One in Christ Jesus

Because of their sin in the garden of Eden, God pronounced that Adam would rule over Eve; since then, humankind has sought to dominate and rule over one another. Jesus came to redeem us from the curse of the law. He restored us to the relationship God intended to have with His children in the beginning. As a result, every consequence and curse spoken over Adam and Eve was reversed through the blood of Jesus. I want to remind you that in Christ, God sees us all the same. We are all equal, regardless of gender, race, age, socioeconomic status, or any other type of division created by humans; we are His beloved and His redeemed. God’s destiny is for us to go from a place of inferiority to a place of equality.

God called and commanded us to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:26-28). He gave us dominion over the earth—the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and the animals that roam the earth. When we seek domination over one another, it’s a distraction and distortion of God’s original plan; the effects can be harmful. Think about it: a leader who, because of their rank, fails to consider others’ ideas may miss important information to create success. That leader has a blind spot because of an air of superiority about their own position.

A godly leader operates in equality. He or she says, “I don’t give my authority away, but I use it as an asset.” Recognize that your authority could be used as a blessing and a benefit to others, rather than a weapon. As leaders who operate in equality, we recognize that our great ideas may be different from someone else’s, but that’s not a threat because we can all reach a great solution together.

Welcome disagreement as a leader. It’s okay. Don’t feel threatened if someone doesn’t agree with you or see things the way you see them. Those things can make us better! Everyone on your team doesn’t need to be your friend; get some opposing opinions and different ideas. Learn how to disagree agreeably, without strife, contention, division, hatred, anger, and all of that coming into being. When we operate in a way that’s open to change and opposing thoughts, we’re wise. Have a willingness for other thoughts and ideas to be brought to the conversation. A leader who operates in equality is open to considering other people’s perspectives, willing to disagree agreeably, and willing to hear something that’s contrary or different. Leaders must make others feel valued, not inferior.

The Apostle Paul introduced a new relationship: in Christ, we stand on equal ground. The biblical equality that we have today is one of equal access to God. Any man who’s in Christ is a new creature; old things have passed away and all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Right before that, the Scripture tells us to know no one after the flesh. The New International Version says to “regard no one…” After the flesh, we regard people by their gender; after the flesh, we regard people by their race; after the flesh, we regard people by their class. However, if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new species of being that’s never existed before, and we are all on equal footing. There is no distinction. There is no difference. There is no inferiority. There is no superiority. We are all one in Christ.