Precious And Honoured In His SightEgzanp

In our staff devotional time, my colleagues and I recently read the letter of Philemon. In this letter, the apostle Paul urges Philemon, a slave-owner, to do something outrageously counter-cultural: to welcome back his former slave Onesimus, “no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother.” 

What caused Paul to write these scandalous words is found in today’s verses, where we see that all God’s people are equally valuable to Him. All believers are children of God through faith. In the gospel, there is no place for racism, sexism, or oppression. We are all one in Christ Jesus. 

In our sinfulness, it can be tempting to draw dividing lines in the Christian community; lines based on culture, gender, socio-economic status, or on how we vote. But these verses remind us of our unity in Christ. Let’s not draw any lines that Jesus died on the cross to abolish. 

Where might you be tempted to draw dividing lines in the Christian community? How does this passage encourage you towards unity?