No Distinction

”As a result, there is no longer any distinction between Gentiles and Jews, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarians, savages, slaves, and free, but Christ is all, Christ is in all.“
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬ ‭‬‬

I think of the Bible was written today this verse of no distinction would list denominations, political status, gender, economic, status, and race. We, at least in the United States, have become very divided over so many different things. It seems people can’t post an opinion without being attacked from multiple viewpoints. As believers, followers of Christ, we are all part of one body of which Christ is the head.

The division does nothing but serve the devil because unbelievers see this division and all the ugliness and want no part of it. Nowhere in the Bible, will you find support for airing disagreements with other believers in the court of public opinion.

The Bible has much to say about how we handle disagreements below are a few passages for us to gain insight:

”“If your brother sins against you, go to him and show him his fault. But do it privately, just between yourselves. If he listens to you, you have won your brother back. But if he will not listen to you, take one or two other persons with you, so that ‘every accusation may be upheld by the testimony of two or more witnesses,’ as the scripture says. And if he will not listen to them, then tell the whole thing to the church. Finally, if he will not listen to the church, treat him as though he were a pagan or a tax collector.“ ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18‬:‭15‬-‭17‬ ‭‬‬

”“If someone brings a lawsuit against you and takes you to court, settle the dispute while there is time, before you get to court. Once you are there, you will be turned over to the judge, who will hand you over to the police, and you will be put in jail.“. ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭25‬ ‭‬‬

”But keep away from foolish and ignorant arguments; you know that they end up in quarrels. As the Lord’s servant, you must not quarrel. You must be kind toward all, a good and patient teacher, who is gentle as you correct your opponents, for it may be that God will give them the opportunity to repent and come to know the truth. And then they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the Devil, who had caught them and made them obey his will.“. 2 Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭23‬-‭26‬ ‭‬‬

”If you answer a silly question, you are just as silly as the person who asked it.“ ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭26‬:‭4‬ ‭‬‬

”Do not criticize one another, my friends. If you criticize or judge another Christian, you criticize and judge the Law. If you judge the Law, then you are no longer one who obeys the Law, but one who judges it.“ ‭‭James‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬ ‭‬‬

And then there are passages that are greater in length that show how disciples resolved disputes.

The first is in Acts 15 when there was much debate about what rules new followers needed to obey when they were baptized into the body of Christ. It also contains where Paul and Barnabas parted ways. The second is in Galatians 2:11-19 where Paul rebuked Peter for his hypocrisy about how his behavior changed when certain Jewish men came into the community. The word public Lexicon :: Strong’s G4383 – prosōpon in this passage really means face to face with fearlessness.

God wants believers to resolve, disagreements, orderly, privately, and quickly amongst themselves.

Lord, I pray first that You would help me to do my part to keep and live at peace with other believers. I also pray that You would restore unity in Your body. Help us to open our eyes to see what division is doing to Your body and how it gets in the way of the message of Your kingdom. Help us to follow Your instructions for resolving conflict and realize in You there is no distinction. We all needed the same blood of Christ and all our sins are equal in Your sight. In Jesus name amen.