thinking bible.

You asked

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

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

Galatians 3:28

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

The apostle Paul wrote this letter to Christian communities in Galatia (modern-day Turkey) in the mid-first century CE. He was addressing a debate about whether non-Jewish followers of Jesus needed to adopt Jewish law and customs, like circumcision, to be considered part of God's people. In this verse, he makes a bold statement about identity within the new community of Jesus followers.

What systems or categories do we use today to define worth or belonging that this passage might challenge?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

  • Colossians 3:11

    This verse reiterates the dissolving of ethnic, social, and cultural distinctions within Christ.

  • 1 Corinthians 12:13

    This passage uses the metaphor of one body to describe unity despite diverse origins and social statuses.

  • Ephesians 2:14-16

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

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