Sunday March 15th. – Lent 2009

An article by Frank    No Comments

I was reading Galatians recently and was drawn to the phrase in chapter 3, verse 27 “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (NRSV)

What did Paul mean by the idea of being clothed with Christ?

In Greek thought, to clothe ourselves in another is a very rich metaphor. It refers to a state of being, to take on the principles of that person. It was a reference to copying and being like that person and importantly, when conveyed to a whole community it was a state that brings us all together to be united. You see, if we “clothe ourselves with Christ,” “put on Christ,” or “dwell in Christ,” he becomes our identifier. We don’t become Christ but there are certain things associated with Christ that we identify with – spiritual blessings (Eph 1:3); eternal life (Rom 6:23); we are made alive (Rom 6:11); redemption (Rom 3:24); sanctity (1 Cor 1:2); forgiveness (Eph 4:32); no condemnation (Rom 8:1-2); liberty (Gal 2:4). As we clothe ourselves with Christ – imitating him, copying him and becoming like him, we take upon those things which are identified with Christ.

Importantly, Galatians 3:28 follows the mention of clothing ourselves with Christ (which works both individually and communally) with a large outcome of this identifier that would have been wildly significant in Paul’s time:

There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ. Gal 3:28

Christ as our identifier is the great unifier. When we identify ourselves through Christ, the old barriers of division are broken down and we find unity - commonality of a very deep, intrinsic kind. Paul’s viewed unity as extremely significant. He talked about followers of Jesus as family and one body working together and for him, identifying ourselves through Christ is what brings us together.

The default criticism when looking at the world around us now is to point a finger at differing denominations and decry them for lack of unity. Allow me to say in response to this that disagreement does not necessarily equal disunity – sometimes our criticisms are too surface. Our common identity is far deeper than surface theological disagreements. But beyond that, Paul’s vision of unity through the common unifying factor of identity through Christ carrries an even greater challenge – our connection to our Christian family in cultural, economic, geographic, political and social spheres that do not reflect our own.

It is easy for us in the part of the world that controls the wealth to be disconnected from the church amongst the poor. It is easy for us to pursue what our culture defines as the measures of success while all the time ignoring those we are intrinsically united to. On another level it is easy for us to look down on the church amongst the poor and to see ourselves as their galant saviours rather than as family standing alongside and within.

As we consider the treasures of what it means to be “clothed in Christ,” let us also be open to the challenge of what it means to be united to those who share that “clothing” in parts of the world so different to our own. What does it mean to stand united with the Church in Zimbabwe, Palestinian territory, Darfur, the Congo, Iran, Syria, the slums of Manila in the Philippines, Togo, the slums of Brazil, the cocoa farms in Ghana, the slums of Phnom Pehn, India, Cuba, Venezuela…? What does it look like for you?