All In Christ Part. 2

Reading of the Text

Galatians 3:28–29 ESV

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

We have covered how Paul argues in Galatians that justification comes by faith, not works - As the Judaizers argued that while Jesus is the messiah and faith in him is necessary, it is also necessary to be Jewish, or in the case of Gentile’s they must become Jewish by doing works of ritual law, but we also saw at the Jerusalem Council that they also believed that you must follow the law of Moses as well

A natural conclusion to justification by faith is that no condition other than faith is required for salvation, which destroys any differences of race, nationality, social status, wealth, sex, etc. as barriers to Christ as seen in verse 28

So today’s question is, “What does it mean that believers are all one in Christ?”

To be in Christ

Paul doesn’t expound upon what it means to be one in Christ here, other than what we’ve already learned last lesson, so we will look to some other scripture to shed light onto what it means to be one in Christ

In the Epistle to the Ephesians we get the most explicit explanation to this question

Ephesians 2:11–3:6 ESV

11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. 1 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

After Paul reminds the Gentiles of their salvation by the gracious gift of God to save them from their former condition of spiritual death v.1-10, he calls them to remember the division between themselves and the Jews, but also their separation from the covenant of promise, having no hope and without God in the world v.11-12

But now they have been brought near by the blood of Christ, which is to have access to God by Christ’s sacrifice, but also with Christ as our peace unifies Jew and Gentile and to extension all different forms of diversity together by the atoning work of Christ on the Cross. The dividing wall of hostility may be referring to a wall on the outer courtyard of the Jerusalem temple warning the gentiles that they would be to blame for their own death if they passed through the outer wall into the inner courts, pointing to the uncleanliness of the Gentiles as we discusses last lesson v.13-14

Christ fulfilled the law(moral law, ritual law, and the prophets)