Chris Is In All

Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselveswith compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:11-13

Paul has just been writing about how our 'old self' has died and we are being remade into the image of God. Paul's very clear that all kinds of people get to be remade into God's image. His list is not exhaustive, but it covers people who typically were hostile to each other around religion, culture, race, and economic status - now they are all part of 'one body' (Col 3:15). Paul is not wiping out all differences here, he's highlighting them! He's making sure we know who we're joining up with when we connect to Jesus!

It's no wonder, then, that Paul launches right from there with a 'therefore' into how to treat each other. The reason that we're going to need patience and humility is precisely because we're so different! And we have to bear with one another because we're going to get on each other's nerves! And we are commanded to forgive each other because Paul knows when people who are really different gather together, they sin against each other. And yet we're still a 'chosen people' and 'one body' and 'Christ is in all' of us.

Pray today for the grace to see Christ in those who differ from you, and then pray for the grace to become more like Christ in how you treat those people who are different than you.