One in Christ

Introduction

There is a song that many of you likely know if you have been involved in any form of children’s ministry in the past 40

“Father Abraham had many sons and many sons had Father Abraham. I am one of them and so are you so let’s just praise the Lord.”

However, upon doing some research to determine the age and origin on the song it turns out that there are several variations of this song.

There isn’t a strong recorded history of the song so it’s hard to really determine what came first.

From what I could find the original was written by a Dutch musician named Pierre Kartner, who later adopted the stage name of Vader Abraham, or Father Abraham. In his version the song went “Father Abraham had 7 sons, they never laughed they never cried…” Though the lyrics changed the dance stayed the same.

Which is odd because if you look at Genesis 25:2 Abraham, the patriarch, had 6 sons with his second wife… totally 8 sons. Thus, if this version was the original it didn’t have anything to do with the patriarch. Though I saw one suggestion that it was about the woman and her 7 songs in 2 Maccabees 7 - which is a wild story if you’re familiar with it.

Now what I can gather happened is that…

At some point it became a camp song - and later became a Christian camp song, where they had applied Genesis 12 and Galatians 3 to the song and thus it became what it is today.

In the children’s song we sing:

That we are Abraham’s sons.

I remember being a kid thinking “What does this mean? My dad’s name is David.” And I’m sure little girls singing it are wondering “Why am I singing that I am Abraham’s son and not Abraham’s daughter?”

Not sons and daughters but sons… and that’s not being gender exclusive - but rather emphasizing something important - adn we’ll get there.

And at some point people missing the significance of sons created a weaker version of the song that sang “Father Abraham had many kids”

Making it gender neutral… now you may not see an issue with that - especially since we just read that in Christ there is neither male nor female. However, that weakened form of the song is a significant statement - and it misunderstands Galatians 3:28-29, and Galatians 4:5-7 - which we will look at next week.

It is amazing that I took for granted the theology of Father Abraham

Let us look to the text and see what Paul is teaching us and how that is reflected in this children’s song…

Guardianship

In the first few verses here Paul recaps his argument from above. Paul is working to make this argument as clear to his readers as possible.

He continues the metaphor that he used in verse 22 of the law being a prison.

Before faith we were held captive under the law.

As we read last week in Galatians 3:22 “But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin…” The law being given to curb sin, to reveal sin, and as Romans 5:20 tells us to increase sin, so grace might increase.

And thus before faith came, verse 23, we were held captive under the law. And as a reminder from what we have looked at in previous week the law was never intended to bring salvation, or justification. The law could never save - and that the error of what they are believing in Galatia.

And as I mentioned last week, the law isn’t bad - though the law imprisoned us the law was our guardian. Or maybe more helpfully as the Legacy Standard Bible states: a tutor.

A guardian in Greek and Roman families was a slave who was responsible for a child’s training from when they were 6 until they were 16. They pointed out and punished misbehavior. So does the law.

But yet both guardian and tutor convey a similar idea that Paul seems to be suggesting here. A tutor isn’t the teacher. The guardian isn’t the parent.

And in our legal sense a guardian is someone whom the court has placed over a minor for a period of time - until they are able to care for themselves and make their own decisions.

The law cared for us for a time, but it held us captive - under an unbearable standard.

The guardianship of the law ends when Christ came, verse 24 - as the care of the law - that kept us imprisoned was no longer necessary since we might be justified by faith.

When Christ came - the guardian was dismissed - so that Christ may be our Lord and master.

Word Pictures in the New Testament (Galatians 3:24)

The pedagogue [guardian] is dismissed. We are in the school of the Master.

Paul then begins to introduce the adoption language that he will use more heavily in chapter 4. After Christ came we no longer needed the law as a guardian because we were adopted as sons of God.

Sonship

Now that the guardian is no longer needed through faith we are all sons of God.

Now before we get to the part about their being neither male nor female Paul writes that we are all sons of God. And I would encourage you to not be quick to think “that means sons and daughters” or just simplify that to children.

This becomes a little more clear in next week’s text as the language of heirs is brought up - however, when Paul is referring to adoption as sons, or that we are all sons of God. There is an important concept behind that idea. Who receives the inheritance? Sons do. So it’s not about gender but it’s about the privileges received.

(Now there are texts that refer to us as children of God - so it’s not a universal

And yet also consider again who Paul is speaking to in this letter. He is writing to gentile converts in the Galatian churches. These aren’t Jewish converts to Christianity. And thus in Paul’s assertion that they are by faith sons of God - he is affirming that their faith is sufficient for them to be welcomed into family.

They are not sons of God by works, or by birth, but they are sons of God by faith.

We’ve been discussing justification by faith for the past several weeks and here Paul moves to the related doctrine of adoption. While they are both connected in what happens upon the Holy Spirit’s regeneration of dead sinners - in justification we are declared forgiven in Christ - made righteous before God, in adoption we are welcomed into the family.

They are connected but distinct benefits of faith in Christ Jesus.

Paul then makes this interesting statement in verse 27. Those who are justified by faith and then baptized. The New Testament knows nothing of a non-baptized convert to Christianity. The only exception being the thief on the cross. But in the book of Acts the trend is that following conversion baptism occurs.

Galatians 3:27 ESV

27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Jesus gave us as Christians two ordinances - baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Here Paul closely associates salvation with Baptism. This does not follow that Baptism saves - that would undermine the entire theme of Galatians wouldn’t it? Paul has just argued in depth that it is not works or obedience to the law that save - but rather that Faith in Christ Jesus is what saves. Rather, it seems much more reasonable that Paul is asserting that there is no reason why a believer in Christ Jesus would not be baptized. I’ve heard some people argue that since baptism “doesn’t do anything” it isn’t significant. While baptism doesn’t add anything to the already finished work of Christ that does not mean it is insignificant. It is a meaningful act and symbol. It is spiritually good for the individual and it is spiritually good for the church. It reminds us of the gospel that has been accomplished that we were raised to new life in Christ.

Also Jesus told us to do it - and while we are not saved by works, but by faith - our obedience to his commands demonstrate that we have indeed been saved.

So while baptism doesn’t accomplish salvation - it is significant and deeply meaningful and it is a demonstration of our obedience.

Then he states that as you have been baptized in Christ - put on Christ. Paul really builds onto this put on/put off language in the book of Colossians 3. He gives this long list of deeds of the flesh to put off so that they might put on the deeds of righteousness.

Colossians 3:9 ESV

9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices

And thus when Paul tells us to Put on Christ he similarly states this in Colossians 3:12-14

Colossians 3:12–14 ESV

12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Oneship

Yes, that is a word… though I didn’t think it was until after I decided to use it - and then proceeded to google it.

In verse 28 Paul steps away from his adoption metaphor to which he will return in chapter 4. He speaks of how Christians should consider one another. This is a verse that is quick to be hijacked by those trying to force the text

So Paul isn’t contradicting himself in saying you are sons of God, and then saying there is no male of female.

Paul also isn’t making a progressive statement about transgenderism. You may laugh… BUT I heard that argument recently.

So Paul is NOT saying that ethnicity doesn’t exist, or that gender is just social construct. But rather Paul is asserting these social distinctions are broken down. There is no dividing wall of Jew or Greek, or Male or Female.

The differences are not obliterated. Paul maintains gender roles and distinctions in Colossians 3, Ephesians 5, 1st Timothy 2 and 3, Titus 1 and 2.

While it might seem contradictory to Paul’s previously statement about being sons of God - Paul is actually reinforcing what he said above. Because there in Christ there is no preferred status between male or female. We are all sons of God through faith in Jesus.

And yet this extends beyond this for us:

There are no first class citizens in the kingdom of heaven. In the church setting we do not give preference to one ethnicity over another. We do not give preference

There is no room for racism, or classism or prejudice in the life of the church.

I was a member of a church many years ago that had a Spanish congregation - and it was unfortunately obvious that the members of the english speaking congregation viewed the Spanish speaking congregation as the lesser congregation… The pastor of the Spanish congregation however, was incredibly welcoming, and his son was the same. The whole church was welcoming… I sat in a few of their services and only understood a few words but was blessed.

Guess which one of those congregations no longer exists? And guess which one is still today flourishing?

We shouldn’t have white churches, or black churches, or apache churches, or

The members of the church should represent the community around them - but they should not be defined by social markers that are not as meaningful as our unity in Christ.

This DOES NOT MEAN that men and women do not have their appropriate roles with in the church or within the family - or that they are insignificant. Paul’s letters make this clear.

The most important thing about those who are in Christ - is that they are in Christ.

We are one in Christ. The Galatian churches were not to treat the jews as if they are the first class Christians and the gentile converts as if they were left overs. Just like we shouldn’t consider jewish converts to Christianity as if they are better - they do not get access to an express line into the kingdom of heaven. But rather through faith we are all offsprings of Abraham.

Several years ago as I was driving home from work late at night I was listening to the radio and over heard this story by a woman named Linda Gregory. She was talking about the first time that she met her husband’s family. Her husband is Korean. And she was worried that because she wasn’t Korean his family wouldn’t accept her. She learned to bow to be accepted when she met her then boyfriends family, but when she met them it wasn't time to bow, she instead hugged them. They welcomed her as family even though she was an outsider. And this is what happens in the family of God. Upon being justified by faith in Christ Jesus we are welcomed into the family. And there is a unity there that transcends culture. This woman didn’t stop being whatever ethnicity she was and become Korean - but the family didn’t care that she wasn’t Korean. They were happy to have a new daughter. She was welcomed in - and for those in Christ Jesus you are welcomed into the family of God - regardless of ethnicity, gender, social class, hair color… the most significant thing about those who are in Christ is that you are in Christ forgiven and free. And that is wonderful news.

Benediction:

Colossians 3:15–17 ESV

15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.