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how might 'one in christ jesus' challenge modern social hierarchies or identity politics?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Galatians 3:28

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Christian communities in Galatia, likely around the mid-1st century CE. He was addressing a controversy about whether Gentile (non-Jewish) converts needed to follow Jewish law, particularly circumcision, to be part of God's people. This verse comes at the climax of his argument for salvation by faith, not by works of the law.

How might seeking unity beyond existing social markers change our approach to difference and belonging today?

Then — the setting

Paul wrote to a diverse group of early believers in the Roman province of Galatia (modern-day Turkey), where a significant number of Gentiles had recently converted. The major social markers of the time – ethnicity (Jew/Greek), social status (slave/free), and gender (male/female) – determined one's place and privilege in society. Paul's statement radically challenged the prevailing social order and the Jewish legalists who insisted on perpetuating ethnic and ritual distinctions within the new Christian community. It affirmed that baptism into Christ created a new identity that superseded these deeply ingrained societal divisions.

Across the Testaments

In the Old Testament, identity was often strongly linked to national and ethnic lines, particularly being a descendant of Abraham and a member of the covenant people Israel (e.g., circumcision was a key marker). This passage in Galatians redefines belonging: while the New Testament honors Israel's heritage, it shifts the primary basis of belonging from ethnic lineage or legal observance to a shared spiritual identity 'in Christ.' This new identity creates an inclusive community that fulfills the Abrahamic promise of blessing for all nations, not by erasing distinctions, but by elevating a unifying spiritual bond above them.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Colossians 3:11
Echoes this passage by stating that in Christ there is no Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man.
1 Corinthians 12:13
Explains that all believers, regardless of background, are baptized by one Spirit into one body.
Ephesians 2:14-16
Describes Christ breaking down the 'dividing wall of hostility' between Jew and Gentile, creating one new humanity.

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