The End of Comparison

[gregoryfl]

Eph 2:15 having abolished in the flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace;


Once there were two men, Jew and Gentile. Each, compared to one another, had reason to consider the other as unlike them and unworthy of the other.

Now there is but one man in the eyes of God, and that one man is Christ himself, the exact and express image of God. All the comparisons have died with the divided old man. In Christ there is no more comparison, for comparisons are based upon similarities AND differences. There must be both. Christ has brought us out of that realm into the realm of NO comparison. He is the image of God, and what he is, he has made us to be as his body. We are truly one EVEN AS the Father and Son are one.

Ron

[Rose]

Eph 2:15 having abolished in the flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace;


Once there were two men, Jew and Gentile. Each, compared to one another, had reason to consider the other as unlike them and unworthy of the other.

Now there is but one man in the eyes of God, and that one man is Christ himself, the exact and express image of God. All the comparisons have died with the divided old man. In Christ there is no more comparison, for comparisons are based upon similarities AND differences. There must be both. Christ has brought us out of that realm into the realm of NO comparison. He is the image of God, and what he is, he has made us to be as his body. We are truly one EVEN AS the Father and Son are one.

Ron

Hi Ron,

Once again, Scripture confirms that Christ abolished the Law contained in the Old that only served to divide man, and replaced it with Grace....making us one in Christ.

Rose

[gregoryfl]

Rose, I know I can always count on you for a response. For that I thank you.

May we be blown away by such truth and moved to treat each other as is fitting the ONE body, to care for and nurture even the LEAST member in our eyes, because there is, in reality, NO least member is God's eyes. Remember, Paul said such parts are assigned more honor, thus showing God's view of them as truly not the least, and not to be compared to anything called "great," for such comparisons are only according to what SEEMS to be the case, but is not.

1Co 12:22 On the contrary, those members that seem to be weaker are essential,
1Co 12:23 and those members we consider less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our unpresentable members are clothed with dignity,5
1Co 12:24 but our presentable members do not need this. Instead, God has blended together the body, giving greater honor to the lesser member,
1Co 12:25 so that there may be no division in the body, but the members may have mutual concern for one another.

How wonderful that we are in a body, so that, all comparisons being done away with, we are free to have mutual concern for one another.

[joel]

Please consider;

a person is either .........in Christ,
or,
------------------------in the flesh.

In Christ, the enmity is slain, hostility is eliminated.
the law of the directions in decrees has been rendered idle (katargeo).
In the flesh, the enmity remains in the flesh, and hostility continues.

To continue to insist that the law has been abolished is not accurately speaking the words that the "Word" says........

We are exhorted to strive for accuracy......and not borrow or use inaccurate words or phrases borrowed from others, and if, we love each other, we should remaind each other of these matters in love.

Joel

[gregoryfl]

Paul showed the mind of Christ in this matter also when he described his experience of going up to Jerusalem concerning the matter of circumcision and the keeping of the Law of Moses. Notice how the 3 apostles, Peter, James, and John, were spoken of. Then notice the contrast in how Paul viewed them:

Gal 2:1-9 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in--who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery-- to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)--those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.

Can you see the difference? To the believers who were in Jerusalem, they SEEMED to be something. They had the APPEARANCE of being a somebody. Whether they felt this way about themselves or not, the text does not say. But I can truly say that someone who is held in such an esteemed way is very tempted to believe it about themselves. The situation creates such a temptation.

The fact that Paul says that they SEEMED to be this shows that he did not agree with their assessment. He used that word 4 times. His assessment is what I have underlined. God is NOT partial. He does not have his esteemed favorites, greater ones and lesser ones. It was God alone who equipped Paul for his ministry. These apostles, when they met with Paul, were able to add not ONE thing to what he had been given.

By the way, Paul was not putting down the apostles, rather, he was putting down the false ideas that appearances and comparisons produce in us if we let them. It is easy for us to fall into the same game today, where we look at the eloquence of someone, or their stature, or their status in life, and we put them on a proverbial pedestal. In looking up to them, we have now created a comparison where they are above and we are below. There is no such dichotomy in the body of Christ however. Let the comparisons melt away into the nothingness which they truly are. :) Your worth, your value, is equal, and without partiality, to God, for he sees you in the ONE body, we exist as the corporate Christ.

Ron

[joel]

Ron, are you saying that God sees all men, now, in Christ?
or, are you saying that God, through the eyes of faith, sees all men in Christ
which will occur over time?

Joel

[Rose]

Please consider;

a person is either .........in Christ,
or,
------------------------in the flesh.

In Christ, the enmity is slain, hostility is eliminated.
the law of the directions in decrees has been rendered idle (katargeo).
In the flesh, the enmity remains in the flesh, and hostility continues.

To continue to insist that the law has been abolished is not accurately speaking the words that the "Word" says........

We are exhorted to strive for accuracy......and not borrow or use inaccurate words or phrases borrowed from others, and if, we love each other, we should remaind each other of these matters in love.

Joel

Hi Joel,

It was the Law of keeping ordinances in the flesh, which was marked by circumcision that was abolished.....the Law of Love, marked by circumcision of the heart was not.

Many Blessings,

Rose

[gregoryfl]

Ron, are you saying that God sees all men, now, in Christ?
or, are you saying that God, through the eyes of faith, sees all men in Christ
which will occur over time?

Joel

Hey Joel,

Actually I was not addressing anything about how God sees all men, but only as it relates to those in the body of Christ.

However, I do have some thoughts concerning your question, although I am still in seek mode regarding it, not having a firm opinion on it just yet.

Ron

[revdcb]

Somewhere I read, "there is no pure comparison between two people. I think that's right. The only true comparison is ourselves whith Christ which puts us all in the same boat. In extreme need of Grace.[URL="http://alongtheroadtoemmaus.com"] :confused:

[Richard Amiel McGough]

Somewhere I read, "there is no pure comparison between two people. I think that's right. The only true comparison is ourselves whith Christ which puts us all in the same boat. In extreme need of Grace.[url="http://alongtheroadtoemmaus.com"] :confused:
I agree with that idea in that we are not to judge others self-righteously, but I don't think that means we should not judge politicians or religious leaders. Christ warned us to not be fooled by wolves in sheep's clothing.