Identity and identities

The identity of the Christian is in Christ. A dedicated communist finds his meaning in Karl Marx and his works, a Nazi in Hitler. The Christian will find that (unlike these examples) serving Christ brings freedom. That is because the Christian has actually died and been resurrected anew in his or her core identity (Colossians 3:2-5, Romans 6:3-12). Whenever it does not feel like it, it is the old outward self clinging on to life. The old self is not to be healed, but put to death.

A discussion arose in the first churches mirroring that in western society today about ‘white privilege’, except the issue then was ‘Jewish privilege’. The question was settled by Paul, much of whose writing is concerned to hold Jew and gentile together in the church. He told the Galatians (3:28) that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek. For internal matters, the church must be colour-blind. The house meetings of Church 14-26 mean there is no question of segregated seats.

It is fine to be a British Christian, black Christian, Labour or Conservative (US: Democrat or Republican) Christian, etc – but Christian must be the noun and all else adjectives, because identity in Christ is primary; it is not possible to serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). Every Christian is in a privileged position to introduce to Christ persons having the same subsidiary identity as themselves.

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