Come On - We Really Do Believe You Are Our Equal

"I truly understand that God shows no partiality . . . "

 - Simon Peter, in Acts 10

This may very well have been the start of it all: That moment when, in history, people began to be concerned about the issue of "equality."

"Justice" had always been a big deal. It had been promised to God's people since the days of the early Patriarchs. But Peter had been shown, by the Lord, that in Christ, we were all going to be treated equally: male, female, slave, master. It made no difference. Our worldly statuses were not going to hold up in the kingdom of God. This is a big element in the Good News - those people that think they're better than you? They're not. God says so.

And then Paul the Apostle carried the message even further, by transitioning from the most vile practitioner of the law and superiority of it over all other cultures, into someone that placed acceptance of all others, no matter their background, in the center of God's Kingdom.

Any good thing, in excess, becomes harmful. Too much water is poisonous.

And our generation has taken the idea of equality to such an extreme, that we actually believe that people that do not define it as us, are definitely not our equals. We want to deprive others of their rights, that do not agree with us.

But in the Church it is different. Just accept all people. Treat all with kindness. Look not on the outside, but value what's on the inside. 

Having said that, we have a problem. We're human, and are not capable of practicing such godly love. But that's okay. God loves us anyway. The idea is to have that perfect standard before us, and to strive towards it. We're not perfect. That doesn't make us hypocrites if we define it for others.

The Church, and the true believers therein, beg of those around them: "We do see you as our equal. Now just give us a chance to show you."