Peace and Being Up Lifting

Galatians 3:28 ESV

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.

CONTEXT

Galatians 1:6–9 ESV

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

Galatians 3:1 ESV

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.

CENTRAL THEME

Galatians 3:23–29 ESV

Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 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. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Galatians 3:23–29 summarizes the idea that God never intended the law to be the final solution for the problem of sin.

Instead, it was meant to ''guard'' mankind, until the arrival of Christ.

Freedom from the captivity of the law transcends all other barriers: race, gender, wealth, health, and culture are all irrelevant to our relationship with the Savior.

Anyone who belongs to Christ, by faith, is promised to be an heir.

Galatians 3:7–9 ESV

Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Faith in Jesus by obeying the Gospel breaks down the barriers between mankind

Free people hold no greater honor than slaves. Men are not superior to women. No race is a "master race," nor any ethnicity inferior.

HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?

Christ holds the most honored position in the family of God, and all Christians are "in Christ." In that way, we are one, we are united.

Since none can be higher and none can be lower, we are equal in the eyes of God.

Ephesians 2:14–15 ESV

For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 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,

John 10:16 ESV

And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

Recount Walter’s message on Romans 16:16

This is unique to Christianity. All other systems of religion and philosophy make different ranks, and endeavor to promote the distinctions of caste among people.

They teach that certain people are the favorites of heaven, in virtue of their birth or their rank in life, or that they have special facilities for salvation.

In India the Brahmin is regarded as, by his birth, the favorite of heaven, and all others are supposed to be of a degraded rank. The great effort of people, in their systems of religion and philosophy, has been to show that there are favored ranks and classes, and to make permanent distinctions on account of birth and blood.

Christianity regards all people as made of one blood to dwell on all the face of the earth

Acts 17:26 ESV

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,

1 Corinthians 12:12 ESV

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.