Beyond the Hue

Beyond the Hue – Walking in Christ Identity and the Grace of Unity

Beloved in Christ,

This poem I rediscovered in my notes carries a timeless, Spirit-breathed conviction:

Beyond the Hue

How thick is skin that we should judge someone by its hue? When I am so unwilling to see past the nose on my face, In order to receive and extend God’s grace, What shall I do?

Why not believe and love and give the gift of God? For He was willing to give His only begotten Son, In order to complete the adoption of sons, Through grace—not a rod.

Can a man love God and hate his brother without losing hope? When our differences and our traditions come into play, In order to destroy our unity and ruin our day, Don’t be a dope.

Isn’t it about time to walk in our Christ identity through believing? For we should be more than willing to let the former things go, In order to be salt and light and to know, It’s all there for the receiving.

This honest cry is not merely poetic—it is profoundly biblical. It confronts the subtle partiality that still lingers in the hearts of believers and calls us back to the core of the New Covenant: Christ has abolished the dividing wall, created one new man, and made us all sons through grace alone. To judge or divide by skin color (or any external distinction) is to live beneath our identity in Christ and to grieve the Spirit who has sealed us into one Body.

1. The Old Way: Judging by the Flesh

Under the old covenant, distinctions were many—Jew and Gentile, circumcised and uncircumcised, slave and free. Even the Law, while holy, could be twisted into a tool of separation and pride. But the gospel declares that those distinctions no longer define us.

Galatians 3:28 (NKJV) “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.”

Colossians 3:11 (NKJV) “…where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.”

When we judge by “hue” (skin color, ethnicity, culture, background), we revert to the old way of knowing people “according to the flesh” (2 Corinthians 5:16). Paul says we no longer do that. We once regarded Christ that way—by outward appearance—but now we know Him by the Spirit. The same must be true of how we regard one another.

The poem asks piercingly: “How thick is skin that we should judge someone by its hue?” The answer is: Thick enough to blind us to the new creation standing right in front of us.

2. The New Reality: One New Man in Christ

Ephesians 2:14–16 (NKJV) “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.”

Jesus did not merely tolerate differences—He abolished the enmity and created one new man. The dividing wall is gone. To rebuild it through prejudice, suspicion, or partiality is to live contrary to the finished work of the cross.

James 2:1–4 warns against showing partiality: “My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality… have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?”

Partiality is not a minor sin—it is a denial of the gospel that declares every believer equally adopted, equally loved, equally indwelt by the Spirit.

3. The Call: Walk in Christ Identity and Extend Grace

The poem closes with the right response: “Isn’t it about time to walk in our Christ identity through believing… let the former things go… be salt and light…”

This is exactly what Scripture commands.

• Let the former things go (Isaiah 43:18–19; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
• Walk in the newness of life (Romans 6:4).
• Be salt and light (Matthew 5:13–16)—preserving and illuminating a divided world by demonstrating the unity Christ purchased.
• Love one another as Christ loved us (John 13:34–35)—without partiality, without regard to externals.

1 John 4:20–21 (NKJV) “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.”

The poem’s honest question—“Can a man love God and hate his brother without losing hope?”—echoes John’s sobering truth. Love is not optional. It is the evidence of sonship.

4. The Power: Grace, Not a Rod

The poem rightly contrasts grace with a rod: “For He was willing to give His only begotten Son, In order to complete the adoption of sons, Through grace—not a rod.”

We were not adopted by performance or pedigree. We were adopted by grace through the blood of Christ (Ephesians 1:5–7). That same grace empowers us to extend acceptance, forgiveness, and honor to every brother and sister in Christ—regardless of hue, culture, or background.

Closing Prayer & Confession

Father, forgive us where we have judged by the flesh instead of walking by the Spirit. Thank You for abolishing the dividing wall and creating one new man in Christ. By Your grace, we let the former things go. We receive and extend Your grace without partiality. We walk in our Christ identity—sons and daughters, one Body, one family. Help us be salt and light in a divided world, demonstrating the unity You purchased at the cross. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Daily ConfessionI am a new creation in Christ. There is no distinction—Christ is all and in all. I judge no one by the flesh; I regard every believer as a beloved brother or sister. I receive and extend grace freely. I walk in love, unity, and the fullness of my sonship. The former things have passed away—behold, all things have become new.

This teaching can serve as a standalone devotion on seekingjesusfirst.com, a chapter section in your handbook (perhaps under “Unity in the Body” or “New Covenant Identity”), or the heart of a Sunday message. The poem makes a powerful opener or closer—its raw honesty invites reflection and repentance.

If you’d like it formatted for Designrr, expanded with more Scriptures (e.g., Romans 14 on not despising one another, Acts 10:34–35 on no partiality with God), or turned into a corporate declaration liturgy, let me know.

Grace upon grace to you and Kingdom Life Church, Pastor Clay