Brethren, before faith came, we were confined under the law, kept under restraint until faith should be revealed. So that the law was our custodian until Christ came, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a custodian; for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 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. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no better than a slave, though he is the owner of all the estate; but he is under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father. So with us; when we were children, we were slaves to the elemental spirits of the universe. But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
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Confronted with the attacks of the Judaizers who claimed that Paul was not a true apostle and that he taught a false faith, the great Paul begins an exposition about the Judaic law and its relationship to Christ. He asks the question: what purpose does the law serve? It is to be remembered that the law was given to Moses. Before the first five books came into existence there was no law. The great patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all had faith in God and personal covenants with Him.
So why was the law given? It was given so that the people had a clear understanding and unambiguous guidelines as to their limitations and interactions with each other and with God. So long as they followed the law they were obedient to the covenant that they had with God. However, such a burden of following the law proved onerous to the point where something better had to be found. For, anyone who breached one law breached all of the law. You may have been exemplary in all you did bar one – and disobedience of that one mandated death. Clearly, rules did not work for such a headstrong people. Rules mark the divide between transgressing or staying within the law that allows for no mercy – all that matters is transgression and punishment thereof.
There had to be a better way and the better way was Jesus Christ. Now through faith in Jesus Christ there is a new covenant, a new understanding. No longer are we kept under guard by the law but now we are kept in Christ through faith. To Paul, the law acted as a tutor – a guide to those in need to keep them in the path of God until the coming of Christ. Now, Christ has come and in so coming we are now justified by faith provided that we believe in him. We are no longer immature and need someone to marshal us but now have the love in Christ that gives us freedom to grow in spirit.
Now, it is love in Christ that unites us all. No longer is race or nation or peoples important. Now our faith makes us all brothers and sisters in Christ. Now there is neither Jew, nor Greek nor is there slave or free. Indeed there is no male or female because all are equal in Christ Jesus.
The issue of women and their role in the church was a vexed one for the great Paul. Elsewhere, he tells a different story. In first Corinthians Paul talks of the conduct of women. He declares: “the hand of every man is Christ; the head of every woman is man and the head of Christ is God”. It is a hierarchical authority that was required in the church in Corinth. In his epistle to Timothy, Paul makes it plain that a woman should learn in silence with all submission and be not permitted to teach or have authority over a man. There seems to be, at first instance, some inconsistency between the idea of there is neither male nor female in Christ and that a woman is subject to male authority. Why this apparent discrepancy?
I think it is important to understand that the Epistles by Paul were written to real people in real situations, in real time and proffering practical advice as well as theological teaching. Let us remember that the letter to the Corinthians deals with all sorts of social evils and immorality that abounded in that city. Likewise to Timothy he was giving him instructions in terms of how to how the church should manifests itself in the world. Timothy was about pastoral care of the flock and the necessary matters that required attending to. It also referenced the role of the clergy and how to ensure the word of Christ was nurtured and developed. So each epistle is limited to its own particular situation and does not challenge the proposition of equality.
So, in Christ there is no variation or difference between male or female. However, in order that there be proper order in the church there was recognition that each of the two genders played separate roles within the church. That did not mean that a woman, who had a lesser role in the liturgical life of the church was lesser in the eyes of Christ. So in effect we are talking about separate, albeit related things when it comes to this matter.
Now, to belong to Christ you need to be baptised in Christ. In that way you put on Christ and become at one with him and in your relationship with him there is no distinction between free or slave, Jew or Greek ; male or female. Now, being at one with Christ means that we also share in the promise as heirs. But notice even though we are heirs to all the good things we are still spiritually immature and are under instruction from what is greater than us. Therefore our proper role is to accept instruction until such time as we specifically mature and develop as full sons and daughters of God. Now, we as parents who have had small children, understand that small children need constant guidance and care to ensure that they grow properly with full understanding of who they are and their role in the world. The fact that the child is a babe in arms and that he is an heir to the inheritance of the father does not change the fact that he is a babe in arms and must learn many lessons as he grows. So, we were children and needed direction and that direction came from the law. We didn’t have to concern ourselves with ethics and morality but with rules. What was breached was clearly understood. Any consequence of breach was also clearly understood. That is the law. The law works in a due season but that is season has now passed.
Christ came into the world the time appointed by the father and with the consent of the father and at the appropriate time so that Christ could teach us that it was time for us to move beyond the law. Notice, that we move beyond the law now, not out of fear, but out of love. We now move because we comprehend better and understand better and because we comprehend better we understand that Christ is indeed not only the son but also the heir of the father and if the heir of the father we are redeemed by his blood and saved by his sacrifice. Thus we become, through adoption, as sons of God. Thus we are saved.
It is by becoming and growing in Christ that we leave the law behind and embrace faith in the living Lord. It is now our faith revealed to us through Christ which makes us share in everlasting life and manifest his love to the world.
