Every single day, social media reminds me that people have trouble with unity. As I type these words, the social webs are exploding with arguments over politics, sports, and whether Friends is a good show. So, you know, it’s just another day. There are also marches and demonstrations centered around anger and resentment of how groups of people have treated other groups of people, and counter-marches and demonstrations about how the other group of people has treated the first group of people. Are you confused? I am, but that is a snapshot of our times. It’s also a snapshot of all times.

Since the very beginning, unity has been elusive for humans. God placed Adam and Eve in paradise and made them “one”, but the moment sin entered the picture Adam blamed Eve and the two of them hid from God. Their children introduced murder into the world. It did not take many generations for family reunions to become tense and awkward, and it didn’t take many more for full-fledged divisions to set in. Since that time people have been divided by language, gender, race, age, preferences, beliefs, practices, politics, money, and their opinion of Friends. The oneness God intended has been fractured.

That’s why Paul’s declaration in Galatians 3:27-39 is so revolutionary. God created us to be “one,” and in Christ the dividing lines disappear. He died for both men and women. He died for every race. He died for rich people and poor people and all people in between. No wonder Jesus emphasized unity on the night He was crucified. He was about to erase all of the labels and replace them with one word: “redeemed.”