Galatians 3:28: Edit history

Context

Some in the Galatian churches insisted that Gentile believers must also be circumcised and keep the law. In chapter 3, Paul argues that Abraham was justified by faith and that the law was "our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ" (v. 24). In verses 26–27 he declares that "ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus" and that those baptized into Christ "have put on Christ." He then makes the declaration of verse 28 and concludes in verse 29 that believers are "Abraham's seed." Some have noted that the three pairs in verse 28 resemble the distinctions in a prayer of thanksgiving recited by Jewish men of the time.

Interpretation

• Equality in salvation: Complementarians hold that the verse teaches there is no distinction regarding who becomes a child of God and an heir of Abraham, that is, in one's standing in salvation. On this view, the verse does not abolish distinctions of role within the church. They read it alongside passages from the same period in which Paul addressed the roles of men and women (1 Corinthians 14:34; 1 Timothy 2:12).
• A principle that reshapes church order: Egalitarians hold that in the new community entered through baptism, hierarchies based on ethnicity, social status, and sex have been overturned, and that this principle should also apply to church offices. They also point to the women among Paul's coworkers (Romans 16).
• A focus on the Jew–Gentile question: Another interpretation holds that because the theme of Galatians is the circumcision of Gentiles, the first pair is central, and the other two pairs extend the same principle.

Debates and Issues

This verse is a leading text cited by proponents in the debate over the ordination of women. In the nineteenth-century debate over the abolition of slavery, opponents of slavery also appealed to it. This raises the question of whether, just as the interpretation of "bond nor free" broadened over time, the same principle should be applied to "male nor female." Most denominations reject interpretations that extend the verse to mean that the distinction between the sexes itself is abolished.

Related Passages

• Galatians 3:26–29
• Colossians 3:11
• 1 Corinthians 12:13
• Ephesians 2:14–16