Community Reimagined (What If, Part 4)
So much of the world’s pain comes from the illusion of separation — not only from God but from one another. We divide ourselves by race, denomination, politics, and preference, forgetting that there is only one humanity, already gathered into Christ.
But what if we remembered?
What if humanity believed that Christ is already in us — not in some of us, but in all of us?
What If We Saw Christ in One Another?
Paul writes,
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
(Galatians 3:28, NASB)
This isn’t a call to erase diversity — it’s an unveiling of shared divinity. The gospel doesn’t make us identical; it reveals that our differences are held together in the same love. Imagine if we truly believed that every face we meet is already included in Christ’s embrace. We’d stop seeing strangers and start seeing family.
John Crowder often says,
“The gospel is not about inviting Jesus into your life; it’s about discovering that you’ve been included in His.”
When we realize that inclusion, the way we view people changes. We stop measuring worth by agreement or behavior and start celebrating the same Christ who animates every human heart. Community becomes less about conformity and more about communion — a shared participation in divine life.
Scripture’s Witness
Ephesians 4:4–6 (NASB): “There is one body and one Spirit … one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”
Colossians 3:11 (Mirror): “From now on everyone is defined by Christ; He is the only content of every human life.”
John 17:21 (NASB): “That they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You.”
If this is true, then every barrier that divides us is a lie already undone in Christ. The work now is to wake up to what’s always been real.
Much of our world operates on scarcity: not enough love, not enough space, not enough success. That scarcity fuels comparison and competition. But when we live from union, we realize there is no “other.” The same Spirit who lives in me lives in you. Your joy adds to mine; your freedom expands ours.
Community, in this light, isn’t something we build — it’s something we recognize.
Living From Shared Union
If humanity believed this, our relationships would look radically different:
Forgiveness would come easier, because we’d see Christ in the offender.
Division would dissolve, because we’d remember we were never truly apart.
Justice would look like restoration, not revenge.
And love would stop being selective — it would simply be the overflow of seeing rightly.
The kingdom of God doesn’t erase individuality; it reveals our unity in diversity — one family, many faces, one Spirit.
Reflection Prompt
Take a moment today to look into someone’s eyes — a friend, a stranger, maybe even someone hard to love — and quietly say in your heart:
Christ, I see You there.
Then ask yourself: How would my relationships change if I believed Christ fills every person I encounter?
Write one line beginning with: Because Christ is in all, I choose to…
What if we stopped seeing strangers and started seeing family?
