negatively about another racial group. Afterwards, directly in front of the cathedral there was a clash between members of these different racial groups. What a shame that such a confrontation could take place after a meeting which was supposedly held in the name of Christ! Such a thing is utterly contrary to the nature of the new man. In the church as the new man there are no distinctions on the basis of color; there is no white, black, red, brown, or yellow. To repeat, in the new man Christ is everything; He is all and in all. (c) Living Stream Ministry.

Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of 1 Corinthians, pp. 37-38. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].

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Life-study of 1 Corinthians