There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
3:28
— There is no longer a Jew or a Greek; — The main purpose of this letter was to combat the teaching that the Greek (Gentile) had to become a Jew (circumcised and keep the law) because only the Jew is acceptable to God. This text means that the Gentile brothers should leave the idea of being circumcised to become Jews, because in Christ there is no distinction between Jews and Gentiles, that in Christ this distinction lost its validity and that now there is equality and there must be unity. Paul says (Eph 2:14-16) that Christ removed the “middle wall of partition” (the law of Moses) and that now all are reconciled into one body (which is the church, Eph 1:22-23; Eph 4:4). — there is neither slave nor free; — Barclay says that there were about sixty million slaves in the empire in those days and that many of the members of the church were slaves. To many masters the slave was simply a living tool, but in Christ the distinction between slave and free (as well as between slave and master) is blurred, the main point being that the promise to Abraham includes everyone. — there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” — For many Greeks and also Jews, women were inferior to men in every way. It is said that some Jews thanked God that they were not born a Gentile, a slave or a woman. The Bible — and especially the New Testament — elevates women to a position of dignity and honor. This text has become the banner of feminists to demand the rights that according to them belong to them. They do not persevere in the doctrine of Christ (2Jn 1:9) by saying that if there is no distinction between male and female, then the woman can preach. The role of women in the church is presented in 1Co 11:3; 1Co 14:33-35; 1Ti 2:11-12but in this text (Gal 3:28) the only point is that the promise made by God to Abraham (the promise of salvation in Christ), is for everyone, without exception, and that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34-35; Romans 2:11). This verse proclaims that all distinctions — racial, economic, sexual, etc. — is blotted out in Christ. The bond of love can bear any distinction of this kind. The Lord did not establish one church for Jews and one for Gentiles, one for masters and one for slaves, one for one race and one for another race, and so on. There is only one body Eph 4:4.
Source: Commentary on the New Testament by Partain
There is no Jew. Gal 5:6; Romans 1:16; Romans 2:9, Romans 2:10; Romans 3:29, Romans 3:30; Romans 4:11, Romans 4:12; Romans 9:24; Romans 10:12-15; 1Co 7:19; 1Co 12:13; Eph 3:5-10; Col 3:11.
there is no male. 1Co 7:14.
because you are all one in Christ. Joh 10:16; Joh 11:52; Joh 17:20, Joh 17:21; 1Co 12:12; Eph 2:13-22; Eph 4:4, Eph 4:15, Eph 4:16.
Source: The Treasury of Biblical Knowledge
The context of this verse is justification by faith in Christ Jesusthe fact that Jesus redeemed all who believe in Him, whether Jew or Gentile (Gal 3:26-29; Gal 4:1-27). Racial, social, or gender distinctions that so easily divide do not prevent a person from coming to Christ to receive grace from him. Every person can equally become an heir of God and a recipient of his eternal promises (Gal 4:5-7).
Source: New Illustrated Caribbean Bible Commentary
MALE OR FEMALE. Paul eliminates all ethnic, racial, national, social and sexual distinctions regarding the spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ. All who are in Christ are joint heirs “of the grace of life” (1Pe 3:7), of the promise of the Spirit (v. Gal 3:14; Gal 4:6) and renewal in the likeness of God (Col 3:10-11). On the other hand, within the context of spiritual equality, men do not stop being men and women, women (Gen 1:27). Their God-appointed roles in marriage and in society remain unchanged (1Pe 3:1-4; see Eph 5:22-23grades; 1Ti 2:13; 1Ti 2:15grades).
Source: Full Life Study Bible
you are all one in Christ Jesus. All who are one with Jesus Christ are also one with each other. This verse does not deny that God has designed racial, social, and sexual distinctions among Christians, but it does affirm that those things do not imply spiritual inequality before God. This spiritual equality is also not incompatible with the God-ordained roles of leadership and submission in the church, society, and home. Jesus Christ, although he is equal in everything to the Father, assumed a posture and function of submission during his incarnation (Phil 2:5-8).
Source: MacArthur Study Bible
3:28 — There is no longer Jew or Greek; — The main purpose of this letter was to combat the teaching that the Greek (Gentile) had to become a Jew (circumcised and keep the law) because only the Jew is acceptable to God. This text means that the Gentile brothers should leave the idea of being circumcised to become Jews, because in Christ there is no distinction between Jews and Gentiles, that in Christ this distinction lost its validity and that now there is equality and there must be unity. Paul says (Eph 2:14-16) that Christ removed the “middle wall of separation” (the law of Moses) and that now all are reconciled in one body (which is the church, Eph 1:22-23; Eph 4:4).
— there is neither slave nor free; — Barclay says that there were about sixty million slaves in the empire in those days and that many of the members of the church were slaves. To many masters the slave was simply a living tool, but in Christ the distinction between slave and free (as well as between slave and master) is blurred, the main point being that the promise to Abraham includes everyone.
— there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” — For many Greeks and also Jews, women were inferior to men in every way. It is said that some Jews thanked God that they were not born a Gentile, a slave or a woman. The Bible — and especially the New Testament — elevates women to a position of dignity and honor.
This text has become the banner of feminists to demand the rights that according to them belong to them. They do not persevere in the doctrine of Christ (2Jn 1:9) by saying that if there is no distinction between male and female, then the woman can preach. The role of women in the church is presented in 1Co 11:3; 1Co 14:33-35; 1Ti 2:11-12, but in this text (Gal 3:28) the only point is that the promise made by God to Abraham (the promise of salvation in Christ), is for everyone, without exception, and that God no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34-35; Rom 2:11).
This verse proclaims that all distinctions — racial, economic, sexual, etc. — is blotted out in Christ. The bond of love can bear any distinction of this kind. The Lord did not establish one church for Jews and one for Gentiles, one for masters and one for slaves, one for one race and one for another race, and so on. There is only one body, Eph 4:4.
Source: Reeves-Partain Notes
The teaching of this verse follows from the statement of the previous verse. If baptism is the rite that symbolizes the new belonging to Christ and, therefore, the status of son and daughter of God, then the differences generated by circumcision have been abolished: There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is neither slave nor free; there is no male or female. A very literal translation of this phrase can generate interpretation difficulties, since in reality there are still differences between the six groups mentioned. In reality, it is about communicating that all these differences have ceased to generate privileges or preferences to be a son or daughter of God, and that in the new communities of believers in Christ, behaviors and values different from those of the rest of society govern. This new space and way of being is what Paul calls “being in Christ.” It is better to avoid translating there is noand opt for alternatives such as the following: «It no longer matters whether you are Jewish or Greek, slave or free, man or woman» (DHH96), «there is no longer a difference between who you are» (BL), «there is no longer a distinction» ( BA), “in reality, it is now completely irrelevant to be Jewish or not”.
Paul expresses the unity of all believers in Christ by the phrase you are all one in Christ Jesus, which means forming a united and harmonious whole, and not becoming a single person. We offer below some good translation alternatives: «If you are united to Jesus Christ, all are equal» (TLA), «because all of you are one within the scope of Christ Jesus» (Vidal: 99), «because being very united to Christ are like one person.”
must be translated in Christ Jesusas in the verse Gal 3:26since the original text offers the same expression in both verses.
Source: Commentary for Exegesis and Translation
Romans 10:12; 1Co 13:12; (watch Col 3:11).
Source: Hispano-American Interdenominational Translation
— non-Jewish: Lit. Greek. See note to Gal 2:3.
Source: Hispano-American Interdenominational Translation
CROSS-REFERENCES
f168 Rom 10:12
g 169 1Co 12:13; Col 3:11
h 170 Ac 2:17; 1Pe 3:7
i 171 Joh 17:21
Source: New World Translation
28 (1) See note 11 (two) from Col 3.
28 (two) Differences between races and nationalities.
28 (3) Differences in social rank.
28 (4) Differences between the sexes.
28 (5) The believers are one in Christ by His resurrection life and His divine nature, to be the new man, as mentioned in Eph_2:15. This new man is completely in Christ. There is no room for our natural being, our natural tendency, or our natural character; in this new man, Christ is all, and in all (Col_3:10-11). This unity in Christ is realized through baptism, which ends all divisive distinctions and brings believers into divine organic union with the processed Triune God, resulting in believers having the subjective certainty that they are one. .
Source: New Testament Commentary Recovery Version
lit., and
Source: The Bible of the Americas
EITHER slave.
Source: The Textual Bible III Edition
?V. 28th:? ?There is no longer a Jew or a Greek; there is neither slave nor free; there is neither male nor female.? «You are just, says Paul, «not because you are a Jew and because you keep the law, but because you believe in Christ? And so you have dressed as Christ. Why, then, do you allow yourselves to be drawn into Judaism by the false apostles?’ ?he also does not take any other observance into consideration. It is characteristic of humane and legalistic justifications to divide into sects and make distinctions according to works. Some confess ?promote and follow one thing, the others another. In Christ instead, all things are common to all,? ?all is one and one is all. Later, in chap. 5 (v. 6), Paul says: «In Christ Jesus nor circumcision? ?it is worth something, not uncircumcision, but faith and (6: 15) a new creation». Hence the Christian or believer? ?Be a…