26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Nathan Ting

In a way, today’s passage brings back memories of a parachute game that I used to love playing. It involved a circle of kids standing around the edge of a large colourful cloth parachute. We would all lift it up at the same time, duck under it, and pull it back down over us. It was a fairly silly and meaningless way to pass the time, but every time I played it, I recall being surrounded by delighted giggles as we were all completely enveloped by this great piece of cloth. I’m sure a lot of the kids around me would have wanted to stay covered by the parachute had we been allowed to.

Though I’m no longer as captivated by colourful cloths (although they can still be quite fun), I’m glad that I can instead envelop myself with something far greater – with Christ himself. Paul says in verse 27, “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” I’m glad that by accepting Christ, I have the opportunity to clothe myself daily with him.

Practically speaking, this might not always be so easy while we still live in a broken world full of sin, but it is an encouragement to be able to strive towards Christ-likeness and to have Jesus as our motivator for all that we think, say and do. It’s doubly good that we’re able to do this together, striving alongside one another, for we are all one in Christ (v28). We all share in the same Spirit and have a common goal.

Praise God that the good news of the gospel is for everyone in the world to hear and accept! Spend some time now praying that you would remember this gift of righteousness and that you would continue to clothe yourself with Christ.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nathan is a member of our Bossley Park morning congregation.