Good News: We Are All Equal

On Martin Luther King Jr Day, do you care to guess where there is no partiality? Where there is no prejudice at all?

In the Kingdom of God, we all are equal; we are all his children.

In Luke 15 don't miss the cross-section there: there were tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees, and scribes. As the Pharisees and scribes were complaining that Jesus welcomed sinners and eats with them, He went on to tell them the Parable of the Lost Sheep. In Luke 15, Jesus was telling everyone that even religious leaders need to repent. (No one more, no one less than the other)

Flip on over to James 2 where a sin, one we are all guilty of and is often over-looked, against man is described.

¹ My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. ²Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. ³ If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” ⁴ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

It's often popular for people who give a large amount of money to a certain benefit (in or outside the church) to be given an award, for a building to be named after them, for this person to receive special attention. Giving is great and tremendous, don't mince my words. But, it is clear, in the eyes of our God, we are all equal. When we arrive in Heaven, our Lord will not be giving you, me, or anyone else a special plaque or a section in Heaven (other than your own) named after you. It won't be there. We will all be rejoicing together, singing "Holy, Holy, Holy".

⁵ Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? ⁶ But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? ⁷ Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?

⁸ If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”^[a] you are doing right. ⁹ But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. ¹¹ For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,”^[b] also said, “You shall not murder.”^[c] If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

¹² Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom

These passages in scripture are important not only on this day (MLK Jr Day); but also when we consider how to effectively spread the Gospel -- it is so IMPORTANT!!

If we take the Gospel out and limit ourselves based on people-groups, we are not doing as Jesus did.

There are thousands upon thousands of people-groups with many different tongues around the world. And we all will stand before the throne of God.

Revelation 7: 9-10

⁹ After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,

who sits on the throne,

and to the Lamb.”

As Christians, trust this: when we all stand before the throne in Heaven, we will not see race; we will not care the clothes that cover each others body, we will all wear white robes; we will all be on equal ground. And...we already are.

I pray that what is clear in the Bible could protrude earth. I pray we look onto each other as equals, without prejudice of creed, color, or background. And I pray we equip the teachings of Jesus to treat everyone as equal and then apply it to the nations.