It’s the weekend of what many refer to as Easter, or Passover celebration for those who prefer to call it that. It’s a time where believers focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Often, in meditating on the passion of Christ and His redemptive work on the cross, we tend to focus on what the cross did for our personal relationship with God, and rightfully so. But for the disciple of Jesus Christ, the cross did more than reconcile us back to the Father. In this blog post I want to talk about an aspect of the cross that is often underemphasized, if not overlooked altogether.
“So then, remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh — called “the uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,” which is done in the flesh by human hands. At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace. He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death. He came and proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.”
Ephesians 2:11-21
It is true that Jesus’ death very much had a direct implication for us as individuals who were under the wrath of God and we are eternally indebted to Him for this sacrifice. I also want to draw your attention that His death was not just about us as individuals. We have to remember that His death and resurrection is part of a bigger story, a story that begun long before sin entered the world. A story about God’s desire to have a family of many children in His likeness. Remember that story? This is where it all begins. In fact I may even argue that this is why the cross was even on the table in the first place. After man sinned, it could have all ended right there and then. God could have sent man away without the promise that the woman’s heir will crush the serpent’s head one day! Not to make light of sin and how atrocious it is at all, but it was about something much more remarkable than sin and the forgiveness of sin. Sin came as an attempt to stop that original desire, but praise the Lord that sin did not and cannot win.
After sin entered the world, God chose a select group of people to make them His people. He made a covenant with these people and by virtue of this covenant these were His people and He, their God. They had special priveleges to God that other nations did not possess. They enjoyed the goodness of being God’s chosen people both through His blessings as well as His discipline. Part of the covenant that they were under required that they live as people set apart for God in many ways, both physically and spiritually. These people known as Jews lived and enjoyed the priveleges and blessings of belonging to God, just as Adam and Eve did before they were kicked out of the garden. These people known as Jews, also fell short of the terms of the covenant, just as Adam and Eve did. Through a long line of Jewish descendants, the promised heir of the woman, the one ordained to crush the serpent’s head enters into the world by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Enter phase 3.
The heir of the woman, the descendant of the Jews, who also happens to be God the Son, Jesus the Christ arrives on scene. He’s here not just to get rid of sin, but to proclaim a new kingdom. A kingdom not of this world, a kingdom where sin is not welcome and a kingdom that is guaranteed to endure forever because it does not depend on feeble human efforts. In His death a new covenant is initiated. A new covenant “not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6).
His Body is pierced, the Blood pours out, the Body is Created
Jesus is hanging on the cross dead. His side is pierced, blood pours out, fulfilling the requirement of a covenant being sealed with blood, a new covenant is in full effect. But with who? In the beginning, Adam, was put to sleep, out of His sides God makes Eve. (Genesis 2:21-22) Here we have the new Adam, put to sleep (death), out of His sides gushes blood, the blood that washes over any and all who will put their trust in Him as savior- the church, His Body, His bride.
The blood that pours out of His pierced sides breaks down the dividing wall of hostility, binding together hearts that once were apart because of sin. He prophesied on that night as he broke bread that fateful night with his disciples that this mysterious act was a representation of something deeper. He told them as He lifted the cup, giving thanks to the Father, that it was to signify His blood that will shed for all, for the remission of sins. And He wanted His disciples to remember Him in partaking of this communion when they were together. Why? Why would Jesus want us to remember His sacrifice when we are together as the Body? If it was just about our personal relationship with Him and what His sacrifice did for us individually, can’t we just have the Lord’s supper on our own, at home perhaps? Even more fascinating, why does Jesus say, “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”? In that single statement, it all comes back full circle, giving us a hint what this is all about.
The idea of the bride of Christ is often lost in a world and particularly in a culture that is very individualistic. While we search for community online, in real life the concept of community isn’t one that is upheld. Thus, many see Christianity as nothing more than a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. A careful study of scriptures reveals otherwise though- it is as much an individual walk as it is a collective walk, and the two go hand in hand. When we think of the Bride of Christ, it is important to recognize that the individual Christian is not Bride of Christ.
There’s a common cliche single Christian girls like to say about Jesus being their boyfriend or their husband. And while it may sound all cute and warm and fuzzy, it stems from a huge misunderstanding of what the bride of Christ is. The individual Christian is only a part of the Bride of Christ, a member of the Body of Christ. So if every believer in this world comprises the bride, you would be the bride’s finger for example. Making everything about us as individuals robs us of our responsibility toward the Body. More importantly though, it does a huge disservice to Jesus’s chief desire. There’s something about knowing that I’m part of the Body and a member of His bride that (should) compels me to be committed to the other members of the Body/Bride. It’s based on the reality that as members of one body we are connected so that when one is endangered, the whole body is. This is no trivial matter. Understanding this changes everything. It changes how you see your brethren in the Lord, how you treat them, your commitment to their souls, your love for them, your acceptance of their corrections and their love.
HORIZONTAL RECONCILIATION
The death of Jesus Christ undoubtedly reconciles the believer back to the Father AND by virtue of that, reconciles us to each other. I begun by quoting Ephesians 2, and in verses 18-20 it talks about this reconciliation to each other that takes place. In remembering this, it calls us to unity as a Body. By unity, I don’t mean the world’s definition of unity where we all join hands both saved and unsaved, redeemed and fraud, and frolick around aimlessly. I refer to the unity of those who in word and deed reflect the lives of disciples of Jesus Christ. Shortly before His death, right before his betrayal, Jesus prays a very heartfelt and beautiful prayer precisely about this. He says,” I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word. May they all be one, as you Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me.I have given them the glory you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as. you have loved me.” (John 17:20-23)
THE NEW DIVIDING WALL OF HOSTILITY
Unity in the Body of Christ is a huge topic of discussion and one that obviously cannot be exhausted in a single blog post. In this post, I particularly want to address a snare that I see many professed believers jumping into head first. Rather than live as stones being put together to build the Body or the temple of Christ (1 Peter 2:5), many are now living as stones being put together to build a dividing wall of hostility. Many professing Christians in the West, have allowed, justified, and excused themselves from making idols out of their race. I am amazed, and often disturbed by the number of professing believers, who blatantly ignore what scripture says and adopts what some social justice philosopher preaches instead. I am surprised by the number of believers who identify first by their skin color than by the blood of the lamb! I am perplexed by christians who prefer and bond with people of the same race who are blatant enemies of the cross, over people of a different race who are their brothers and sisters in the Lord. Whether we want to admit it or not, there is an idolatry of race going on. Many professing Christians trample all over the body and blood of Jesus always, because they have made an idol out of race, ethnicity and culture. And as a result of the idolatry clouding their better judgment, they don’t seem to realize they are in sin.
Who Are Your People?
Christianity 101- deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow me. Christianity 102- You must be willing to hate your mother, father, brother, sister, dog, homie, child, in fact your own self if you want to be my disciple. Yet what do we have today? People who think they are allowed to choose to pledge allegiance to any and everyone under the sun who happens to be of the same race. Let’s look at one of the most interesting passages in the New Testament, shall we?
“While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”-Matthew 12:46, 48-50
What interesting response by Jesus! Moreover, the fact that this was included in the gospel accounts tells us that it is not insignificant by any means. This little passage tells us all we need to know when it comes to where our allegiance and solidarity should be. If Jesus himself, did not put his earthly family above the family of God, how then can we call ourselves His disciples and think we can pledge solidarity to people who we aren’t even related to by blood simply because we share the same skin color or any other earthly attribute?
So now my question to you is, who are your people? Who are your homies? Who do you call sis/bro? Don’t just brush over this question or answer it prematurely, truly search your heart. Better yet, ask the Lord to search your heart on this matter. May the Lord bring conviction and repentance to our hearts on this.
A SNARE OF THE FOWLER
Perhaps you’re reading this and are thinking, what’s the big deal? I just relate better to people who look like me or who sound like me or who are from the same place as me. Where’s the harm is finding a kinship and brotherhood in that? Beyond the fact that you make light of the cross of Christ and how it transcends and annihilates all barriers (remember the wall of hostility that was torn down?) here are a few more reasons this is a huge problem and a snare.
I begin by borrowing the words of Paul in Corinthians “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?”- 2 Corinthians 6:14)
There are Christians all over the world who hold fast to race so much that they are willing to call evil good and good evil, as long as it’s one whose race they identify with. There are professing Christians all over this land who refuse to hold up perceived social issues to the word of God, and apply proper discernment because they’ve sacrificed their righteousness and morals on the altar of racial and ethnic wars. They have bought the lies and worldly wisdom that they have been sold, rather than be transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:1-2). There are professing believers who have categorized their brothers and sisters in Christ into one lump sum based on nothing but their race, and make demands of them based on things they are not responsible for, demanding payments from them for sins they have never committed. There is a lot of heartbreaking division going on in the christian world today because people have made an idol out of social constructs of race and ethnic background and based on skin tones. Perceived racism is now the ultimate sin, we get more upset about that than we do by the fact that we blaspheme the cross of Christ when we adopt these worldly ways of division and unity. People get upset when they are reminded that technically we are all of one human race.
Christians should know better than to buy social constructs of race, ethnicity, and classifications of various kinds. We should know that we all came from one man and one woman in the very beginning, after the flood, we all came from Noah’s family, and ultimately all true believers have the same lineage. How far back is acceptable as we trace back our family line? Where do we put the cap and who determines where we put the cap? How can you call yourself a disciple of Jesus, partake of the Lord’s supper, and make your fellow partaker and heir of New Covenant feel alienated and at times even verbally abused simply because they are a different race, meanwhile you hold hands with people of all sorts who don’t even belong to the family of God simply because they are your race, and you don’t see the idolatry? Oh, that God may have mercy on our souls!
Believer, please wake up. The time is short. The enemy prowls around like a hungry lion. There are snares all around us. Be sober. Be vigilant. Wake up, believer. Where’s your allegiance? Have you pledged allegiance to your skin color or to the country you were born in, or to whatever other worldly standard of identification, or have you pledged allegiance to the cross of Christ? How do you justify your solidarity? Point me to one scripture, just one, that your solidarity to people simply because of their race or any other earthly classification, is based on. Brother, sister, stop making yourself an enemy of the cross!
SOLIDARITY AND FALSE UNITY
There is a kind of unity that pleases the Lord but it’s not what the world would have us believe. Jesus didn’t come to bring unity at all costs. Any unity that requires us to yoke with unbelievers, is not from God. Jesus said,
“Don’t assume that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household. The one who loves a father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; the one who loves a son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it, and anyone who loses his life because of me will find it.”
One of the very interesting observations that I’ve come to is that Satan tries to mimic or set up demonic versions of anything that matters to God as a way to attack the real one. For example he sets up the anti-trinity; as the father of lies, he influences a warped version of what truth is; he offers cheap dangerous versions of God’s good gifts to entice us; he takes God’s good gift of sexual intimacy in the proper context of marriage, then taints it and presents a hellish version driven by lust that offers nothing beyond fleeting physical satisfaction. And the list goes on and on.
You have heard it said that mimicking is the biggest form of flattery; but you best believe that when Satan mimics the institutions, the precepts and statures of God, it is not just in harmless flattery. It is a vicious attack against the ordinances of God and God Himself. It is a carefully crafted trap to lure man away from God.
Truth, love and unity are three crucial concepts and elements of Scripture. If you’ve been paying any attention to the happenings of this world through a Christian lens, you’ve likely noticed that these same three elements are under serious attack. Truth went from being objective to being subjective, and now practically obsolete. Love has been redefined and reduced to blind tolerance and acceptance of not just people but whatever they demand we think of them irrespective of facts. We live in a world where love is not allowed to protect us from the danger of self, love is not allowed to challenge us to be better versions of ourselves, and where love forbids us from disagreeing with the sins of others. And in recent times, Unity is the latest attraction, aided of course by the ease and intrusion of social media.
COMMUNITY REDEFINED
Community has been tainted from the deep, protecting, Godly establishment fueled by love and trust where sanctification happens, to becoming a virtual association of clones fueled by lust for attention and idolatry where self-promotion, commiserating and stagnancy dwell. As the dynamics of what is acceptable as community have changed to a less tangible version online, so has the protection that comes from community disappeared. Case in point, in real life community, what you share is limited to only those who have access to that particular community, and anyone outside that community is not privy to it. In this millennial version of online community, you share with a particular audience in mind, but are exposed to countless more people outside of your targeted audience who now are privy to you without having to prod.
As you may have noticed, community and unity go hand in hand. In fact, Unity is literally a part of Community. So call this a double snare if you will, but now not only do we have Christians forming community with people we have no business being in community with, but now we are actually uniting with said people both intentionally and unintentionally. And as I mentioned earlier, this pseudo version of God’s establishment isn’t quite as harmless as we want to believe. It is a well-crafted snare, beautifully packaged with a bow on top to entice the unsuspecting. Why else will we be instructed to be sober and vigilant countless times in scripture? If the enemy of our souls will come to us in obvious ways, discernment and spiritual sobriety would not be quite as essential. The fact is that the adversary, the devil that is “prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour” (1 Peter 5:8) is cunning and deceptive. That adversary comes in unsuspecting ways, constantly searching for an opportunity to throw us a bait. Why do you think as the search for online community has increased, there’s been a decline in actual fellowship in real life off-screen? Why do you think fellowship in our own homes, with our own families are being sacrificed for fellowship through screens? Why do you think as the contentment with online communities have grown, there’s been many who neglect fellowshipping with their local church, and vice versa? Coincidence? Of course not! We were created with a need to belong, we are relational beings, and turns out our enemy knows this too. The enemy of our souls is notorious for taking a basic human need and the godly solution to that need, tainting it and then offering the tainted devilish version as bait to fulfill that need superficially.
Adulterous People?
In James 4:4-5 we read, “You adulterous people! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the friend of the world becomes the enemy of God. Or do you think it’s without reason that the Scripture says: The spirit he made to dwell in us envies intensely?”
Interesting choice of words by James huh? You may be thinking, come on James, isn’t this a bit of a stretch? Adulterous?! Simply because of my friendship with the world? But of course no word is carelessly thrown into scripture; that word isn’t used to be dramatic but to demonstrate to us just how serious this matter is. Continually laced throughout the Old Testament is this concept of God’s covenant people committing adultery towards Him, and it is never a trivial matter. As partakers of the Old Covenant they had agreed to the terms of the covenant, but yet time and again they were found wanting, and the book of Hosea gives a pretty graphic illustration of God’s anger about this adultery. In the same way, as partakers of the New Covenant, we are collectively the bride of Jesus. We are a people under covenant, and so to seek unity (intimacy) outside of the covenant relationship that binds us first and foremost to our head Jesus, and then to the remaining members of the Body, is adulterous in every sense of the word. Like an adulterous spouse who thinks they can find satisfaction from someone outside of their covenant partner, so is the Christian who seeks friendship with the world. So is the Christian who isn’t satisfied with his/her identity in Christ alone and is willing to cheat on the covenant, looking to this world to find “what’s missing.”
Set Apart
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” -1 Peter 2:9-10
When God hands the promised land over to his original chosen people, the Israelites, he gives them careful instructions about their associations with foreigners and basically people outside of that covenant community. They were to be set apart, in how they lived as well as in their associations. In the same way, as partakers of the New Covenant, we are called not only to be set apart in how we live in holiness but also what associations we keep. Scripture is replete with warnings about the dangers of keeping bad company. In fact it is so serious that in several epistles, we read about the church specifically instructed to excommunicate people in the church who become bad company. (Read 1 Corinthians 5) Beyond the danger of us being led to sin by associating with worldly people, there’s also the danger of compromising the truth we know in attempt to be accepted by them, and by virtue of that compromising their very souls. Rather than tell them the truth of their ways, because the truth is divisive and the world has a warped view of love, in order to preserve our friendships with the world, there’s a grave danger to keep the truth that can save their souls, from them. How can two walk together lest they agree? Eventually something is gonna have to give. You will have to give up either the relationship or the truth of God’s word. You will have to either choose the world or choose God.
WHAT GOD HAS PUT TOGETHER, DO YOU DARE PUT ASSUNDER?
Unfortunately, because we have become so accustomed to making everything about us and putting ourselves at the center of all things, we are quick to forget that Jesus died for a purpose that transcends our individual salvation and reconciliation to the Father. We forget that He died for a Body/His bride- his bride that He cherishes and bought at a great price. We forget that he left His Father’s house not just for us as individuals but for his collective bride. We read in Ephesians 5, “For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:29-32, emphasis mine)
Every single human that has repented, (whether black or white, old or young, male or female, poor or rich) and become a recipient of salvation in Christ is a member of the Body of Christ, with Christ as the head. Paul says, “for as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many,are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body- whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free-and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many…but now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”, nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 20-21)
“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you 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
“In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all. ” -Colossians 3:11
CHRIST IS ALL AND IN ALL
In Matthew, Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven by two interesting parables. He says, “again the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:44-46)
Brother, have you found this treasure? Sis, have you found this great pearl that makes you want to let go of EVERYTHING in the blink of an eye? Is Christ all to you? Is He enough? Or is the grass greener on the other side?Unless Christ becomes enough, we are always in danger of idolatry. I mentioned earlier that Satan identifies our deepest needs and longings and presents us with a marred pseudo version of the real solution. Racial adultery-seeking intimacy from people outside our covenant community simply on the basis of a shared race- is the fruit of (racial) idolatry. You are seeking to fulfill a desire that you have deemed just as important if not more important than Christ and Him crucified. No one, who has truly picked up their cross to follow Jesus, makes room for schisms in the Bride He died for.
“What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from your passions that wage war within you?”- James 4:1
Bring us to repentance Lord.
In His Love& Light,
Ivy