Do They Matter?

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.