Counsel of Spiritual Life

Counsel #4 — Inclusive Identity

Picture: Counsel #4 — Inclusive Identity CSL 14.1

Your identity in Christ is inclusive! God is no respecter of persons. Regardless of your gender, age, social status, race, or educational level, God loves you equally. CSL 14.2

As His followers, we also are to make no racial or social distinctions and to practice the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12) showing kindness to all people. Despite clear biblical injunctions to love your neighbor and Paul’s declaration that God “has made from one blood every nation of men” (Acts 17:26), some who identify falsely as Christians continue to practice the evil of racism, non-inclusion, and acts of violence that often ensue.^[12] CSL 14.3

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:27 NKJV CSL 14.4

“All are one in Christ. Birth, station, nationality, or color cannot elevate or degrade men. The character makes the man. If a red man, a Chinaman, or an African gives his heart to God, in obedience and faith, Jesus loves him none the less for his color. He calls him his well-beloved brother.” Ellen White in The Southern Work, pp. 12, 13 CSL 14.5

Reflect: Do you feel superior to others because of your race, education, social status, or position in your community? CSL 14.6