In our discussions about identity a question has been raised
that needs to be answered. Does being a new creation mean those identifiers mentioned by Paul in
Galatians, race, social status, and gender, don’t matter? The quickest and
easiest answer to give is, yes and no. That probably doesn’t help much, so let’s
break it out a little further.
No these sources of identity don’t matter if you
are considering our value, or our standing before God. Paul’s comment to the
Galatians (Gal 3:28) that there is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, and men or
women hit right at the heart of social and economic divisions of the day. He took what was valued in a human perspective
and compared it with what was considered to be of lower worth and demonstrated
that in Christ that had been undone. Jews saw themselves as elite and Greeks
were less valuable in their perspective. The desired standing was not to be a
slave but rather a free person. And, men felt that they were superior to women
and it showed in how women were treated in that day.
We shouldn’t be too surprised that distinctions
and perspectives of worth like these exist. We still hold them today. Racism is
driven by a deep seated perspective that one race is better, more pure, chosen
by God, or whatever self centered, self exalting perspective we can dream up. CEO’s
are honored with exorbitant salaries, perks, bonuses, and some view of respect
in society. All the while, the employees that make these CEO’s rich, in the
vast majority of cases, go unnoticed, work extremely long hours to make someone
else’s dream come true, and are paid a fraction of what they are worth. And
even though women have won the right to vote, found some level of equality, and
are treated much different in western cultures, it isn’t like this in most
countries. And what may happen in polite society doesn’t necessarily apply to
all situations. Our culture objectifies women as a means to an end. That is why
pornography has become such a booming business, the fashions designed for our
teen daughters get shorter and tighter all the time, and we want our starlets
to have a certain look, dress a certain way, and we expect them to like it.
This is what happens in a culture that determines
a person’s value by their race, social standing, or sex. One group is exalted
while another is despised. Or one group is objectified and used to satisfy
another’s desire. In Christ, this all changes. In Christ we are able to see
that our value and worth come not from our standing in this world but rather
our connection to Him. In Christ, we recognize that every person holds great
value as images of their Creator God. In Christ, we recognize that no one is worth
more than another. In Christ, the playing field is leveled. So, in this sense,
no, the identifying traits of race, social standing, and gender provide no
advantage in Christ, are not our source of value and therefore are of little
worth and don’t matter.
However, there is a sense in which these
distinctions are important and matter greatly. Genesis 1 depicts God’s creation
of a man and woman, it says He created them in His image. Genesis 2 reveals
that it was not good for the man to be alone and so God created the woman.
Authority and leadership are also established in Genesis. Adam was created
first signifying his authority in his relationship with Eve, and they were both
given the authority over their children and the creation. In Genesis, Adam and
Eve were told by God to be fruitful and multiply. It would have certainly
looked different had sin not entered the picture, but there should be no doubt
that different races would have eventually developed.
The point is, that from the beginning, before
mankind’s fall into sin, we can see that these distinctions are still valid.
So, in Christ, we should not assume that we become an indistinguishable mass of
humanity. But rather recognize that these distinctions are worth celebrating
and provide us insight into the roles that God has set aside for us as part of
His family.
Missionally speaking, there are few testimonies as
powerful as someone from one culture moving into and adopting life in another
culture as they embody the truth of the Gospel. This is exactly what Jesus did
in the incarnation. He took on an entirely new identity and form in order to
bring light and truth to us (John 1:1-4; 14, Phil 2:6-8). And, it is exactly
what Paul made reference to when he wrote to the Galatians about them becoming
like him after he first became like them (Gal 4:12). This is not to say that we
can’t work and incarnate truth within our own race, we most certainly can. As
we approach our own races and religions, we have a great advantage in that we
don’t have the same learning curve as to know what is appropriate or speaks to
them and what doesn’t. The point is, that these distinct races demonstrate God’s
diversity and creativity, and should not be disregarded even as we recognize
His people will be called from all nations.
As social standing goes our value may not be
determined by whether we are an employer or an employee, a leader or a follower,
but we have been given abilities by God that equip us to be one or the other.
We shouldn’t ignore these but rather accept ourselves to be created by God for
His glory in whatever role we fill. This distinction even gives us an
understanding and illustration of the authority of the Father over the Son, and
the Son over the Spirit, and our Trinitarian God’s authority over us. We each
have an authority that we are called to submit to. But that authority, whether
realized or not, finds its foundation in the authority of God.
Finally, in reference to men and women, we can’t
throw aside these distinctions. God created us man and woman. This was His
design, His decision, His decree. For us to ignore it or assume that we have
become neutral not only denies His authority over us, but rebels against it.
Further to assume that God did not establish different roles for the different
genders is to deny that He created us physiologically different. This is not a
chauvinistic statement, we are equal, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we were
intended to do the same things.
God created man and woman distinct in His
creation. He made them different than one another and gave them different
responsibilities. In Christ, we find our value as God’s creation and not our
role or function. In Christ, we determine our worth through Him rather than the
color of our skin. In Christ, we celebrate that our identity in Him informs how
we live as a man or woman. We recognize that in Christ these distinctions don’t
provide for us any advantage, but we won’t deny them or set them aside simply
because a fallen humanity has abused them.
