The Painted Door Church - Chicago

Dividing Walls: Jews and Gentiles / Ephesians 2:11-22

June 03, 2018 Pastor Mark Bergin
The Painted Door Church - Chicago
Dividing Walls: Jews and Gentiles / Ephesians 2:11-22
Show Notes
We tend to believe that any disdain we may have for other people stems from our commitment to righteousness. In ancient Palestine, Jews often disdained gentiles because they considered them ceremonially unclean. In other words, the Jewish commitment to cleanliness before God, to what they considered righteousness, compelled them to disparage people who did not share that commitment. People groups in our time are no different. Democrats disdain Republicans from a self-righteous sense of greater care for the poor and marginalized. Republicans disdain Democrats from a self-righteous sense of greater concern for liberty and responsibility. But, in truth, our disdain for others does not stem from righteousness or our connection to God. On the contrary, our disdain for others stems from our disdain for God. Whenever we set ourselves up as the righteous party crusading to conquer those evil people over there, we are not fighting with God but against him. We are aiming to defeat those that he aims to love. And we are aiming to exalt ourselves when he aims to humble us.