Rank, Position, Title

“Whatever they were means nothing to me” (Gal 2:6).

Paul cared nothing about a man’s status, and only about his position in Christ. He gave no special preference to lofty apostleship, but in fact rebuked Peter –PETER– to his face (Gal 2:11). Before important men, Paul harped about God not judging by external appearance (Gal 2:6). Paul wore no special name tag identifying his rank or credentials.

Having such an attitude, Paul could write, “You are all sons of God…There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Jesus Christ” (Gal 3:26,28).

With such a view, Paul said, “Am I now trying to win the approval of men or of God? Or am I trying to please men? It it were so, I would not be a servant of Jesus” (Gal 1:10).

With such conviction about the unimportance of position, Paul could instruct, “Brothers…you must gently restore the one taken in by sin” (Gal 6:1).

Surely no title in our day compares to the one Peter deserved, yet even his position as apostle was trumped by his status brother. Peter, the rock, the Lord’s right hand man, the one who walked on water, the speaker at Pentecost, the witness at the tomb, the one in the garden, the one at the last supper–Peter the Apostle–”What they are means nothing to me.”

Surely no title in our day approaches that of Apostle. If such a rank held little weight in Paul’s eyes, what do our man-made ones now hold? Christ’s priorities are so opposite than the world’s, so backwards. Maybe my viewpoints needs some recalibration in light of God’s word.