What All Men Have in Common

Handshake

People are different. Sadly, there are some who unfairly judge or even hate others simply because they are of a different race, culture, economic class, etc. Christians are to “judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24) and “abound in love for one another, and for all people” (1 Thessalonians 3:12). In order to do this, we need to remember what all men have in common rather than focus too much on certain differences that may exist.

In this article, we will consider seven things which all of us have in common.

God Is the Maker of All

In the beginning, God created man in His image (Genesis 1:27). However, being made in God’s image was not just a trait of the first man (Adam). All men are made in the image of God. God told Noah, “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man” (Genesis 9:6). The reason such a penalty existed was to emphasize the point that the lives of all people were valuable. The reason why they were valuable was because God made each one in His image. Regardless of our circumstances in life, all of us have this in common: “The Lord is the maker of [us] all” (Proverbs 22:2).

There Is a Common Ancestry for All

Many believe that humans evolved from lower forms of life. Some who believe this have tried to harmonize it with their belief in God and have adopted the false theory of theistic evolution. This allows them to accept God as the Creator, but also believe in evolution. Some who hold the theory of evolution believe that the reason there are different races of men is because the races evolved differently. Therefore, in their minds, one race may be superior to another simply because it is more highly evolved. This is completely false. Not only is God our Maker and we have all been made in His image (Genesis 1:27), but we have a common ancestry. Paul said, “He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26). The different races of men did not evolve differently. All men, regardless of race, descended from the first man – Adam.

Sin Is a Problem for All

In addition to our common heritage, all men have a common problem – sin. Paul said, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The reason why sin is a problem is because sin separates man from God (Isaiah 59:2) and leads to death (Romans 6:23). This death is not physical death, but is the punishment of being “thrown into the lake of fire” which is “the second death” (Revelation 20:14). All men – regardless of race, culture, prosperity, or any other factor – have sinned against God. Those who deny this are only fooling themselves (1 John 1:8).

Christ Died for All

When God made His promise to Abraham, one part of that promise was that through His seed, “all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 22:18). This was fulfilled in Christ. Jesus was sent to sacrifice His life for the sins of man because “God so loved the world” (John 3:16). Jesus came to “reconcile [all men] in one body to God through the cross” (Ephesians 2:16). He did not offer His life as a sacrifice for a select few. He came to be “lifted up” so that He might “draw all men to” Himself (John 12:32).

The Gospel Is for All

Jesus’ death on the cross is part of the foundation of the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Therefore, since His sacrifice was for all (John 3:16; 12:32), it stands to reason that the gospel which tells of His sacrifice is for all. This is why Jesus told His apostles, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). The message of the gospel was to be the same throughout the world. Paul warned that those who changed the message would be “accursed” (Galatians 1:8-9). Though there are many different races, cultures, languages, and circumstances among men, there is only one way of salvation – through Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12) – and only one message that leads men to salvation in Christ – the gospel (Mark 16:15-16).

God Extends a Welcome to All

As the gospel would be preached throughout the world, any who would believe and obey the gospel would be saved. Peter told the household of Cornelius, “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him” (Acts 10:34-35). No one is rejected by God unless it is because of his own sin and refusal to repent. God’s desire is “for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Judgment Is for All

The final point we will consider in this article is that all will be judged by God in the end. The Hebrew writer said, “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Paul wrote, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). When we are judged, the standard will be the word of God (John 12:48). This standard does not change based upon one’s skin color, language, or material prosperity. Since there is just one standard (God’s inspired word), we must be sure that we conform our lives to it.

Conclusion

Though many want to focus on the differences (or perceived differences) between people, in the end, those things which really matter are the things that all men have in common. We have all been created by God. We have all fallen from God. We all have the opportunity to return to God and be saved.

Before Samuel would anoint David to replace Saul as king, God told the prophet, “Do not look at his appearance…for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). We must strive to develop and maintain this same godly attitude. It does not matter what one looks like. What matters is his character. We should have no interest in building or maintaining the walls which divide men that Christ came to break down (cf. Ephesians 2:14). Peter recognized that “in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him” (Acts 10:35). We should be as welcoming as God is – accepting all those who “fear God and keep His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13), regardless of race, culture, economic class, or any other factor.


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