Thursday 21 August 2025
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God. (v. 19)
Background
'Us and them'. How many of the woes of the world can be reduced to 'us and them' in which ‘us’ are good and worthy and ‘them’ are only fit to be criticised and exploited?
Paul in this passage is reflecting on a relatively simple 'us and them'. He's talking about the circumcised and the uncircumcised; God's people who are good and everyone else who are not. But Jesus has made reconciliation between people and God something for everyone. No longer is there a group who are God's people through custom, practice or culture who are good; everyone can be part of God's people.
In a wider sense it is an affirmation that diversity and difference cannot be used to make value judgments about worth or importance. This affirmation of God's welcome of all despite our differences is a basis of critique for all policies that are predicated on a sense that we are good and that others do not matter as much. To question and find fault with policies such as MAGA, the invasion of Ukraine, the use of famine as a weapon of war in Gaza, historic and modern practices of slavery, and any practice of genocide or holocaust all flow out of this sense that we may be different, but we all matter equally.
We recognise difference and diversity – we need to do so in order to be properly caring and compassionate as a society. What we cannot afford to do is to say those who are like us are good, and those who are not like us are worthless, regardless of what our starting point might be. This need for justice and equality is an inevitable outflowing of Christian faith and anything that doesn’t produce a more just and equal society is falling short of our Christian faith.
To Ponder:
- How can we ensure that we value difference and diversity rather than demonise it?
- What do we need to do to ensure that the needs of others, especially of those who are different to us, get met?
Bible notes author: The Revd Malcolm Peacock
The Revd Peacock is Superintendent Minister of the Mid Glamorgan Mission Circuit. He has a deep and abiding interest in Celtic theology and believes those who are minorities or feel themselves marginalised should be given a voice to speak for themselves.