LET ME SAY RIGHT AT THE OUTSET that I do not think that there is, that there can be, or that there ever has been such a thing as intrinsic equality among human beings on this planet. But it also doesn’t matter. To try and force equality on this world is an affront to nature, to freedom, and is more a vestige of Stalinism than democracy. Certainly, we are all equal at the most basic level of having the gift of life itself and a common humanity, being human beings. But that is where it stops.

Neither can equality ever be socially engineered. If everyone in the world was given a million pounds/dollars/euros/whatever (thus supposedly making them equal financially) what do you think would happen within a very short time? Do I really need to spell it out? The attainment of equality has become a shibboleth to which people will cling even if that shibboleth can be shown to be based on a false premise. My position is that to seek an unattainable equality is pointless when a much more fruitful aim should be to encourage all people everywhere to discover and reach their full potential in the use of their talents and abilities, regardless of the achievements of others. Comparing oneself to others unfavourably is always a worthless road to go down.

This is a message for homes and places of education. Far too much parenting and educating is based on manipulating or engineering a child or young person into conforming to the expectations of the parents or educational establishment or society in general (and even then they still wouldn’t be “equal”) rather than developing his or her own unique abilities.

In any society in which there has been at attempt to force equality on the population, one still ends up with an elite (or elites) — a reality which was well-demonstrated in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” wherein although the animals were at first equal, this soon disintegrated into a situation in which “all animals are equal but some are more equal than others”. Ya gotta love Orwell’s humour.🤣 It was a great parody of communism.

I would never expect to be equal to everyone else. I know that I am not the equal of many people in respect of their abilities, talents, wealth and aptitudes. It is plain that people in this world are not equal. In fact, equality is a fantasy. Some have more natural intelligence than others; some excel in certain natural gifts which others do not possess; some are born into royalty, others are born into servility; some, because of their drive and ambition are able to achieve worldly success, while others can barely make it above the breadline. I am not the equal of Daniel Barenboim as a pianist or conductor. I will never be the equal of Isambard Kingdom Brunel as a bridgebuilder. I will never have the composing talents of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. I can never be the equal of Lewis Hamilton as a racing driver or Mo Farah as an athlete. I will never be able to equal the wealth of the King of England. There are guys who can work on the roads all day every day through winter. I can’t. Just couldn’t do it. Their ability to work outdoors in all weathers is superior to mine and I am grateful to them for it. I know that I am not the equal of many who are superb at art, drawing, painting, poetry and other creative abilities. I could never do what they do naturally and I am deeply grateful for their natural talent. But just because I am actually inferior to someone else because they are actually superior to me in respect of a certain aspect of life does not mean that I should feel inferior. Do you understand my distinction here? For feeling inferior is very different to being inferior. The big problem is that people are all screwed-up about feeling inferior to others, instead of being grateful for and revelling in the actual superiority of those others. There is nothing wrong with such superiority, so long as it is not exploited as a means to put others down, but is used for the good of all.

I rejoice in the greater talents, gifts and abilities of others. I have no envy for those who have more than me (they have their own problems to deal with!). I may be able to make some improvements in my life as a musician, engineer, athlete or in my bank balance, but I submissively accept that I am not the equal of others, and never can be. While we may be able to make some small changes in our own lives or in the circumstances of others locally (because those who have more should always try to help those who have less), these are all situations which no one can finally transform on a global basis. The reality of life in this world is that people are not equal. Very often this is because God Himself has placed us in certain positions in this world and graced us with certain gifts (or not). Inequality is the reality of life in this world. Why can we not just accept that? It’s no big deal. Just because someone can do something that I cannot should not be a cause of envy or resentment.

However, it is not inequality itself which is the problem. The real problem is the way that people either invent inequalities (e.g. colour of skin) or channel inequality into injustice. Legislation may be able to enforce some change in terms of invented inequalities or in the way that inequality can become injustice; but it cannot eradicate the reality of natural inequality, for this is the result not only of living in a fallen world but also of the fact of diversity of abilities. Everyone’s abilities should really complement each other rather than being seen as a cause for envy or resentment.

Actually, most ideas about equality in this world come from people who speak conveniently from a position of privilege, or they are based on the politics of envy.  The predominant thinking today is that no one must be made to feel that they are not the equal of another, or that they possess less than another in gifts or property.  This is the result of that truth-suppressing development known as “political correctness” (which is essentially Stalinist or Maoist in conception). But whatever anyone’s motives, they cannot eradicate inequality.

One thing we have to do is distinguish between natural inequalities and manufactured inequalities. For example, in the interests of fairness and to avoid resentments, parents should treat their children equally in terms of love, affection and gifts. But if a parent favours one child over another, then that is a manufactured inequality, which is obviously poor parenting and likely to create problems for the children in later life (e.g. the favoured one develops an inappropriate sense of entitlement while the disfavoured one harbours a grudge rooted in sibling rivalry and acquires an inferiority complex with feelings of jealousy towards those who have more than they do in any respect).

But just because I am not as capable as someone in respect of a certain ability (they can race a bike or climb mountains) or they have more than me in some respect (bank contents, size of car, designer clothing, volume of house, etc.), does not mean that I should feel inferior to them. For that is very different. I may not be as good at something as someone, but I have a choice either to become better at it or, failing that, to put my energies into something else. If I am unable to improve due to having less strength or less natural talent for it, then I wish them well. Frankly, I love it when people are brilliant at stuff that I can’t do. I love brilliance in others. The world needs brilliance, so I rejoice in it.

The problem is that the idea of attainable equality has become a shibboleth to which people will cling even if that shibboleth can be shown to be based on a false premise. It’s not equality which needs changing but our attitudes. Obviously, it is wrong for those who are capable in any area of life to ‘lord it’ over those who are not as capable. Furthermore, one can say that it is counterproductive at best, harmful at worst, to encourage people to try and be equal to others if they are incapable of being so. Such crazy competitiveness is only going to create resentments and other dysfunctional attitudes. Not only that but it is inevitably going to be a lowest common denominator kind of “equality” which is achieved. For if someone is not as good at something as someone else, the easiest and only way to create parity is for the one who is better at it to cut back on his or her abilities. Thus, although there may be a subsequent appearance of equality, it has been achieved at the expense of the fullness of accomplishment. A poisoned chalice.

Therefore, one has to simply realise that equality in all respects is unattainable. Obviously, one wants to create equality of opportunity, but that is a different matter altogether and does not guarantee equality of accomplishment across society.

By this point, some of you may be saying, “What about Galatians 3:28? Doesn’t that mean that everyone is equal?” To which I reply: No it does not. That verse is simply declaring that all disciples of Christ stand on the same footing of sonship before God, whatever their outward attributes may be. It has nothing to do with equality in the world. So it is true to speak of “equality before God” in terms of the believer’s membership of, and status in, the Kingdom of God. This does not detract from the fact that Jews historically had an advantage over others because “they were entrusted with the oracles of God” (Romans 3:2). Neither does it abolish the fact that in this present world there will be servitude. Nor does it alter the divinely-ordained fact that “the head of the woman is man” (1 Corinthians 11:3). But it does mean that in terms of qualification for, and membership of, God’s kingdom, our natural and cultural differences count for nothing. In other words, no matter what inequalities there are in human terms, people can only become “one” with one another when they are “in Christ Jesus”. This is the only kind of genuine “equality” which can be found in this present world; and it is one which will carry over into the new creation which Christ will bring into being when He returns.

So you may go on to say, “If all are made in the image of God, then doesn’t that make everyone equal?” To which I reply: No it does not. It makes everyone of equal worth humanly speaking, but it does not mean that equality reigns across the board in all respects. It does mean that — despite the fact that the image of God in humans is savagely defaced by sin as a result of the Fall — one should not take the life of another (Genesis 9:6). But that still does not mean that all are equal in all respects. Besides, the righteousness and holiness aspects of the image of God which were lost in the Fall are being restored in disciples of Christ (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10). So you could say that creates an inequality right there — a good one!

It is certainly true to speak of “equality before God” in terms of Divine judgement. Although everyone will not receive the same judgement from God (because they will be judged according to their own works), everyone is judged by Him on the same basis: “Whoever does wrong will be repaid [by God] for his wrong, and there is no favouritism” (Colossians 3:25). This is universally true. “For God does not show favouritism” (Romans 2:11) based on any human qualities (or inequalities!). In other words, death is the great leveller: “For we brought nothing into the world, so we cannot carry anything out of it” (1 Timothy 6:7). Intelligence (or lack of it), social status (or lack of it), ambition and success (or lack of it), education (or lack of it), will make no difference whatsoever when we have to stand before the throne of God after the end of our lives here. For He is the “Father who judges each one’s work impartially” (1 Peter 1:17). Thus, there will definitely be equality when we all have to stand before God in the end.

Therefore, we have to conclude by realising that just as there is no justice in this world, so there is also no equality in one’s life in this world in its present form. To try and create it is to chase the unattainable. Rather than trying to cobble together some vain notion of equality, we should be striving to develop those talents and abilities that we have been uniquely given, regardless of whether or not they are ‘as good as’, or ‘better than’, anyone else’s. We are not here to conform to the norms of this world with its petty resentments and focus on disparities between people. That is a loser’s game.

The final word here must be that to become a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ not only brings personal salvation but it also brings an understanding and actual experience of what true “equality” is really all about, which is spiritual and a fruit of the Spirit. May we all be found with that understanding.

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© Copyright, Alan Morrison, 2026
[The copyright on my works is merely to protect them from any wanton plagiarism which could result in undesirable changes (as has actually happened!). Readers are free to reproduce my work, so long as it is in the same format and with the exact same content and its origin is acknowledged]

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