Before placing our faith in Christ, we were imprisoned and guarded, as we saw in last week’s article. Let’s also think about what we become after placing our faith in Christ. What does faith in the gospel do to us?
1. Sons of God (25-27)
But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (Galatians 3:25-27)
First, we become sons of God after faith in Christ (25-26). This idea presents us as graduates from the guardian, full-grown sons in God's sight (25-26). When first-century heirs reached adulthood, they were given garments that communicated their new status. Paul alluded to our new graduation attire when he said we have put on Christ (27). And if we have believed in Jesus, it is as if we have been fully immersed in him—or baptized into him—so we are fully identified with the actual Son of God (27). We are no longer under a guardian or imprisoned by the law. We are now his children.
Some object to the idea that the gospel makes us sons of God because it does not feel gender-inclusive. Why not God's children or even sons and daughters?
In the first century, to say that female believers became sons of God elevated them beyond anything their culture offered them. Only sons could be heirs in that Roman world; daughters could not inherit property in most ancient civilizations. So when Paul calls men and women who trust in Christ sons of God, he suggests that we receive the same inheritance, regardless of our gender.
I believe the father wound so many of us are nursing—along with the preoccupation therapists have with our dads and the mileage storytellers have gotten out of father stories—is an indication of the truthfulness of God's design. He made us with a fatherly longing that only he can satisfy, which can have incredible ramifications on our daily lives and inner health.
I also want to mention an exhortation to parents and anyone who works with the next generations. Though the law could regulate Israel, it could not transform their hearts within. For change to come, we needed to be changed, made into God's people. And though rules and commands are necessary to help a child become mature, civilized, and obedient, that should not be mistaken for true inner transformation. We should all be praying for and working toward ways to help children have an epiphany-like experience of Jesus so that their eyes would be opened to his grace (Ephesians 1:17-18, 14-21). Then, they can begin to grow at the heart level.
2. One in Christ (28)
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)
The second thing we become after faith is one in Christ Jesus (28). According to Paul, the ways humanity normally wars against itself are done away with in Christ. It is not that we lose our beautiful and God-given distinctions. In Christ, men are still men, women are still women, and cultures are retained and can be celebrated. Various classes find redemption and beauty because of Jesus. But before God and one another, we are all one in Christ Jesus (28).
Paul knew that once anyone from anywhere at any time trusts Christ, they are transferred into God's family and fully clothed with Christ. And that radical unification with Christ makes us radically unified to one another. This was important for the Galatians to hear because they were being told that, as Gentile believers, they were second-tier citizens in God's household. But the gospel makes us all one. Through him, the unity that so many crave across cultures, classes, and both genders is possible.
I should clarify that Paul is not arguing that our distinctions are erased because of Jesus. Some have taken this verse out of its biblical context to say that, specifically, gender is no longer something Christians should regard and that men and women are interchangeable.
In Scripture, even in Paul's writings, male and femaleness are upheld as relevant. Because they are, Paul gave instructions regulating our sexual activity, the position of elder/pastor in churches, and the roles of men and women within the context of marriage (Rom. 1:26-27, 1 Cor. 6:9, Eph. 5:22-33, Col. 3:18-19, 1 Cor. 11:2-16, 1 Tim. 9-15).
Christ had a different role than the Father, but no less dignity than the Father, while men and women have different roles from one another in certain spheres, yet no less dignity. It should be beautiful in Christ to know that we are a great complement to one another, yet one in him. No one is less than in any way—the gospel does this for us—and this can set us free from sameness and help us embrace our distinctions.
I hope we understand this when it comes to the first category Paul mentioned—cultural or racial distinctions. We should not have a color blindness that cannot appreciate the different races, cultures, and heritages represented within the church today. We are to celebrate that God's kingdom is comprised of every tribe, nation, and tongue (Rev. 4:9-10). Neither should we obliterate both genders by pretending they do not exist. Instead, we should celebrate men and women for what God has made them to be.
As much as many modern believers have misunderstood Galatians 3:28, I should also say that the church has often failed to practice it, even if they have understood it. Though we can rejoice over the progress the church has made regarding race relations–standing up to the grievous sin of the transatlantic slave trade, speaking out about inequality and racial prejudice, or fighting for biblical forms of justice–there are components of the church who still look down on others. Whether it be race, class, or gender looking down on one another, this has no place in the body of Christ.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that Paul is talking to those in Christ about what the gospel produces. He was not talking to Roman culture at large. But, as Christianity spread, transformed hearts and perspectives would have slowly changed Roman culture. Christian parents who had thought only their oldest son was worthy of an inheritance might have begun considering their daughters were worthy of one as well. Wealthy Christians who had gone along with Rome's version of slavery would have, through the gospel, realized how God saw every class of people. They would have slowly decided to set the captive free! Jews and Gentiles, understanding their unity before Christ, would have begun to practice that unity in their churches.
This would have begun to spread throughout everyday life as Christianity spread throughout the Roman world. This is one reason many—including me—believe that what the world needs most in our divided times is the unifying message of the gospel. It might be slow, but it is our only real hope. [1]
3. Abraham's Offspring (29)
And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. (Galatians 3:29)
The third thing we become after faith in Christ is Abraham's offspring (29). Belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ puts you in the line of Abraham—you are wrapped up in God's promises and plans to this father of faith!
It is hard to overstate how shocking this would have been to the Galatians. After the false teachers had circulated there, the non-Jewish Galatian Christians felt like second-class citizens in God's kingdom. How could they be truly special in God's sight since they were outside the Jewish community with all its ceremonies, laws, and codes? But now Paul says that they, and we, are part of Abraham's family! We are not outside God's program or even a secondary part of it. We are in!
We belong to the same class as the saints of old. Just as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were vital to God’s long and historical process of bringing his salvation plans to fruition, so are you and me. Biblical heroes like Moses, Joshua, and Samuel are not on one plane while we are on another. We are on the same level. We are Abraham's offspring because we are Christ's (29).
This truth does not negate God's continued plans for Abraham's biological descendants. God will one day revive his ancient people and fulfill the promises he made thousands of years ago. But we are Abraham's spiritual seed, considered part of God's program on the earth in every way. We are no afterthought.
If we are Abraham's offspring, we should let it sink in that our lives are not accidents. We are part of God's extensive and beautiful redemptive plan, a massive family tree connected to Abraham, the father of faith. Many have come before us, and we are part of them. And many will come after us—hopefully from us—and we are part of them as well.
[1] Keller, Timothy. 2013. Galatians For You. New Malden, England: Good Book Company.