Are the women sons? Galatians 3.

I don't have time to develop this topic fully, so you can check back over the weekend and I may update it. But the usage of "sons of God" in verse 3:26 really stuck out, especially in light of what Paul says next. Here are the verses that changed an empire:

For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female – for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-28 NET)

There is no doubt that in the Hebrew culture, women were not equal to men. I'm not talking about the difference between male and female, but their status in their society. In some ways, the Greco-Roman culture provided more rights to women, but their society, too, was male dominated. Something we should pay attention to is how Jesus and the church elevated women in the sight of God. There is a powerful expression of that idea in this passage, which proclaims both freedom and equality in Christ. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female - for all of you are one in Christ Jesus."

The removal of status and hierarchy was perhaps the most powerful witness of the good news in Christ, and the most effective demonstration of what it meant to be a Christian. Imagine a slave enjoying the same status before God as the master. Imagine what is was like for those who had always served, to be served. Turn that around, and imagine those who had always been served, now acting as servant. (As Jesus taught and demonstrated.) Here was a truly new thought, a new way of living that overcame the obstacles to becoming a Christian. (And there were many... we'll watch a video sometime this year that explains this more thoroughly.)

This is not to say that immediately all the slaves and servants were given their freedom, or that women no longer lived in a male-dominated culture. Even within the church, there were distinctions made between men and women. This is something we're still debating today, to see if we properly understand what Paul wrote about this, and, yes, we'll be discussing this when we get to the appropriate place. Nevertheless, as Paul said, any distinction before God, any thought of hierarchy in Christ, is wrong.

So why sons? Some new translations use the word "children." The Message bypasses the issue entirely, translating the Greek word into "direct relationship." In our society we miss the import of Paul's use of son. Fortunately, he describes why it's important that we, men and women, slaves and free, Jews and Gentiles, why all of us are sons of God. It's significant because we are the heirs to the promise to Abraham. In Paul's culture, inheritance was through and to the sons. We are all heirs. Since in our culture we typically don't distinguish between male and female when it comes to inheritance, "children" is an appropriate translation of the Greek. But for the full effect, an understanding of "sons" helps us see that Paul is elevating everyone to what his society considered the exalted position.

We too can change an empire. Think about what it means to be clothed in Christ. Now get dressed, go out, and do it.