Have you ever felt divided from other believers because of background, status, or differences? In a world that often highlights what separates us, race, culture, class, politics, or even gender, the church can sometimes reflect those same divisions. Yet the gospel declares something revolutionary: in Christ, those old barriers lose their power to divide. We become one new family.
The apostle Paul makes this bold statement in Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
This verse sits at the heart of Paul’s argument in Galatians. The churches in Galatia faced pressure from false teachers who insisted that Gentile believers needed to adopt Jewish practices, like circumcision, to be fully part of God’s people. They were creating a two-tier Christianity: Jewish believers on one level and Gentiles on another, unless they became like Jews. Paul refuses to allow such division. He insists that faith in Christ unites everyone equally.
The three pairs Paul mentions cover the major divisions of the ancient world. “Jew nor Greek” addresses ethnic and religious distinctions. Jews were God’s covenant people, while Gentiles were outsiders. “Slave nor free” speaks to social and economic status. Slavery was widespread, and slaves had no rights or inheritance. “Male nor female” points to gender roles, where women often had limited standing in religious and social life.
Paul does not say these differences disappear entirely. Ethnicity, social position, and gender still exist in daily life. What he declares is that none of them determines a person’s standing before God or their place in the body of Christ. In Christ, these distinctions lose their dividing power. They no longer create hierarchy or exclusion within the family of God.
This unity flows from justification by faith. Earlier in the chapter, Paul explains that all who believe are sons of Abraham and heirs according to the promise (Galatians 3:29). The promise to Abraham always included blessing for all nations through his Seed, Christ (Galatians 3:8, 16). Faith, not law-keeping or heritage, makes anyone an heir. Therefore, every believer shares the same status: accepted, adopted, and equally loved.
Paul reinforces this in Galatians 3:26-27: “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Baptism symbolizes union with Christ. When we are clothed with Him, we wear His righteousness. No one stands higher or lower based on human categories. We all stand in the same righteousness.
This truth challenges every form of favoritism or prejudice. James 2:1-4 warns against showing partiality, and Paul himself confronts Peter for withdrawing from Gentile believers out of fear of Jewish critics (Galatians 2:11-14). The gospel demands that the church visibly live out this unity. The world should see a community where divisions melt away because of Christ.
In our time, these same dividing lines persist. Ethnic tensions, economic gaps, and debates over gender roles can fracture churches. Social media amplifies differences and tempts us to align more with our group than with Christ. Yet Galatians 3:28 calls us back to the cross, where every barrier was torn down.
Ephesians 2:14-16 describes it vividly: “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross.”
Christ did not just forgive individuals. He created a new humanity. The cross reconciles us vertically to God and horizontally to one another. The dividing wall is gone.
Living this unity requires intentional effort. It means listening to brothers and sisters from different backgrounds without defensiveness. It means valuing every member of the body, from the prominent to the overlooked (1 Corinthians 12:21-26). It means rejecting any teaching or attitude that elevates one group over another in the church.
This does not erase cultural diversity or unique roles. Scripture honors differences in gifting, calling, and even some distinctions in family and church order. But none of those gives superior status in Christ. A wealthy believer is not more spiritual than a poor one. A person from one ethnicity is not closer to God than another. Men and women are equally heirs of grace.
The beauty of this unity is that it reflects the triune God. Father, Son, and Spirit are distinct yet perfectly one. The church, though diverse, mirrors that oneness in Christ.
If you struggle with feelings of exclusion or superiority, return to Galatians 3:28. In Christ, you are fully included. No credential or lack of it can add to or subtract from your place in Him. If you look down on others because of differences, repent and remember the cross that made you equal.
The gospel invites every person to the same table. Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, male and female, young and old, all find their deepest identity in Christ. We are one family, one body, one heir of the promise.