Our identity (label) in Christ calls us to love everyone

Coca-Cola imagines a world without labels.

The company recently produced editions of its famous red-and-white can with a design that includes the trademark ribbon absent of the words “Coke.” The only writing? A phrase which reads, “Labels are for cans, not people.”

That is far from the world that we find ourselves in. We have preconceptions of people based on age, gender, race, economics, faith, etc. We even make judgments of others depending on which neighborhood they live in.

However, many of us long for labels. We identify with a group based on their beliefs, wardrobe, performance or ideology. We are “in” or “out.” If not careful, we fail to consider why we do what we do or in which direction the group is taking us.

The Apostle Paul once wrote, “For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you” (Galatians 3:26-29, NLT).

Our identity (or labels) are now in Christ. Everything that we hold tried and true about ourselves must now come under the authority of Jesus. We were created and called by him.

Is how I think, feel, speak and act in alignment with his character? If not, then we must respond in repentance — turning from our sin and towards our Savior (no matter the cost to ourselves).

Author and church pastor Timothy Keller suggested, “Strong community is formed by powerful common experiences, as when people survive a flood or fight together in a battle. When they emerge on the other side, this shared experience becomes the basis for a deep, permanent bond that is stronger than blood. The more intense the experience, the more intense the bond. When we experience Christ’s radical grace through repentance and faith, it becomes the most intense, foundational event of our lives.”

“Now, when we meet someone from a different culture, race, or social class who has received the same grace, we see someone who has been through the same life-and-death experience. In Christ, we have both spiritually died and been raised to new life. And because of this common experience of rescue, we now share an identity marker even more indelible than the ties that bind us to our family, our race or our culture.”

Our identity (our labels) are now for Christ.

One of my favorite words in the New Testament is the one for “assembly” (aka church or congregation). The Greeks used this word to describe political rallies — coming together for a shared cause. Their conviction led to action. The church redeemed this word — gathering and scattering (made different to make a difference).

My prayer for the church is that we reflect the diversity of the Tri-Cities and the beauty of heaven. We must ask ourselves if we love all of our city. Would every neighborhood agree?

Maybe the issue is not so much about labels themselves, as much as what the label reads?

This story was originally published October 24, 2015 at 9:13 AM with the headline "Our identity (label) in Christ calls us to love everyone."