Martin Luther King Jr. and The Apostle Paul
Around 1900 years before Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, the apostle Paul had written a letter to the church in Colossae.
Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
-Colossians 3:11
Martin Luther King Jr. echoed the work that Christ accomplished in reconciling all types of people to Himself when he said:
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’”
Paul was addressing Christians, while Martin Luther King Jr. was addressing a nation. These words are still meaningful today, and we should live toward others knowing the truth that all men are indeed created equal. There should be no prejudice toward skin color, personality, cultural, or secondary theological differences in the body of Christ; for as we have been reconciled to God, we should be reconciled to each other. Paul continues with this command, which I believe is the remedy to such prejudice:
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
-Colossians 3:12-14
Let’s move past our differences and serve Christ together.
Categories: Christianity
Tags: apostle Paul, Colossae, Martin Luther King Jr.
Comments: 2 Comments.
Nice job relating the two – Scripture & MLKJ’s speech. Such a critical truth. I love how our city specifically is so diverse. It gives us a great opportunity to teach this firsthand to our children.
nice that you made this post. lots of people go through MLK day like a freebie holiday.