The Great Equalizer -

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

- George Orwell, Animal Farm

"To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:"

-2 Peter 1:1

"But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it- the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..."

-Romans 3:21-23

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise."

- Galatians 3:28-29

At the end of the day you and I are no different from one another. In the Christian faith there are no Christians more equal than others. The gospel speaks to us as the great equalizer. On the one hand it shows us all our desperate need of the gospel as a result of our own incited rebellion against God and in our federal representation in Adam, and on the other hand the gospel calls attention to the all-encompassing sufficiency of Christ's substitutionary death for every sinner. The problem is the same and the remedy is the same. We all have sinned, we have all fallen woefully short. There is no room for arrogance or boasting amongst us. There is no room for looking down our noses on our brothers and sisters. There is no room for condescension. There is much room for humility and preference for one another. We're all in the same predicament and understanding our own great need of Christ and His gracious provision for us will go a long way in how we treat one another and prefer one another. The temptation is to draw lines, make comparisons, point out deficiencies, and excuse our own shortcomings. The gospel speaks to our need and to Christ's satisfaction. What initially appears to be differences in race, gender, social standing, et al, are really unimportant. In our greatest need we are truly no different from one another. Seeing this and believing it will change us. We are no different from one another; we are heirs together of the same promise.

-DJM