On the Level

“Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” Colossians 3:11

When I was a boy living on a farm in Rabon , Alabama , my Dad decided to build a smokehouse so we could have fresh ham, bacon, and sausage for breakfast. One of the tools my Dad always asked me to hand him was the “level” so he could ensure the structure of that smokehouse was perfectly level on all sides. After the smokehouse was built and was stocked with succulent cuts of meats, I remember the excitement of going inside that smokehouse every morning to “fetch” bacon, sausage, or ham for breakfast!

There’s another kind of “level” I’d like to share with you. The ground at the foot of the Cross of Calvary is also level. If you’ve trusted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, your social/economic status doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if your skin color is black, brown, white, yellow, orange, or green. It doesn’t matter if you’re the CEO of a company or a mom taking care of her children in the home. It doesn’t matter if you live in a mansion or live on the street. If you’re a Christian, you’re a child of God, period. And He loves you just as much as any of His other children. You say, “Well, I’m a Christian, just not the born-again kind.” News flash—A born-again Christian is the only kind of Christian there is! You’re either a saint or an “ain’t”.

God’s children are not separated by the barriers that separate people in the world. During the Apostle Paul’s time, the ancient world was full of barriers. Christianity destroys barriers, Amen? As far as the Greeks were concerned, anyone who did not speak Greek was considered a barbarian. The Greeks looked down on barbarians. A barbarian was literally a person who sounded like they were saying “bar-bar” when they spoke. It would be akin to a Bostonian visiting Alabama in the deep South and saying that Southerners talk funny. Incidentally, being from Alabama , I think ya’ll talk funny up here in New England ! At least I pronounce my “r” when I say “park”, “garden” or “yard”—just kidding!

A Scythian was considered the lowest of the barbarians—more barbarian than the barbarians. The Scythians settled in the area known today as Russia in the Siberian region. The Jewish historian Josephus said a Scythian was “a little short of being a wild beast.” Remember the Assyrians who used to put huge fishhooks in the mouths of their captives and lead them around, and would also impale their captives on poles? The Scythians were an ally of the Assyrians—they were a brutal people!

But Christ has broken down all of these barriers! The power of our Heavenly Father through the Gospel of His Son Jesus Christ has broken them all down. Isn’t it great to be one of God’s kids where the playing field is level? God Bless you!