by Kent Leslie ✉️
Clothed with Christ. When Pharisees baptized converts, they usually baptized them naked. (Had to get rid of all their gentile articles of clothing; they might not be ritually clean!) Then they could put on their new, Pharisee-approved clothes. Christians never did have to be naked as part of our baptisms (and we should ask some serious questions about any church which tries it) but we do recognize now we take upon ourselves Christ’s character as we try to follow him.
No Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female. Many Pharisees would thank God in their prayers for not making them gentiles or women. Many pagans would thank the gods for not making them animals, women, or non-Greeks. It is extremely rare you’ll find an ancient religion that tried to overcome ethnic, class, and gender divisions.
Heck, there are still Christians who struggle with this. There are still racist churches, sexist churches, and churches which try to keep the poor out. But Jesus calls everybody to follow him. No exceptions.
Heirs according to the promise. That is what trusting Jesus makes us. Not the Law; not being good. We don’t become one in Christ because we follow the same rules, practice the same customs, worship the same way, vote for the same people. We’re one in Christ because we trust the same Christ Jesus. We inherit God’s kingdom because we belong to the same Christ Jesus. Only faith makes us righteous, and only God’s grace saves us. Not the Law; not good works.
This paragraph is very closely connected to chapter 4, but I’ll discuss that next week.