Galatians 3:27 29 Baptism

Target year level: Year Eight

Scripture text

Introduction

The text is part of the Letter or Epistle of Paul to the Galatians, a people with Celtic origins living in the Roman Province of Galatia in Asia Minor (present day Turkey). Galatians 3:27-29 sits within a section of the epistle - Chapters 3 and 4 - dealing with doctrinal matters. Paul is robustly defending his own understanding and presentation of Christian doctrine against opponents in the Galatian Church who wish to impose Jewish practices on Christians.

World behind the text

Galatia was a Roman province in central Asia Minor. It had been settled by immigrant Celts around 270 BCE and retained features of Celtic culture and language in Paul's day. Acts records Paul as travelling to the region of Galatia and Phrygia. The churches of Galatia seem to have been mostly composed of converts from pagan religions. Judaizers in the Galatian churches were causing confusion by proposing an alternative teaching to Paul’s, emphasising salvation through the Mosaic Law. The Judaizers were probably Jewish Christians who taught that Christians could not be the true People of God unless they observed at least some aspects of Mosaic Law. The Epistle to the Galatians indicates that major points of controversy between the Judaizers and Paul included circumcision, Sabbath observance, and the Mosaic Covenant. The Judaizers appear to have questioned Paul's legitimacy and authority as an authentic apostle.

For further information on Galatians, see the New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE), Introduction to Galatians.

World of the text

For Paul, at the heart of the Gospel is the message of freedom from all that represses a person: religiously, racially, nationally, socially and in relation to gender. In this sense, faith in Jesus Christ makes the believer free. Galatians 3:27-29 affirms the common baptism and unity of all Christians in Jesus Christ. In this way, Christians have a unity and a freedom that transcends all the oppressions and barriers that society and culture construct. Paul refers to Abraham, the common father in faith, of Jews and Christians alike. Abraham inherited God’s promise precisely because of his faith. Galatians 3:27-29 is a summary of the implications of Paul’s argument in Chapters 3 and 4 of Galatians where he draws on human experience, scriptural proof and the Torah itself to argue his case.

World in front of the text

“Galatians stands as an eloquent and vigorous apologetic for the essential New Testament truth that people are justified by faith in Jesus Christ—by nothing less and nothing more—and that they are sanctified not by legalistic works but by the obedience that comes from faith in God’s work for them, in them and through them by the grace and power of Christ and the Holy Spirit.” (Introduction to Galatians, NIV Study Bible)

It was the rediscovery of the basic message of Galatians (and Romans) that brought about the Protestant Reformation. The Roman Catholic Church also teaches that people are justified by faith in Jesus Christ but also asserts that faith in Jesus Christ is expressed through good works. In contemporary times there has been important dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and Protestant Churches (Churches of the Reformation) about the meaning of ‘justification in faith’. Whatever the theological argument, it is certainly the case that individual Christians and the Denominations/Churches they belong to are one in Christ through Baptism. This Baptism is lived out through faith in Jesus Christ and through the good works carried out by individual Christians and Christian Churches in the name of Jesus Christ.