For example, S. Lewis Johnson Jr. [in Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood] recognizes that Galatians 3:28 nullifies the distinctions of race, social rank and sex in the church, but he believes it has to do with our equality as sons and daughters of God, not our social roles.[1] But the only social role Johnson [who is a Gentile] believes is still valid is female subjection, for he maintains that although Paul was not about to abolish slavery, he provided the justification for the future abolishing of the institution.[2]
Our oneness and being in Christ can hardly be only about access to God as sons and daughters of God, for in Genesis, a Gentile female slave named Hagar approached God with the same ease as the Jewish freeborn male, Abraham. In other words, if nothing has changed, why is being in Christ so very important for Paul?
Let's look what Paul has to say about being in Christ in general.
Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others (Rom 12:4-5, NIV).
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink (1 Cor 12:12-13, NIV).
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
(2 Cor 5:17, NIV)
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise (Gal 3:26-29, NIV).
This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus (Eph 3:6, NIV).
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me (Phil 1:21-26, NIV).
Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all (Col 3:9-11, NIV).
We form one body.
We are a new creation.
We have clothed ourselves with Christ.
We share the promise of the eternal inheritance.
We have put off the old self and on the new self.
We belong to each other, and as a body we belong to Jesus, our head.
When we take all of the above into account, it becomes clear that forming one body has less to do with our access to the Holy of Holies than it has to do with how we treat the other members of the body. If we belong to each other, how should we treat each other?
In his letter to the Ephesians he told the people of God to tell the truth in love so the body would in all things grow into its head, Jesus, and become mature, lacking nothing (Eph 4:15-16). In his letter to the Colossians, Paul told the people of God not to lie to each other since they had taken off the old self that had become corrupt through sin, and put on the new self that is re-created to reflect the Image of God, where there is neither Jew or Gentile, free or slave, male or female (Col 3:9-11, NIV).
The Image of God is at the heart of the meaning of Galatians 3:28. Our being in Christ has renewed the Image of God in us; we can once again reflect the goodness of God without the "flesh" getting in the way, and without the law condemning us to death due to our failure to perfectly obey the law. Through the body of Jesus, we have died to the law so we may belong to Jesus - be in Christ (Rom 7:4). The New Covenant freedom doesn't mean lawlessness though, for we are now under the law of Christ, which compels us to love and serve others.
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends (John 15:12-13, NIV).
Because we belong to each other as members of the same body, we should through love give greater honor to those who do not possess worldly honor, who are weaker, and in need of more care and concern. We should do this to create unity and avoid dividing the body, for we are one in Christ (1 Cor 12:24-26, NIV).
But clearly we are still slaves and freeborn, male and female, Jewish and Gentiles. How does the Image of God, and us being in Christ, remove those distinctions if they still remain? First of all, we are created in the Image of God, God is not created in our image. We all reflect God's glory, regardless of our earthly differences. Secondly, the differences vanish as we become part of the body of Christ, for how can one person by a slave and freeborn, male and female, Jewish and Gentile, at the same time? We are in Christ, we are all the one new self God has re-created in Christ. We have all died to the old life, we are a new creation. What we used to be, no longer exists. We are in Christ, part of his body, so we may bear fruit to God (Rom 7:4).
To live for us is Christ. We don't belong to ourselves any longer; we belong to Jesus
For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord (Rom 14:7-8, NIV).
A part of the body cannot separate itself from the body without dying. Similarly, we cannot separate ourselves from Jesus and bear fruit to God.
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me (John 15:3-4, NIV).
The new self, re-created in the Image of God, is created to do good in Christ.
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Eph 2:10 NIV).
Good works are something we do to others. Paul said that he desired to depart and be with Christ, but he knew that by remaining in the body was essential for his work would bear fruit; he would be able to help the Philippians progress in their faith. Being in Christ makes us consider also the interests of others.
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others (Phil 2:1-4, NIV).
Instead of being self-seeking, and demand that others serve us, we should in humility consider others better than ourselves, whether the others are Jews or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, because it is the mind of Christ, and we are in Christ (Phil 2:5).
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