Thus what characterizes the community is the way in which the people of God love one another in their differences, not an overlooking or erasure of distinctions. Consequently, while other social implications such as equality could arise, these may be secondary to the larger concern for the loving unity of God’s people in their differences. Love, not equality, leads to the true unity that Paul describes in which the members “may have the same care for one another” (1 Cor. 12:25). Equality speaks to one’s personal privileges and rights, whereas love describes one’s willingness to prioritize
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