Daily Bread

Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.

If there's one affirming inclusive Bible passage, which when read, I want to cheer and whoop and shout, "Yes!" then it's this one! I sit here wondering what I could add to this passage to make it any clearer or helpful for you — and I'm not sure I can!

Paul describes the law as a disciplinarian who imprisons and guards us. In other words it locks us down. To be justified or be made clean and holy before God meant obeying the law — to the letter — or making amends for when we broke the law. And to make matters worse, the law didn't cover any and every situation, and so legal experts (scribes) would be brought in to argue and discuss and make additional laws and regulations with the religious teachers (pharisees) being concerned God's people remained as holy as possible, both as individuals and collectively.

But that was all in the past, for now, a new path to holiness was available for God's people, and this was way of faith in Jesus Christ — and it is for everyone.

Paul wrote, "You are all children of God through faith." Not some of you, not a select few, not those that subscribe to a particular nation, not those that are of a specific social status, and not those that are of a specific gender — "all of you are one in Christ Jesus."

This is a radical inclusivity and it's at the heart of the gospel. This is why FAB church is an open and a safe space for everyone — no matter what gender or sexuality or mode of self-expression. What matters is that we have found God through the love of Christ and we are committed to journeying together.

Holy God
Thank you that
you have accepted me
and welcomed me
into your family.
Thank you that
I am a beloved
child of God,
through my faith
in Jesus Christ,
my Saviour and my Friend.