All of society, in all contexts, begins with the human individual – the lowest common denominator. Man and woman are central life for the natural world. Take away mankind and the result is nihilism, except for nature. Gender is important to God, partly in representing the Trinity of God and his divine relationship with mankind. God is represented in Christ as the Groom, and the Church is represented as the Bride – the family of God. There is mystery to it related partly to function. It does not speak of competition, but oneness of genders in mankind. We need context to our words. The identity, in context, is helpful in understanding life and conduct. In race I am not a brother to a black man, and he is not a brother to me. A man of color (African-American) calls me virtually every day at 10:00 am for daily prayer together. We are Christian brothers, but we are not racial brothers. The two distinctions, Christian and racial, help us both to look out for relevant problems and blessings that we may identify. This type of comparison and contrast can be helpful in contexts of human understanding. They ought to be recognitions, not prejudices. They are not prejudices, either for privilege or abuse. Our contexts include differences in grace..
It is important to each person that there is a preferred context that is primary for self. For the Christian of any race (or language, or gender, or whatever) that context is guide in relating to all others. I mean to be Christian above everything else in the consideration of myself and all other persons. I have other contexts that are important, and integral to the first in morals, responsibility and interpretation. For example, in citizenship I am an American, so I am loyal to that meaning as it is at its best, but I must also bear its negatives, working so that it does not violate my primary context for life. Where any American government violates that primary context of mine, I work to influence others, especially influencers, to overcome the violations, and correct them. I am aided in having a government that recognizes my freedom to hold, without fear, a human right, my first and primary context (my Christian faith/practice). I use it in proper context. It affects all other contexts for me. Christian love, for example, must go to all persons.
Early in January, 2011, an inauguration ceremony and party for a newly elected governor of a state was marked by a speech by the governor in which he remarked that he was a brother to Christians but not so to non-Christians. Oops! (Matthew 10:16.) His remarks received a negative reaction – understandably so. A major TV reporter, implying the governor was prejudicial, should have requested definition. In proper context, the governor’s statement was true but he was not speaking in that context with special definitions. He later apologized for his remarks, but considerable damage was done that may not be repaired for him. The remarks were taken as put-down to non-Christians, and taken as implication that his governorship would take a prejudicial line: that he would not be representative of all the people he was elected to serve. There are other side issues not touched here. Although the new governor is an evangelical Christian, he, like some others, appears as both uninstructed about the grace of God, and the understanding of the contexts of life that must be clarified. This last is something that his Christian education should have brought to his attention. The first, the grace of God, in both the common and spiritual contexts of grace, is a real responsibility of the church to teach. What does Scripture have to say about such matters? (Romans 13)
So it is that the Christian serves in the context of biblical faith, and that faith does not violate other good contexts of life, even contrary cultures. It works with them. When a Christian leader functions publicly, he ought to function within the context of the authority of the land in which he serves. Common grace belongs to all the people. This is provided by God, in grace to all. It acquits God for making mankind free, free for the individual to choose or not choose, perhaps simply to neglect, the father who designed the one human race. This is not compromise but adaptation. Until we learn the good side of compromise (which is respectful adaptation, not mind change), and learn what is the best activity to gain universal values, we will not serve well. The best mission workers I have ever known must adapt, without losing faith values and dignity so to offer acceptance. It is the Christ way – empathy. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020