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how did the early church handle a deeply divided society?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Galatians 3:28

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is no male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Paul wrote this letter to Christian communities in Galatia, a region in modern-day Turkey, likely in the mid-1st century CE. He was addressing some significant disagreements about whether Gentile (non-Jewish) believers needed to follow Jewish law to be true followers of Jesus. This verse comes in a section where Paul explains that faith in Jesus, not adherence to the law, is what makes one a child of God.

What does being 'one in Christ Jesus' mean for how we treat people from different backgrounds or social standings?

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Read alongside it

  • Colossians 3:11

    This verse from Paul reiterates the idea that in Christ, traditional social and ethnic distinctions no longer define identity.

  • 1 Corinthians 12:13

    Paul uses the metaphor of a single body with many parts to describe unity in diversity within the early Christian community.

  • Ephesians 2:14-16

    Paul speaks of Jesus breaking down the 'dividing wall' between Jew and Gentile, creating one new humanity.

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