I have witnessed people using Galatians 3:27 in discussion of black lives matter vs. all lives matter. This verse reads “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
This should settle the matter, correct??? It seems pretty cut and dry, there is no difference between us in Christ. We are all one.
Here’s the question that remains though….why did Paul need to say this?
Easy.
Because while in Christ all lives matter, all lives are equal, people are all viewed and judged and treated equitably, in Galatia they were not. The churches in Galatia were adding requirements to the gospel and applying them to gentiles. The church was taking part in racial discrimination and perverting the gospel in so doing.
The statement “black lives matter” is not addressing theology, is not addressing the gospel, is not addressing the kingdom of God and the established law of love. It is addressing America. And America is not the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is the kingdom of God.
I am not suggesting that if you’ve said “All lives matter” that you are a hateful racist. Quite honestly, many of the people I’ve heard say it are saying it because in their estimation, in their heart, they do not feel differently about other people because of the color of their skin. It might be entirely in line with their beliefs to say, “In Christ and in my eyes, there is no difference.”
However, as Christians, we should not feel that the statement “black lives matter” is an affront to our faith. We should feel that it sounds pretty close to what Paul would say. If Paul were writing to America it is very likely that he would say the same thing he said to the churches in Galatia. In Christ, there is no difference between black or white, but sadly in America, there seems to be.
I look forward to a day when I see in glory what God’s kind of reconciliation between all tribes, tongues and nations looks like. That is going to be one amazing scene.
Sarah Kinzer 