THE GROUND IS LEVEL AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS

SERIES: GALATIANS: BE FREE.

TEXT: GALATIANS 3:26-29.

The Old Testament gave favored status to the Jews and considered Gentiles unclean and inferior. But the New Testament teaches that the ground is level at the foot of the cross.

The letter to the Galatians was written to a group of Christians who were straying from the grace-way. They replaced grace of God with keeping of the Mosaic Law. Now we need laws and rules like traffic rules like speed limit laws for public safety. 

Mahatma Gadhi is considered the father of modern India. His birthday is October 2nd and his birthday is a public holiday in India. India is the 2nd most populated country in the world, the most populated country is China. Mahatma Gadhi graduated from law school in Britain in 1891. After graduating he moved to South Africa to practice law. The racial system of apartheid was strictly observed in South Africa then.

Mahatma Gadhi was very interested in knowing the truth so he studied the Bible along other religious books. He really loved the sermon on the Mountain by Jesus Christ-Matt. 5-7. He seriously considered becoming a christian.

One Sunday he decided to become a Christian so he went to a church in South Africa. His skin was light brown and as he entered the church a white South African man said to him, “Where do you think you’re going you kaffir?” “Kaffir” was a racial slur, like the American “Niger.” Gadhi replied, “I would like to attend worship here.” The man told him, “There is no room for kaffirs here, get out of here or I would have some of my men throw you down the stairs.”

Gadhi never considered becoming a Christian again until his death. Gadhi made his infamous quote; “I like your Christ, I don’t like your Christians. Your christians are so unlike your Christ.”

Who knows what India would have been like today if Gadhi had been welcomed into church that day and had given his life to Christ. Gadhi rejected Christianity, and Christ because of the discrimination practices of those “Christians” in South Africa. How many people would have been saved were it not for Christians who think themselves superior. “The ground is level at the foot of the cross”-Galatians 3:26-29.

A few verses earlier Paul recounted an incident that happened in the church in Antioch. The church in Antioch had both Jews and Gentiles. One day Peter the Apostle had visited Antioch from Jerusalem and even though Peter was a Jew, he ate with Gentiles, he even ate pork with the Gentiles. However when some Jewish Christians from the church in Jerusalem visited, Peter changed tune. Suddenly, he refused to eat with the Gentiles. Paul confronted Peter. Peter directs the rest of this letter reminding them that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone. Let us learn:

WHEN YOU ARE IN CHRIST, YOU ARE A FAVORED CHILD OF GOD-Gal. 3:26-27.

• Take note that Paul used the phrase, “in Christ” or “with Christ” “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”

• This phrase is Paul’s favorite phrase. He used it 83 times in his epistles (13 letters).
• Paul tells them “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”
• Paul, here is not talking about “water baptism.”
• The word “baptize” means “to immerse.”
• But it means immersed in Christ, like a person who is immersed into studying books-it means consumed by something.
• When you are “immersed” in Christ it means Christ has consumed your thoughts.
• Baptism speaks of an immersion into Christ, but clothed speaks of identification with Christ.
• When we become a Christian we no longer wear garments of the world, we put on the righteousness of Christ.
• Paul here talks of “sons” not daughters. In Bible days daughters did not inherit, but “sons” here is used in the “general gender, male and female.”
• We are all “Children of God”-2nd Cor. 6:18.
• Not everyone is a “child of God.” Only those who are not saved are “creatures” of God.
• Jesus Christ told us that there are two families on planet earth children of God and children of satan. There are also two fathers, God and satan!!

WHEN YOU ARE IN CHRIST, YOU HAVE FULL EQUALITY WITH ALL OTHER BELIEVERS-Gal. 3:28.

• Theologians call Galatian 3:28, the Christian “Magna Carta.” The Bible says “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are one in Christ Jesus.”

• The Jews were real proud on these three distinctives- Their religion, their race, and their gender.
• Every morning a good Jewish man would pray, “God, I thank you that you did not make me a Gentile, a slave or a woman.”
• Islam like Judaism treat women badly, women cannot vote, drive a car or even go shopping if they are not accompanied by a man.
• In the judicial system a little boy’s witness is equal to the witness of four adult women!!
• Quran Sura 4:34, wife beating and domestic violence is allowed.
• Jesus Christ has broken all the walls that separate people-Eph. 2:13-14.
• At the cross Jesus Christ destroyed for all time three walls of hostility.

• The cross bridges racial division.

• In Jesus Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek.
• In Christ there are no Africans, Europeans, Indian, Chinese, Asian etc. we are one in Christ.

• The cross bridges social divisions.

• In Christ there is neither “slave nor free.”
• During the time of Paul in the Roman Empire, two thirds of the people were slaves.
• Slaves could not vote, own property or conduct business.
• Today in the world more than 75% of the people are poor people but in the church we are same.

• The cross bridges gender division.

• • In Christ there is “neither male nor female.”

• In Genesis 1:27, the Bible says “In the image of God He created him, male and female, He created them.”

• Men and women are different physically but their chromosomes share equal 23/23.
• Women are different emotionally, they use both two sides of their brains, while men use only one side of the brain (left) brained.
• Women can multi-task men can’t!!
• Men have 5 items in the bathroom, toothbrush, razor, shaving cream, soap and comb.
• Women have 328 items in the bathroom and they know their names!!
• Women speak on average 16,500 words per day while men speak on average 8,000 words per day.
• But Jesus Christ knocked down the walls of separation making them one.

WHEN YOU ARE IN CHRIST, YOU ARE BLESSED WITH THE BLESSINGS OF ABRAHAM, YOU ARE BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING-Gal. 3:29.

• Paul says, “If you belong to Christ you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.”
• The blessings of Abraham are not “a pie in the sky.”
• The blessings of God are currently claimed, we are joint heirs with Christ-Gen. 12:2-3, “I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing-All people on the earth will be blessed through you.”
• Abraham refused to be a blessing to the earth.
• God never designed you and I to be a “dead sea” but the “sea of Galilee” a blesser.
• We are channels of blessings to the world.

CONCLUSION

• • The ground at the cross is level, there is no room for us to feel superior to anybody else.
  • Anyone can come to the cross, the ground at the cross is level, there are no mountains of rules and regulations.
  • You don’t have to have any status to come to Christ, rich, poor, male or female, bounded or free, the ground was leveled that day at Calvary.

• The invitation is loud and clear, “COME”-Rev. 22:17.