What did Paul mean when he said, “There is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28)? Was he advocating equal rights? Sharing power? Erasing gender differences?
The Living Bible (Kenneth N. Taylor’s 1971 paraphrase) asserts uniformity: “We are all the same — we are Christians; we are one in Christ Jesus.”
That’s the epistle according to Taylor. Some might find the gospel according to Bono — “We’re one, but we’re not the same” (from U2’s 1991 song “One”) — more persuasive.
The rock star/theologian was right: “We get to carry each other” despite our differences.
Women and men of faith are one because they are “in Christ.” To be in Christ is to become a new person: “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
What happens to people who become new in Christ?
They gain new attitudes, new freedom and a new understanding of how to exercise authority.
— Attitude: “Your attitude should be the kind that was shown us by Jesus Christ, who, though he was God, did not demand and cling to his rights as God, but laid aside his mighty power” (Philippians 2:5, Living Bible).
— Freedom: “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another” (Galatians 5:13).
— Authority: “Among the Gentiles, those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant” (Mark 10:42-43).
These scriptures direct new men and new women to use their power and influence differently than their old selves might have done.
“But now you must get rid of all such things — anger, wrath, malice, slander and abusive language . . . seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourself with the new self” (Colossians 3:8-9).
With diverging life experiences, women and men might hear scripture’s counsel in different ways.
New York Times columnist Bret Stephens recently theorized about gender and power: “Men tend to define themselves according to their proximity to power; women according to their independence from it.”
His idea fits traditional gender roles: Men want power because that’s how their worth is measured; women want freedom because they’ve often lacked power.
What about men and women who’ve been made new in Christ? What should they want?
Scripture directs us to mirror Jesus’ example of power: a generous and forgiving nature, showing “compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience” (Colossians 3:12) while being “subject to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21).
These and other scriptures define a version of freedom that counters destructive expectations specific to men and women. (People who are nonbinary or gender nonconforming may face additional challenges beyond the scope of this editorial.)
For men, a culture of “toxic masculinity” glorifies those “who dominate on the field, in the bedroom and in the workplace,” writes John Zirkle on the website of U.S. Mennonite Men, a program of Mennonite Church USA. “. . . Porn, fierce competition, displays of unfiltered anger and violence and celebrations of war” abound. Men need “a healthy sense of self, a commitment to prayer and vulnerable brotherly community to follow Jesus’ alternative path.”
For women, a sisterly community can offer similar support to resist unhealthy behavior and thought. On the Mennonite Women USA website, Cheryl Hollinger describes battling “the unholy trinity of pleasing, perfectionism and performance that earned me the love and security I cherished.
. . . The addiction to being needed and affirmed was stronger than the invitation to God’s gifts of sabbath, rest and belovedness rooted in God’s love.”
People made new in Christ learn to recognize unhealthy standards of success and self-worth. They care about both women’s empowerment and men’s struggles (men are disproportionately dying “deaths of despair” from suicide, drug overdoses and substance abuse). While loneliness and anxiety affect each gender differently, faith-filled relationships offer similar paths to healing.
We’re not the same, but new human beings have a lot in common.
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