Good Afternoon!
"For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." Galatians 3:27
You have "put on Christ" which means you have chosen to live like Christ. That's powerful! Being baptized with Christ means you have been immersed in Christ.
You put on the goodness of Christ. You put on the walk of Christ. You put on the morals of Christ. You put on the language of Christ. You put on Christ-likeness.
It means you have put on the clothing of Christ. You dress like Christ. When other people look at you they are looking at someone who has taken on the character and appearance of Christ.
Seriously...it means you are a true Christian. The word Christian comes from two words..."Christos" in the greek meaning Christ and "ian" in Latin meaning to be like or the same. So, the word "Christian" means you are like Christ!
Then the next verse in this chapter describes one of the ways you are to be like Christ. Read v. 28:
"There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
Simply put...you are NOT racist! You are not prejudiced toward anyone. When I travel to Israel I walk among Jews. Many of them are my brothers and sisters in Christ. We are a part of the same family. And those who do NOT have a relationship with Jesus have the opportunity to hear the Gospel and join God's family.
When I walk among people who claim to be Socialists or Communists in Russia or Ukraine or Poland or Hungary or Romania...I do not resist them because they have a desire to take away the freedom of people and enslave them from their God-given freedoms. I have a mandate to love them and show them who Jesus is by sharing the Gospel so they can experience the freedom of knowing the God who created them. Then, they become a part of my family...my spiritual family.
When I walk among people who have different color skin than I have...I do not raise a voice of racism but rather love them knowing that every person was created by God and there is NOT a difference in us. When I was in early elementary school in central Missouri I got a full lesson on what it means to be a racist. In my school, I had made friends with two black children. In fact, they had become my best friends. Every day during recess we would play together. My father was pastoring a church locally. During a business meeting in our church one day a lady in our church stood up and announced that she had seen something that the entire church needed to know about. She told us how she had seen while passing the school, the pastor's son wrestling and playing with two black children in the schoolyard. Immediately, my father reprimanded her and explained that there was NO difference in the friends I had regardless of their color. He stated that I had the right to be friends with whomever I desired and it was none of her business!
It was an early education for me to know that there is no black or white...no Jew of Greek...no slave of free...we are ALL God's creation and as believers, we are ALL ONE IN CHRIST JESUS!!!
Now, we may take on different roles in life. For example, the free are not under obligation to a master. Males and females take on different roles. But, as he tells in the next verse..."And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to the promise." v.29
Do you know who the "promise" is? It is Jesus our Messiah!
Again, we are NOT under the law...we are under Christ. We are related to Abraham spiritually. We are a part of the Family of God.
Do you ever wonder who you are? This is the answer. You are Christ's. You are like Christ. You are wearing His clothes. You have taken on His characteristics.
So...walk like Christ. Act like Christ. Talk like Christ. Love others like Christ. Love God like Christ.
BE LIKE CHRIST!!!
May God Bless You!
Don Betts
DBEA/campus320
DBEAWINNING.COM
TO GOD BE ALL GLORY!