No Distinction

“For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him” – Romans 10:12

In his book “The Good and Beautiful Community”, James B. Smith writes: “George Fox (1624-1691) was the founder of the Quakers, a Christian movement, in 17th century.
Two of the great Quaker contributions are their teaching on pacifism (refusal to use violence) and equality (abolishing class distinction).

William Penn (1644-1718) grew up in the upper class and had the best education available.

At the age of 23, Penn became a Quaker, and soon after everything began to change. It was common in Penn’s day to wear a sword, which was not intended to harm anyone but was a sign that the wearer belonged to the upper class. After becoming a Quaker, Penn struggled with whether he should wear the sword. After all, it was a symbol of war as well as class distinction-two two things Quakers stood squarely against.

So Penn went to Fox, his mentor, to seek guidance on the matter. “May I continue to wear the sword?” he asked Fox. I would have expected Fox to say, “No, you must get rid of it. Turn it into a plowshare and never wear anything like it again.” Instead, George Fox offered a response that is a touchstone for me in the area of Christian living. He said, “Wear it as long as you can, William, wear it as long as you can.”

Fox was laying out an important principle in the Christian life. When it comes to our practices and behavior, we need to avoid making rules and laws, and trust the leading of the Spirit. Fox did not say, “Don’t wear it,” nor did he say, “It’s all right to wear it.” He trusted that Penn would make the right decision in time. Had Fox given him a command, he would have robbed Penn of the opportunity to listen to the Holy Spirit, and he would have put in place a rigid standard, which almost always leads to later problems.”

There is no difference between men; Jesus Christ desires ALL to be saved.

Thank the Lord that in His eyes, there are no differences between people.

“Prejudice is a learned trait. You’re not born prejudiced; you’re taught it.” – Charles R. Swindoll

“Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.” – Deuteronomy 16:19