Galatians 3:26-28
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Our verse today has huge theological implications that cannot be ignored … nor is the text ambiguous. Let’s follow it and look at other supporting Scriptures.
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.
Simply stated, for a person to be a child of God, he or she must be in Christ Jesus through faith in Him. Compare this assertion from Paul with the declaration of John:
John 1:11-13 (NIV)
11 He came to that which was His own, but his own did not receive Him. 12 Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
Our right to become children of God was GIVEN by Jesus Christ through receiving Him into our hearts … through believing in Him! We do not have the right to claim that we are children of God except that it has been given us through the authority of the Son. And of those who reject Jesus, John writes:
John 8:31-47 (NIV)
31 To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” 34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.” 39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the works of your own father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God Himself.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
Wow! Being physical children of Abraham does not in itself confer the right to become children of God. Jesus said, If you were Abraham’s children, then you would do what Abraham did. So what did Abraham do? What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:3) A person has to believe God at His Word to become His child through the adoption of sonship (as we have seen in previous studies). Even John the Baptist, in preparing a way in the wilderness for the coming of Jesus, said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Cf. Luke 3:7-9)
So a child of Abraham is a child who believes God. And to believe God means to believe in the Son that He has sent – Jesus. As the Apostle John wrote:
1 John 5:1-13 (NIV)
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves His child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out His commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep His commands. And His commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. 6 This is the One who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 theSpirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. 9 We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which He has given about His Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about His Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
To me, there can be no other conclusion. Only those who believe in Jesus Christ … the Son of the Living God … become children of God. And to become a child of God means that you have been saved and you receive the gift of eternal life. Yes, and God has revealed these truths through His Son … through His Spirit … and through the Apostles who testified of His Son. As the Father Himself testified, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” (Cf. Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35) As Peter testified, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) And Jesus Himself proclaimed, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
This is what it means to be IN Christ … in order to become a child of God through Him.
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
In Christ, the diversity of our identities become irrelevant. In Christ, there is only unity of believers. There is unity among the children born of God because we love the Father and the Son … and one another. Indeed, we are commanded by Christ to love one another as He loved us. And He loved us in all of our individual uniqueness and diversity. Yes, He even loved us while we were still sinners. (Cf. Romans 5:8) So there should be unity in “family” of God … even there is also diversity in the gifts of grace that have been given to each of us to serve in the Body of Christ. These gifts were ordained and apportioned as Christ determined for each of us according to the uniqueness with which He created each person. Therefore, we should submit ourselves to one another in the effort to please Him who saved us. As Paul admonished:
Ephesians 4:1-6 (NIV)
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
So Now You Know 