Common Good Part 6 - Equality

 

 

There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:28

 

 

"We hold these truth to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
 

Dictionary.com defines Equal as - as great as, the same as. For One it says - existing, acting, or considered as a single unit, entity or unit.
 

Besides the Declaration of Independence there is a phrase that is woven into the identity of our country. It is a phrase that is inscribed just under the Lady of Freedom that sits atop the dome of the Capital, E Pluribus Unum; The Many, One.

 

 

If we are to look at Equality through the idea of The Common Good and through the scriptures it is overwhelmingly evident that "one" is a common thread between verse 28 of Galatians chapter 3 and the Great Seal of the United States.

 

 

If we strive as a country to resemble the Great seal can we be one when all are not equal? The reality is that all have not yet reached equality in the United States and thus we still have work to do, but not impossible. Now what about us who identity as Christian. What is our role in helping our country to achieve that place of equality for all? In Matthew chapter 28 we are given a mandate by Jesus,  

 

 

"All power in Heaven and on earth has been given to me. You, then, are to go and make disciples of all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to observe all that I have commanded you and, remember, I am with you always, even until the end of the world." - Modern English translation by Phillips

 

 

If we follow this command then the result of baptism is equality. For Paul says in Galatians that those who are in Christ Jesus are one. A lot of things are said to us in the Bible But I think two things cover them all:


1 - Love our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
2 - Make disciples of all nations and baptize them.


For equality to occur love is necessary. For when we love our neighbor we see them as our equal. Currently our country is embroiled in discussion on what equality looks like and for myself it is hard to not get caught up in all the arguing. As I challenge myself I also challenge you, as brothers and sisters in Christ, let us simply love our neighbor and make disciples. Then oneness will occur.

 

 

You can find the previous post in this series Part 1here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here and Part 5 here.