Galatians 3: 28 – Liberating for women’s ministry? Or of limited application?

Abstract

The long standing debate over how to interpret Galatians 3:28 gets bogged down in two main ways. The first is disagreement over whether it only applies to our justification with God, or if it also has implications for our relationships with each other. In other words, is this passage just about our vertical relationship with God – soteriology - or does it also include the horizontal relationship we have with others – ecclesiology? The second problem hovers around an associated question: the nature of ‘equality in being’ but ‘difference in function’. Can a person be inherently equal if they are disqualified from certain roles they are capable of doing, and that disqualification is entirely based on their gender? This paper argues that the full context of Galatians demonstrates that Galatians 3:28 is in fact relevant for egalitarian social interaction as well as equality with God through justification. It then demonstrates how ‘equality in being’ but a ‘different function imposed on some people because of their essential being’, is self-contradictory and unsustainable. This discussion is critical for a more confident acceptance of the egalitarian position in church life today.