The Baptismal Promise (Galatians 3:28 NIV)

Posted: January 4th, 2023

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The Baptismal Promise (Galatians 3:28 NIV)

The controversial script of Galatians 3:28 NIV states that everyone is the same before the eyes of the Lord. Paul writes in the Bible verse (Galatians 3:28) that there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ. Paul in the Bible verse creates the impression that all baptized persons qualify to be full church members and no group definable by ethnicity, gender, legal, or social status might be barred from any form of church service. Vorster commends Galatians 3:28 for advocating for equality by asserting that the verse has often been cited in religious debates about racial discrimination, slavery, LGBT rights, and the ordination of female members in Church (2). The verse does not support some of the social practices in the church such as an authority that does not permit the ordination of women because of their gender. Galatians 3:28 supports Paul’s vision for social unity in a church that comprises members from all social subcultures, who, in Jesus Christ, acquire a social identity that exhibit family-like solidarity.

Today, religious scholars differ on the transparency of Galatians 3:28, maintaining that its interpretation in the ancient world is different from that of the contemporary world. Snodgrass feels that the thoughts of Apostle Paul in the Bible verse are being given new consideration in the modern time (72). Snodgrass further argues that the old issue, especially Paul’s relationship with Judaism and his perception of the law, continue to evoke more questions in contemporary studies (72). Galatians 3:28 has popularly become a mold that individuals alter to their preconceived concepts of gender and social ethics in society. The interpretations of male and female in the text do not come out clearly as to who has authority over the other or whether both genders enjoy the same status. 2 Corinthians 5:16, every individual who is baptized automatically becomes a new creation, and this new creation is a symbol of a new social order.

The radical idea that there was neither man nor female in Christ occurred in an era when everyone believed that the two genders were inherently dissimilar. However, the notion was deep-seated in the Pauline churches (Ehrman 368). Contemporary scholars have recognized the precedence of Paul’s words about the conversion after baptism. It is no wonder that women held leadership positions within the Pauline churches. Subsequently, women took Paul’s words to heart and realized that they were not inferior to any male, regardless of the opinion of church leaders. In contrast, the German reformer, Martin Luther (1483-1546), reminded women to obey their husbands and warns that if women were men, there would be total confusion (Johnson 1). While Galatians 3:28 portrays all faithful as having equal status in Christ, they may recognize submission in social spheres such as the family.

Verse 26 validates the equal status of all who have been baptized. Paul states in Galatians 3:26 that that everyone who has faith in Jesus is the son of Lord, which shows how everyone is the same before the Almighty. His words allows readers to interpret Galatians 3:28 as advocating the universal privilege enjoyed by all by becoming one with Christ, which was Paul’s agenda all along. Paul emphasizes the spiritual connection with Christ as the only distinctive privilege, and not any professed social or cultural distinctions. In Galatians 3:27, Paul extends his exposition, clarifying how the association of sonship emerged. He states that “through baptism, unifying incorporation into Him, the Galatians have put on Christ” (Corinthians 12:13; Romans 6:3-5). The relationship between baptism and equality is raised because of its consequent relation with Christ. In his own conversion, Paul learned that there is a deficiency of trust in the rite of circumcision as practiced according to the Old Covenant. If the faithful believed that water baptism was sufficient to unite them with Christ, then Galatians 3:28 would make greater sense (1 Corinthians 12:13). Paul in Galatians envisions a society devoid of the human distinctions of gender, social rank, and race, which was nullified by Jesus, and encourages everyone to see themselves as equal before God.

Galatians 3:28 is a contentious text for fundamental Christians, because it does not provide a distinction between gender, or religious affiliation. Instead, the text offers an inclusive view of society that is susceptible to manipulation by scholars and religious leaders to satisfy their own preconceived perspectives. In the text, Paul assumes the notion that the Gentiles were to live like the Jews after baptism that would foster a unique community as being the norm for the Pauline church. Such an outcome would reify cultural identity as a component of the church, which violates the baptismal formula that is proclaimed in Galatians 3:28. However, when Paul requires one culture to live like the other, or slaves to reside like freemen for the sake of unity, it follows that the gospel identifies the Hellenistic culture and acknowledges human distinction. The message of the text is that the faithful is fully identified with Christ after baptism, but this message fails to eradicate the social discrimination existent in society.

Works Cited

Ehrman, Bart D. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 2nd ed, Oxford University Press, 2000.

Johnson, Lewis. “Role Distinctions in the Church: Galatians 3:28.” Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism, edited by John Piper and Wayne Grudem, 4 Sept. 2014, pp. 148-160, https://cbmw.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/RBMW.pdf.

Snodgrass, Klyne. “Justification by Grace–to the Doers: An Analysis of the Place of Romans 2 in the Theology of Paul.” New Testament Studies, vol. 32, no. 1, 1986 pp. 72-93. doi:10.1017/S0028688500013515.

The Bible. New International Version, Biblica, 2011.

Vorster, Jakobus. “The Theological-Ethical Implications of Galatians 3:28 for a Christian Perspective on Equality as a Foundational Value in the Human Rights Discourse.” In die Skriflig, vol. 3, no. 1, 2019, pp. 1-9.