A note from the desk of our Pastor:

“Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.”

Colossians 3:11

Good Morning Dearly Beloved,

In Colossians 3:11, our study verse, the Apostle Paul brings his thoughts on the ‘new man’ to a powerful conclusion. The Apostle instructed disciples to recognize that they have put on the ‘new man’ and, as a result, to avoid lying to one another and instead be renewed by the knowledge of God. In this verse, the Apostle emphasizes the absence of barriers within the community of believers. 

Divisions defined the Old Testament system of worship. The Jews had the laws of God, whereas the Gentiles did not. The physical sign of circumcision marked this division. Within the Jewish people, other divisions existed. Only Levites could serve in the Tabernacle and later the Temple. Only the descendants of Aaron could serve as Priests. At the Tabernacle or Temple, the ordinary person could only offer their sacrifices in the courtyard. The priests could enter the Holy Place, but only the High Priest could enter the Most Holy. The list could continue, but the point is that the Old Testament system of worship functioned on barriers and division. It was those barriers that the Jewish leadership wished to maintain when they opposed the teachings of Christ.

The Apostle was well-versed in the Jewish system of worship and the barriers that existed within it. Thus, as he describes how disciples should behave in the New Testament system of worship, he emphasizes the lack of barriers. He starts at the highest level and removes the barrier between the Jew and the Gentile. God’s teachings in the New Testament are accessible to any child of God, regardless of their national or ethnic identity. The term barbarian referred to anyone who did not speak Greek and had not adopted Greek culture. The Scythians were a nomadic people whom the Greeks considered the most unrefined and uneducated in native and nomadic customs. By mentioning these, the Apostle is stating that the recipients of the internal knowledge of God are not limited to those with culture and education. Finally, the Apostle hits on Roman culture’s embrace of slavery. The bondage of individuals was continually present around believers in the 1st century. The Apostle tells the disciples that God’s work, within a disciple, is not limited by a person’s status or ability to live freely. Through this list, the Apostle makes it clear that barriers between believers are nonexistent in God’s eyes. 

The Apostle’s thoughts expressed here tie directly to the truth he wrote in Romans 8. In Romans 8:38-39, the Apostle says he knows with certainty that nothing present or past could separate the child of God from the love of God. The Apostle knew this because he knew that God had removed all barriers between his people and himself, and in doing so, removed all barriers between the children of God. No matter how destructive humanity is to itself, it cannot destroy the relationship between God and his people.

Our Prayers are with you daily,

Brother Jeremiah