There is No Place for Our Egos in the Glory of Our Union with Love Himself

This marvelous journey of Grace and Love in which we find ourselves recognizes no natural distinctions. The varied means by which mankind separates and divides are anathema, utterly contradictory to the Truth found in our Triune Lord. No male or female. No ‘in-crowd’ or ‘outsiders’. No class divisions. No egos. Just oneness in the One who is Love. THAT is the Truth. 

But as the Apostle Paul knew all too well, a sense of superiority can be a powerful thing, ever-ready to stand in opposition to the truth of our union and inclusion. Brian Simmons, author of the Passion Translation, is being overly kind with the use of the word ‘manure’ to describe these vain attempts at personal promotion of self above others in his rendering of Philippians 3:8. The Greek word is skúbalon and was used as a vulgarity in the Greco-Roman world. A more accurate translation is…well…(I’m sorry mom, but it’s true)…’shit’. All that Paul could point to amidst his accomplishments as identifying his worth, identity, or nature was nothing but a worthless pile of dung, trash, shit. His education, his racial pedigree, his theological office. In the rays of Christ’s brilliant glory and His inclusive, all-embracing Love, these distinctions matter not at all. 

The same must be true of us. There is value and purpose in all of your experiences: your education, family, relationships, work, etc. But when we allow these to define us, or set us apart from others in a supposedly elevated state, rather than merely inform us, we miss the entire point of the Gospel: that the only hope (assurance) of real, genuine glory is that you possess Christ in you, animating your life with the eternal purposes of His triune union. 

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Passages to Consider:

Galatians 3:28-29 (Weymouth)
In Him the distinctions between Jew and Gentile, slave and free man, male and female, disappear; you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are indeed true descendants of Abraham, and are heirs in fulfilment of the promise.

Philippians 3:4-8 (TPT)
It’s true that I once relied on all that I had become. I had a reason to boast and impress people with my accomplishments—more than others—for my pedigree was impeccable. I was born a true Hebrew of the heritage of Israel as the son of a Jewish man from the tribe of Benjamin. I was circumcised eight days after my birth and was raised in the strict tradition of Orthodox Judaism, living a separated and devout life as a Pharisee. And concerning the righteousness of the Torah, no one surpassed me; I was without a peer. Furthermore, as a fiery defender of the truth, I persecuted the messianic believers with religious zeal. Yet all of the accomplishments that I once took credit for, I’ve now forsaken them and I regard it all as nothing compared to the delight of experiencing Jesus Christ as my Lord! To truly know him meant letting go of everything from my past and throwing all my boasting on the garbage heap. It’s all like a pile of manure to me now, so that I may be enriched in the reality of knowing Jesus Christ and embrace him as Lord in all of his greatness.




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