One Nation Under God

(Ephesians 2:11-13)

The world as we know it is separated into a multitude of nations, states and kingdoms. And even within those, there is a further separation of peoples by belief systems, societal classes and political leanings.

Divisions and separations are a part of human nature, and while some differences are good when they promote a variety in thinking and acting, too often these divisions and separations are negative. They lead to fighting and opposition.

There is no way for man to change this condition. But in Christ, God has achieved what man cannot do. God has removed the things that separate each individual from another and brought us all into the one family.

In Need of a Saviour

This scripture today tells us that God has removed the barriers that exist between men.

11 remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands– 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:11-13)

Paul writes about the barriers of race that existed in his time and how the Jews and the Gentiles were separated on the basis of hereditary and faith.

But it is no different today. In fact if anything it is probably worse today than it was in days of old.

The divisions between people on the basis of race, religion, politics or creed are the same or worse than they have ever been.

Every generation from the beginning of man until today has needed a Saviour to redeem them from the divisiveness of sin that is so deeply ingrained into the human form and is at the root of the separation and division that exists between people.

Jesus Christ is that Saviour and through Him all of the divisions that separate one man from another are broken down and done away with.

This is a necessary part of the process of salvation for in Christ Jesus, God is preparing a people for Himself. He is preparing a people that will be His possession, a commonwealth of the peoples of the world who join together as one nation under God and who will receive the salvation of the Lord that comes through obedience to God and the Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ.

One Nation Under God

How God is creating one nation under God is clear. It is by the process of salvation that is in Jesus Christ. And the detail of this salvation is found in the gospel taught by Jesus Christ and spread throughout the entire world by His disciples.

The details of the New Covenant give us the way in which this process is meant to work.

At a high level the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the New Covenant are processes of change and transformation.

Consider this for a moment. If we are to live together with Christ and God the Father in the eternal kingdom, would they want man to come into their kingdom as man is today?

Clearly not.

Man today is beset with all manner of weaknesses, passions, lusts, desires and sins and it is these things that separate us from God. But in addition to this, these things are what cause us to be separated from one another. Sin sets up divisions between people causing one group or individual to hate another.

So if we are to become one nation under God, then all these forms of wickedness, evil and sin must be dealt with. These things must be destroyed before we go into the eternal kingdom of God and Christ Jesus.

And that means we must be transformed. We must be changed from what we are today into a people that are the image of Jesus Christ. By that I do not mean that we will be clones of Christ, but we should all think, act, behave and process the world around us in the same way…as Christ Himself would do.

We must learn the difference between right and wrong and be able to distinguish right from wrong and choose to do what is right.

And we do not choose to do what is right because of the law. Rather, we choose right because it is right, and because to do so pleases God.

This one nation under God will be built upon the foundation of God’s love. It will not be built upon laws that confine and bind people, but rather built on love that frees and opens people up to the possibilities that await the people of God.

Love is about freedom, not bondage. This is why when Christ died for us, He set us free from the bondages of sin AND the bondage of law.

I am confident that in the Kingdom of God there will be no law, because it won’t be necessary. Law was brought in to slow the process of sin, and law is about punishment and condemnation, as we are told in the scripture.

Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made; and it was ordained by angels through an intermediary. (Galatians 3:19)

Law was added because sin increased. Law was added to curb the sinfulness of man because man chose evil over good. The law defines what is right and wrong, good and evil, but the law cannot save you from sin.

Only the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the gospel can bring us to salvation.

But when a people has been cleansed of sin and their nature has been transformed by the power of the New Covenant through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the working of the Holy Spirit, then the law is no longer needed.

Where people want to do right and choose to do what is pleasing to God, there is no need for law. The law is given to curb lawbreakers, but righteousness is given to those who seek to do right. That is why God gives us the free gift of righteousness by faith in anticipation of the transformation that is taking place in every Christian as God prepares them for His eternal kingdom.

As we grow we will come together. Jew or Gentile, black or white, it makes no difference. In Christ we are all children of God, brothers and sisters in the faith, and in Christ Jesus we will be one nation under God, ready able and willing to serve Christ and to do His will.

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