Galatians 3:26 29 One In Christ

Target year level: Year Ten

Scripture text

The Text

World behind the text

Paul is the author of this text. Paul was a Christian Jew, or Jewish Christian, and went on many missionary journeys to spread the teachings of Jesus. There is debate over the identity of the Galatians centering on whether the audience was all Gentiles or a mix of Jews and Gentiles.

Theologian, Michael Fallon, says of Paul that it is important to know that Paul was Jewish but that he was not trying to convert the Gentiles to Judaism but rather to share in the mission of Jesus. Paul had already been to Galatia so would have had a relationship with them when writing this letter.

In general, the letter to the Galatians was to clarify what was important. The letter was to give instructions about certain practices. Paul did not expect the Gentiles to become Jews. It is not about differences and nothing should stop them from coming together in Christ’s love.

The text was written in Antioch and sent to the churches of southern Galatia shortly after Paul and Barnabas returned from their mission in the area in 47-48 CE before the Jerusalem assembly. Fallon places it in late 48 CE but, if it was written after the assembly, it may have been written from Ephesus in 53 CE.

Other missionaries were claiming that Paul was wrong to be saying that the Gentiles didn’t need to take on Jewish practices. Paul uses his letter to remind his Jewish brothers and sisters of the mission given to them by God.

World of the text

The text type is ‘letter’. It was written with a sense of urgency. Letters would have been a common form of communication because of the distance between them.

Verse 27 highlights the very point Paul has made throughout the letter: “Baptised into Christ”, “Clothed yourselves in Christ”. The Galatians who have chosen baptism understand that they are joined with Christ and have publicly shared this commitment. For Paul to say ‘clothed in Christ’ means that believers are putting Christ on, joined through the spirit. The secondary differences listed in v. 28 all disappear then.

The closing verse reaffirms this: “Abraham’ s offspring, Heirs according to the promise.” Therefore, being Christ’s, they are also children of Abraham, (including the Gentiles) because being Christ’s has removed all other differences. Paul was making the point that it is not circumcision that brings the Gentiles to Christ but baptism.

This would have given comfort to the Gentiles who were not following Jewish Law. The use of repetition of the dualisms, Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, gives the idea that no differences separate them as Christians. They are one in Christ through baptism.

World in front of the text

This text reminds all Christians that Christ is at the heart of Christian unity. Baptism, teachings and mission of Jesus are common to all Christians.

It is a relevant text for the modern reader who is working to bring about Christian unity in the ecumenical spirit. The text might inspire modern readers to look beyond differences in their own communities to embrace commonalities.

Readers might explore what it means to clothe themselves in Christ, to take on Christ’s teachings, persona, or to walk in Christ’s shoes.

Readers might also rewrite the text using modern dualisms, depending on their cultural contexts.