All of One

1 Co 12:13
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.       KJV

The Lord is saying something significant to us in this passage that I find to be usually glossed over in many circles.

This is something that we all certainly give lip service to, but the experiential outworking is quite different.

We all admit that we are a part of the Body, and that anyone can be a part of that same Body. But, when it comes to accepting someone from the ‘outside’ into our own local fellowship, that is a different story.

There are many within the church who want that new person who was saved Saturday night to get cleaned up, get rid of their body piercings and their cigarettes and their sleeping partner before they can come to church on Sunday.

Or, there are those who look askance at someone from a different culture who dresses differently from the accepted norm.

We are all of One. We are each a part of that One.

Regardless of what we look like, or what we wear, or how we talk, each one who comes to the Lord is a part of the Body.

Nothing must change but their inward devotion to sin and their outward practice of the same.

But, many of the saints among us, especially those of a more staid bent, tend to keep their distance from the new ones coming into their midst.

Most of the changes that people look for are merely cultural and have little to do with the reality of being a Christian. For too long now, we have used our culture to inform our religion, rather than our religion informing our culture.

Will the Lord find this acceptable when we stand before Him?

Published by Dale Hill

Dale Hill began teaching from the Bible and ministering to God's people more than 50 years ago. From the beginning his focus was on Peter's question, "How should we then live?" (2 Peter 3:11) Now, the richness of a life devoted to serving God and His people is being made available in print form so that many more believers will be able to benefit from Dale's ministry.

3 thoughts on “All of One”

  1. NO Dale, I don’t think the Lord will find it acceptable. I struggle with this tons, some how the saints tend to forget what Christ saved them from. And only the LORD can make the necessary changes in a heart. If we don’t nuture the new ones, and take them under our wing, they will wander into all kinds of thinking.. My heart breaks for those new believers, I was once one of them, and not welcomed with open arms into the fellowship…I still have a hard time fitting in..but then I remember…I always fit in with Jesus…and if HE is for me WHO can be against me? love your heart in this, and pleased to call you brother.

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  2. Dale, I have to agree. How many times did Jesus chew out the Pharisees for doing what we do all the time? He said they were interested in the outside of the dish, and called them ‘whitewashed tombs.’ It is a common trap to think that what is ‘real’ lies with what is visible. But everything about the Word tells us that this is exactly what is NOT the case. “What is seen is temporary; what is unseen is eternal.” It is SO easy to make snap decisions based on the ‘outside’ and judge, dismiss, or ignore the inside … which is what we should really be paying attention to.

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  3. I agree. We must be very careful not to judge the outward appearance as an inward work. I grew up being taught it was all about the outward appearance. It has been a huge turnaround for me to understand grace…favor freely given, not earned. I still struggle with it in my own life, I mean, I’m much harder on myself than others. But I need to learn that grace extends to me, as well.

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