And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9f).
This world is full of racial, ethnic, cultural, social, and gender animosity and conflict. Political leaders have endeavored in vain for millennia to find a remedy for it. “Can’t we all just get along?” they often ask. No, they cannot!
What a different situation is found in the heavenly scene described in our present text! Here are men and women of every race and nation, who formerly could not communicate with each other because of their differing languages, and were hostile against each other, but now live peacefully together and harmoniously sing the same song.
What made the difference? Their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, through His redeeming grace and as their Priest-King!
A foretaste of that heavenly unity may be found on this earth – but only among those who know Jesus Christ as their Redeemer, Priest and King.
I rejoice in seeing such unity here in our own church. We are a congregation comprised of individuals descended from Africans, Indians, Chinese, Europeans, and perhaps others and also various mixtures of these. (This “European” is descended from Scottish, English, German, and Dutch stock – and God only knows what else. His wife is descended from Czech, Swiss, and French stock – and again God only knows what else.) We are a congregation of people who by nature are enemies emphasizing our differences, but in Christ we are brothers and sisters celebrating our unity. We by nature would seek mastery over each other, but in Christ we esteem others better than ourselves (Philippians 2:3). Those who are outside Christ rebel against Him, and therefore do not want to be identified with us, and live in discord with others.
In Christ “you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew [no ethnic division], circumcised nor uncircumcised [no religious division], barbarian, Scythian [no cultural division], slave nor free [no social division], but Christ is all and in all” (Colossians 3:10f; cp. Galatians 3:26-29).
We therefore conduct ourselves as “kings and priests to our God”, following the example of Him who is our Priest-King for and over us. And our harmony is reflected in our hymns of praise to Him, for He alone is worthy!
Yes, all in Christ will get along! Outside Him is disunity.
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