Part of God’s Family || Galatians 3:26-28 || Manna for the Mind #3

Welcome to Day 3 of my “Manna for the Mind” devotional series! This series takes a passage of scripture (typically 1-3 verses) and builds its understanding through its context and connecting scripture. Doing this helps us understand what the Bible truly teaches us. 

Galatians 3:26-28

26        For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 

27        And all who have been united with Christ in baptism we have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 

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

In Roman culture, when a teen became an adult, they would remove their youthful garment and replace it with an adult toga. In today’s culture, we wear his righteousness when we are joined with Jesus through baptism. This is a weird way to talk about our relationship with Jesus. The concept of being inside of a human is typically frowned upon and inappropriate, depending on the context. (Just like that joke.) Wearing something like a piece of clothing is WAY more normal. Our clothes cover and protect us. The same thing can be said about the righteousness of Jesus.

Some of the Jewish men greeted each new day by praying, “Lord, thank you that I am not a Gentile, a slave, or a woman.” Can you imagine hearing someone pray something like that today? “Lord, thank you that I’m not an African American person, a Chinese person, or a homeless person.” The judgment we’d cast in their direction would happen so fast that it would make our heads spin. There’s no righteousness in that prayer but intense judgment and pride.

Under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, Paul wanted to show the Galatians how Christianity enhances the roles of everyone immeasurably, regardless of societal status. Having faith in Jesus transcends all differences and makes believers one in him. There’s no more focus on the demographics, but instead the mission. It’s easy for us to put God in a box to fit with the standard demographic of our church, school, or town. Jesus threw that box out with the work he did. The box should no longer exist (even though some still fish that out of the garbage) because all who believe have equal privileges and standing with him. We are called his heirs.

Christians belong to the new, multiethnic family of faith that Jesus created. We can feel uncomfortable though being around people who are different from us. Humans tend to gravitate to what is familiar. It’s biological that we don’t run towards what’s different because we don’t know what the different things will do to us. It’s a part of our fight-flight-freeze system. Therefore, we inherently train ourselves to avoid what’s different and stay with the familiar. When we do this and allow those differences to keep us apart, we miss out on the entire point that Jesus teaches regarding unity and community.

I’ve learned much about this through the church I’ve been attending. It’s SO different compared to the ones I’ve come from. Different people, environment, style, energy, charisma and more. Being there, I’ve been WAY out of my comfort zone, but I’m learning to embrace it. I’m finding my place within it and seeing where my time, talents, and treasures can be used to benefit the Kingdom of God. I’m still socially anxious about meeting people, but I feel that lessening each week. This church community has welcomed me with open arms, and I’m ready to do the same for someone else.

Romans 13:14

14        Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

We’re moving from clothing ourselves with righteousness to clothing ourselves with his presence. How does this happen? Through baptism. When we decide to be baptized, we show solidarity with other Christians and affirm Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.

Learning and understanding the meaning of baptism and its impact on a Christian’s walk has been a new experience. I come from a heavy United Methodist Church background, and they don’t have a typical view of baptism. I want to share some of those unique views, my wrestling with them, and how I understand baptism today to give us the same foundation to work with.

The information I will share with you comes from the UMC website in an article titled “Renewing waters: How United Methodists understand baptism.” There will be a link to it at the end of the blog if you want to read it and continue the conversation.

Baptizing Infants

From the website (paraphrased): As circumcision of male children was the initiation into God’s covenant for the Hebrew people, baptism is the initiation into the new covenant with Jesus. On Pentecost, Peter offered baptism for all there, their kids, and those far away. This practice is continued through baptizing kids of those who reaffirm their baptismal vows.

My views: I’ve always felt that baptizing kids young (typically baby to early elementary age, in my experience) doesn’t help them understand what baptism means or what the impact of this act is about. They may not comprehend what’s going on regardless of how it’s explained and, in my opinion, are taught that committing this act (if old enough to remember) is just a part of going through the motions of being a Christian. They’re often not taught the full effect of baptism until their confirmation class, anywhere from 10-13 years of age. Getting baptized as a baby and learning about what this act means and how it impacts our Christian walk as a teenager feels backward.

I understand the UMC mindset of preparing them at a young age to be in a relationship with Christ and protect them from the evil forces of the world. Having kids under 13 (typically) make these significant decisions feels off to me. I remember when I took my confirmation class. I was about 12 or 13 years old. I didn’t quite understand or grasp it all, and often, learning the UMC doctrine and belief structure just felt like rules and going through the motions of what it meant to be a Christian. I started fully embracing what my relationship with Jesus meant when I was 20, and I’m still learning new facets of Christianity. For baptism it wasn’t until 2-3 years ago that I understood the biblical teaching of baptism, which confused me more because it didn’t seem like it aligned with the UMC view. There’s a lot of wrestling that I’m doing, but this is where I’m at so far.

Baptized Once in the UMC

From the website (quoted): “Because baptism is an act of God, initiating us into the universal church, ‘the sacrament is to be received by an individual only once,” By Water and the Spirit states.”

My views: I understand this concept because it feels like a simple “once you’re in, you’re in” belief. Yet, this again feels like you lose the impact of baptism altogether by not allowing someone who comes from outside the denomination the chance to experience baptism. Especially if they had an infant baptism because they most likely don’t remember the experience of being baptized at all. Baptism is a choice to be reborn into the Kingdom of Heaven and separated from your earthly ways. As a baby, you can’t make that choice, and you haven’t done anything to make that choice.

There’s the argument that babies are born into sin, meaning that they can sin without recognizing what it is. I’ve heard it with the argument: “No one taught you how to be selfish.” Regardless of the stance on that take, my point is that babies can’t ask questions about why they should be baptized and what baptism is about. Parents ask for them to be baptized because that’s how they were raised and how it aligns with their religious/denominational views.

The concept from the UMC that infant/young baptism protects you from the sinful nature of the world because they’ll be in a close relationship with Jesus at a young age is one I comprehend. Pushing this choice through doctrine and withholding this choice from adults who are ready to commit to Christ or have walked away from the faith and are ready to return home feels morally wrong. It feels like an essential impact in one’s Christian walk goes away with the inability to be baptized in the UMC, especially if they felt comfortable with the UMC doctrine. I’m sure people have walked away from UMC churches due to this inability to be baptized, too.

Now, let me say something. I still respect the progressiveness that the UMC is trying to obtain. I respect the UMC’s work regarding Safe Sanctuaries, mental health awareness, trauma work, and more. There’s still work to be done (as there always will be). Still, this area must be updated to be more inclusive/accessible to current and future generations.

Let’s switch gears and talk about my current views of baptism. My foundation for it is built on the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus in John 3 (surprisingly minimally referenced in any UMC documentation regarding their baptism doctrine). It all boils down to Jesus’ statement in verse 7.

John 3:7

7          So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’

Jesus uses the imagery of human birth to show what it means to be born again. The concept was that the water you get baptized in represents the water in the birth canal. You receive a new life when you come out of the baptismal waters. The pre-Christian ways of living are no longer your standard. God is your new standard, and we get to learn how to represent God as the images he created us to be through the teachings of the Bible and how Jesus, God as a human, lived. This isn’t to say that the old ways are gone. They’re still there, and it’ll be easy to fall back to those standards, but we are cleansed of our sinful ways through water purification. We can still lean on Jesus to guide us where we need to go. Remember, baptism is a way to clothe ourselves with his presence. He’s always there in the moments we fall away, waiting for us to choose to get back on the right path.

I’ve gotten to see a handful of baptisms at my new church, and the power and passion that I’ve walked away with have been something that I can’t shake. The Holy Spirit has got my attention and forever changed how I view baptism. 

John 10:16

16        I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.

The “other sheep” is a reference to the non-Jewish people. Jesus came to save the Gentiles (people from all nations) as well as the Jews. Who are the other sheep today? The media seems like it’s any non-white, non-heterosexual male. This does seem accurate more times than it isn’t, but this question should be asked on a more specific spectrum. Who are the other sheep in your school or college? Who are the other sheep at your workplace? Who are the other sheep in your family? There will always be people who don’t feel like they belong to the “norm” of society and feel like outcasts. Jesus spent more time with those outcasts than he did with the norm of his culture. Jesus spent time with tax collectors and sinners.

Mark 2:17

17        “Healthy people don’t need a doctor – sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they’re righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

If you’ve ever been outcasted because of your sin, know that Jesus came for you. People can judge you, put you down, bring up your past, and shove you away from your community, but Jesus doesn’t leave. He comes to heal. Jesus comes to bring you peace. He comes to love you in ways that society can’t. He comes to save you from falling back into your past. That’s the type of presence we all need in our lives. That’s the type of presence we’re called to guide people to and replicate to the best of our ability.

Jesus gives us insight into his mission with the John 10 passage: to die for the sins of the world. The entire world or “to the ends of the earth.” (Good thing it’s round, right?) People want to claim Jesus for themselves, for their culture, for their demographic, and that’s how it works. Jesus is for all and wants us to love all. Jesus wants us to go beyond the fences we build, beyond the uncomfortable, and love. Plain and simple.

John 17:21-23

21        I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one – as you are in me. Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

22        “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one.”

23        I am in them, and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and love them as much as you live.”

Jesus wants his disciples to become united. He wanted them to be a unified, powerful witness to the reality of God’s love. We can be that witness, too, and in very (in theory) simple ways:

• Pray for other Christians.
• Build other Christians up.
• Work with Christians in humility.
• Be generous with your time and money.
• Avoid gossip.
• Share your praise of Jesus.
• Refuse to get sidetracked arguing over divisive matters.

Remember, it’s simple in theory to do all these things. Some of these are hard because we’re conditioned, taught, and shown that the opposite of these things is the standard. Praying for others, building others up, and working together can be challenging since the Bible teaches us to do these things with our enemies. Yet, these can be small things and can leave a huge impact. Doing these things with any level of intensity is a way to build a routine consistently. It strengthens these actions and allows new ways of doing these things to help better ourselves and others.

Being generous with your time and money is something to talk more about because we can take this to the extreme. When churches or pastors ask for money or time, it’s easy to assume they mean the amount of money in your account and the number of hours you’re not sleeping. They’re not. God doesn’t even want that. The small gifts you can give mean more. I am trying to remember what verse teaches us this, but there is one that does. What can you gift beyond what you need? Make sure your bills are paid, and everyone in your household is clothed, fed, and sheltered, and then see what you can give. Working eight hours and sleeping for eight (hopefully) only leaves eight to care for needs, socialize, do chores, and more. Dedicating an hour a week (1/168) is still worthy and means as much to God as 10 hours.

Avoiding gossip is both easy and hard. Gossip is ingrained in our social system and has become so subjective. Church people are massive perpetrators of spreading gossip because we’ll call it sharing prayer requests or updates to prayer requests. Sometimes, it’s genuinely gossip, and sometimes it’s not, so it’ll be good to have a definition of what gossip truly means. According to the Oxford Dictionary, gossip is an unconstrained conversation or report about other people, typically involving details that aren’t confirmed as accurate. Let’s break that down. Gossip is 1) unconstrained “corrupted” conversation or reports about other people and 2) typically involving details that aren’t true. When you’re sharing information about others, check to see if what you’re sharing hits one of the two boxes. (Also, make sure you have permission to share because that’s just nice all around.)

A way to avoid gossip is to replace the potential with praise. Instead of sharing something potentially harmful or false about someone, share something that blesses them and gives glory to God. You can also avoid it altogether. Don’t let yourself get pulled into the toxicity.

I share all this because Jesus wants unity amongst us, celebrated through our unity with him. We can know unity with Jesus if we live in union with God. Remember Jesus’s “I am the vine; you are the branches” statement. If each branch lives in union with its vine, then each branch is united. It’s just that simple. (Kinda. I’d talk more about that story, but this blog is getting long.)

1 Corinthians 12:13

13        Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

The church is filled with people from various backgrounds with many gifts and abilities. It’s easy for these gifts and abilities to divide us, as happened to the Corinth church. Does your church have cliques? You may be hesitant to answer, but a group of people popped into your head, isn’t there? It’s okay to admit. This is a safe space. It happens, though. It goes back to my conversation of running towards familiar vs. different. Allowing someone different into the group that has been familiar to you is new and scary. Still, the church is supposed to be a place where inclusion happens without bias or judgment. Unfortunately, it doesn’t at times.

All believers have one thing in common, one similar thing, and that is faith in Christ as Lord and Savior. All believers are baptized by one Holy Spirit into one body of believers: the church. We don’t lose our individual identities but have an overriding oneness in Christ. Let me repeat: we don’t lose our identities but have an overriding oneness in Christ. Who we are isn’t gone when we give our lives to Christ. If anything, it gets enhanced. Yet our individuality is connected through Christ, which gives us common ground with each other. When we become Christians, the Holy Spirit takes its place within us, making us the newest part of God’s family. As members of this family, we have different interests, gifts, and talents, but we are united in the Spirit into one spiritual Body.

Ephesians 2:14-15

14        For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles to one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.

15        He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people.

By his death, Christ ended the reason for the angry resentment between Jews and Gentiles. The resentment came from the Jewish laws that favored the Jews and excluded the Gentiles. How? By dying on the cross for ALL. When Christ died, he accomplished the purpose of the entire system of the law. He took the two groups of people at odds with each other and made them parts of himself, parts of one family.

My yearly Bible study (when I’ve written this) has me smack in the middle of Leviticus, which is all about the laws. Today’s (on the day I’m writing this) talk about the connection between the law and the ministry of Jesus, who fulfilled it. It talked about acknowledging the time, culture, and setting of when these laws took place. They encouraged me, which I’m encouraging you, not to look at the laws verbatim but to look at them through the lens of God’s wisdom. Look through the lens of “love God and love others” and see why those laws were put there first. Through that wisdom, we see how Jesus models the law and how we can model ourselves after Jesus. We’re close to incapable of following the Old Testament law verbatim at this point in time, given all the advancements in society that have happened in the last 3,000-3,500 years. Still, suppose we can understand God’s wisdom through those laws and understand the culture, time, and setting of when those laws were put in place. In that case, we open our minds to new teachings of the rest of the Bible and Christianity.

Colossians 3:11

11        In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

Can I say how fun it is to list “barbaric” and “uncivilized” in the descriptors of people? Anyways. The Christian church should have no barriers of nationality, race, educational level, social standing, wealth, or power. It’s why Christian nationalism is a toxic belief structure to follow, especially with how it’s shown in today’s culture. Christ lives in EACH of us, regardless of our demographics. Jesus broke down all barriers and accepted ALL people who came to him, regardless of our demographics. Nothing should keep us from sharing Jesus, welcoming others from different backgrounds, or leaning into a relationship/friendship with those interested in knowing about Christ. Jesus wants you to share him with the homeless person on the street, the mom who’s struggling to manage her kids in the store, and the person at work who may be considering ending it all. It doesn’t have to be words but actions. Christ is all the matters at the end of the day.

That was A LOT of information to go through. This is the most I’ve written for a devotional blog, so thank you for making it this far. Today’s focus was on being joined together through baptism and learning that nothing should separate from sharing love and care with each other as Jesus did with us. Let us pray.

Father God, we thank you for the act of baptism. We are grateful for the oneness that baptism brings to joining the family of God and standing in solidarity with fellow believers. Lord, help us break down the barriers that separate us. Allow us to break down the barriers that separate us. Help to find common ground through you to build each other up and create the community of believers you want us to be. It’s in your name we pray. Amen.

UMC baptism article: https://www.umc.org/en/content/renewing-waters-how-united-methodists-understand-baptism