There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28
Recently, we lighted a fire in the fireplace and looked for a movie to watch. We discovered “The Boys in the Boat”, the true story of a nine-man crew team from the University of Washington that, despite long odds, made it all the way to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and became the improbable winners of the gold medal, beating out Italy and Germany in a close race. It was a great movie with all kinds of suggestions for better living and how competition in life ought to be. This crew transformed the sport of rowing, overcame enormous odds and grabbed the attention and hearts of their nation.
The movie ends more than forty years later with one of the team telling his grandson of his adventure. His grandson asks if he enjoyed rowing an eight-man crew, to which Joe replies, “We were never eight. We were one.” This shows just how unified they were back then, embodying what it means to be a team. It’s the film’s final line, and it perfectly captures their journey.
The Bible verse Galatians 3:28 states, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus”. This verse is central to the Gospel and conveys the idea that in Christ, everyone is equal and the same.
The verse is interpreted to mean that people should look beyond the differences of race, color, abilities, and other external factors to build fellowship on the essentials of their new birth. The unity that Christ prayed for is a spiritual unity based on faith in Christ and the glory of God within. Relational unity in the church is the best witness to the reality of Jesus Christ and God to the world.
As Christians, we are called to be one, one in Christ. I have a gift of writing and teaching, but the church should pay me not to come near the choir. I can’t carry a tune. All have separate gifts, but all are one. It was so obvious in the movie. Each in the boat had a different role in the boat, but all together they were one.
It’s the same was in all team sports. Putting the quarterback on the offensive line would be a disaster, as would be the reverse. All have separate gifts, but together we are one in Christ.
What are your gifts and how committed to use in ministry so that your church is one?
by John Grant
used by permission
FURTHER READING
Only One You – by John Fischer
Read Your Life Backward – by Max Lucado