Galatians 3:29
Thoughts from Stuart Poteet
Dive Deeper
“And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”
Galatians 3:29
Behind the Scenes
One of the biggest hurdles that the early church had to overcome was heritage. For centuries, where you came from mattered almost more than anything else. Your family of origin, the area they originated from, and even the race you were born into defined who you could be in society, what you could do, and even how important or acceptable you were.
Jews did not mix with gentiles and gentiles did not mix with Jews. Slaves or servants often had children who would go on to become slaves or servants. Aristocracy didn’t mix with the lower classes and vice versa. Men were seen as more valuable than women and held places of power and prestige. The dividing walls between people were high and everyone understood this to be normal. It was just the way it was.
But then Jesus enters the scene and blows apart all the dividing walls that once kept people apart. Instead of people being defined by their birth heritage, they were now defined by HIS heritage- a heavenly heritage. Under the banner of Christ, it no longer mattered where you were from or who your parents were. All became equal- all became daughters and sons of the Most High King. And regardless of your earthly inheritance which could create even more division and factions, everyone now had an equal heavenly inheritance that only created unity!
In fact, in Acts we see that those in the early church were selling all their possessions and giving to each other as anyone needed. People were literally selling their birth rights, their inheritances, and their family lands. They were forsaking their earthly inheritance because they had received a heavenly one that far outweighed and defined their lives far more than any earthly inheritance or earthly heritage ever could.
This was HUGE! And it was something that shook the world around them in such a way that they didn’t know what to do with these Christians. They didn’t know how to understand the type of devotion and change they were seeing. In a world where good bloodlines mattered more than just about anything else, these Christians were being defined by the blood of Christ more than the blood of their ancestors. And people were taking notice.
Make it Real
Bloodlines still matter today, though maybe a little differently than they used to. We are all defined in one way or another by the people who came before us. Maybe you come from a family of wealth, and you have inherited financial security. Maybe you come from a family who has always struggled financially but you have inherited an appreciation for the little things. Maybe you came from a family who worked with their hands, and you inherited a love of creativity and ingenuity. Maybe you came from a family who loved to travel, and you have inherited an appreciation for seeing new places and experiencing new things.
Whatever your story is, we all have inherited something from those who came before us. We carry their stories with us. And that isn’t a bad thing. However, it can become a bad thing when we allow those heritages and inheritances to divide us. See, at the end of the day, regardless of what things you have inherited from your family of origin, as a child of God and in the name of Christ, you have an inheritance that far surpasses any earthly inheritance.
As believers, we have to choose to do life the same way the early church did- more defined by the blood of Christ than the bloodlines of our past. Because it’s only in the name of Jesus that we see walls of division come tumbling down. And it’s only in the name of Jesus that we can start to live from the overflow of our heavenly inheritance.
It takes intentionality. It takes guts. Because, let’s face it, it’s a lot easier and socially acceptable to be defined by bloodlines more than by the blood of Christ. But when we choose to accept the inheritance we received in Christ, viewing ourselves as more a child of God than a child of our ancestors, then we can start to live lives that break down walls, open doors, and create connections. We can start to live from the overflow of our heavenly identities, not bound by the traditions, expectations, or divisions of the past.
In Christ, there is no division. We are all one family with the same inheritance. And, unlike earthly ones, this heavenly inheritance does not diminish the more people join in, it does not run out, or get worn out. We can’t outspend that inheritance. And we cannot lose it. We are a part of God’s family with an endless inheritance in Jesus Christ. So, let’s live in the abundance we’ve been given. And let’s invite others to experience that inheritance with us!
Crystal Garnett
ACF Digital Discipleship Pastor
End in Prayer
Jesus,
Thank You for making a way for me to be a part of Your family. Thank You for defining me with Your perfect love more than any broken human definition. Help me to be more defined by Your family name than those I come from. Help me to let go of any earthly definition so that I can better cling to Your heavenly definition for my life. I love You Jesus!
Amen