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The truth is – we need diversity. 

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23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. – Galatians 3:23-29

When the Apostle Paul describes church as body, he brings up a challenging but incredibly important aspect of being a part of the Body of Christ. He says, “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews and Greeks” (1 Corinthians 12:13). Yes. That’s right. Paul names both Jews and Greeks and tells them they are to live as one body. Paul challenges his audience on diversity. In another letter to the Galatians, he draws attention to this same topic by saying, “you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). Perhaps because believers all around the world need to hear this repeatedly.

Sadly, it’s hard for us to practically live amongst diversity. So, the reality is that many local church bodies look more homogeneous than diverse. It’s natural for us to want to be around people who are like us. We desire to be around people we can relate with or people who have gone through similar experiences. This means we gravitate toward people of the same socioeconomic status and even people who look like us. But, when we stick to people of similarity, we miss out on the radical gospel experience of unity amongst diversity.

This is exactly what Paul is saying with the illustration of the body. “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 12:21). The truth is – we need diversity. Living amongst diversity challenges our own ideas and opinions. We need people who are different than us to give light to our blind spots and help kill our pride. As we together learn to surrender to the one we call ‘Lord,’ we sharpen one another and heighten our awareness of what it means to be “one in the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13) and “one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). Make a list of the people within your local body you’ve labeled, ‘weaker,’ ‘dispensable,’ or unpresentable.’ Confess your need for them before Jesus and pray for them by name today.[/vc_column_text][us_separator height=”25px” size=”custom”][vc_column_text]

By Yvonne Biel | See Other Authors

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