thinking bible.

You asked

where do modern distinctions like nationality, wealth, or gender still create division in groups seeking unity?

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 neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Paul, a prominent early Christian missionary, is writing to churches in the region of Galatia (modern-day Turkey). He's addressing a significant conflict about whether non-Jewish followers of Jesus need to adopt Jewish practices, like circumcision, to be part of God's people. This verse is part of his argument that faith, not ethnic identity or social status, is what truly unites them.

What old assumptions about belonging might we need to let go of to truly welcome everyone?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

  • Colossians 3:11

    Echoes the idea that ethnic, social, and cultural distinctions are superseded in Christ.

  • 1 Corinthians 12:13

    Explains that all believers, regardless of background, are united by one Spirit into one body.

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