The earliest followers of Jesus took their new identity seriously! In the second century Clement of Alexandria wrote: “We who worship God in a new way, as the third race, are Christians.”
John Reed, a church leader in Australia, tells about driving a school bus which carried both aborigines and white boys. There was so much squabbling back and forth that Reed finally got fed up. He pulled the bus over to the side of the road, far out in the country, and made them all get out.
He gathered all the white boys together and asked “What color are you?”. “White.” Reed replied, “No, you are green. Anyone who rides on my bus is green. Now, what color are you?” When they looked around they could see nothing but miles and miles of outback, so naturally they all dutifully replied “Green”.
Then he gathered all the aborigine boys together and asked, “What color are you?” “Black.” “No, you are green. Anyone who rides on my bus is green. Now, what color are you?” All the aborigines answered they were green. The situation seemed to be resolved, so he marched them all back on the bus, and started down the road again. Everything was going just fine for several miles until he heard a boy at the back of the bus announce, “All right, light green on this side, dark green on that side”. (Source: Kent Hughes, Ephesians, page 92).
Friends, there aren’t any shades of salvation- in Jesus we’re all the same crimson red, because when God looks at us he sees the blood of Christ.
READ Ephesians 2:16 “in this one body”
Notice where this reconciliation takes place: I am a member of His body, part of His church. The church is a place of grace- the church is where we all come together as ONE.
Dan Williams