Neither Male Nor Female? (Galatians)
- Elaine R Kelly
- May 2, 2024
- 17 min read
Updated: Jun 26
What does it mean when Paul says 'in Christ, there is neither male nor female'?
"There is neither male nor female for you are all one in Christ" Galatians 3:28
"For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him." Romans 10:12
"a renewal in which there is no [distinction between] Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, [nor between nations whether] barbarian or Scythian, [nor in status whether] slave or free, but Christ is all, and in all [so believers are equal in Christ, without distinction]." Colossians 3:11 Amplified Bible
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit." 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 NRSVUE
These passages affirm the truth of justification by faith and not by who you are, your citizenship, ethnicity, or gender. That's where the different biblical interpretations begin.
My interpretation is that God values all people, regardless of gender: Jew or Palestinian, citizen or immigrant, male or female, straight or gay. Just as a person may not realize they are naturally left-handed until they are old enough, a person may not realize they are same-sex-oriented until they mature. God forms all people, and regardless of how you are made, you have equal status as an heir in God's kingdom. I summarize this blog in a short video.
Seven Ways Theologians Interpret These Passages:
Gender will be irrelevant in the afterlife
Gender is irrelevant to salvation, but relevant to roles on earth
Gender is irrelevant to roles on earth
Gender differences disappear in Christian unity
Gender becomes irrelevant as female believers mature into males (per Augustine)
All humans are a male-female combination, like God (the view of ancient Jewish rabbis and medical missionary Katharine Bushnell).
Gender was never, is never, and will never be relevant
Neither Male Nor Female means: Gender is Irrelevant in the Afterlife
The traditional Catholic view is that at "The Fall," sin entered the world, and as a consequence, men would rule over women until Christ returned and restores the perfect harmony and equality that existed at creation. It seems to accept that sin made men to be rulers and that we don't resist the result of sin. Apparently, when Jesus came the first time and made women his students and apostles, he didn't overturn the power hierarchies. This view of 'neither male nor female' infers that the differences between the sexes are abolished later, in the afterlife or at Christ's return.
"In the resurrection, they will not marry... for they will be like the angels" (Luke 20:35-36).
Luke is inferring that in the afterlife, believers will have new bodies. He is not saying that believers must be celibate to be angelic, nor that females must become male to gain salvation. Christ has overturned the worldly ideas of gender hierarchies and replaced them with mutual love regardless of male or female.
The church affirmed male-only leadership in liturgical roles; only men may be priests or have authority in the church. The historically Catholic view promotes mutuality in marriage. Just as Christ sacrificially serves his bride, a husband takes care of his wife; it's not about a husband dominating a wife. The partnership is by mutual agreement (1 Corinthians 7:1-6). In the 5th century, John Chrysostom, archbishop of Constantinople, taught that Ephesians 5:21 means all Christians mutually submit to one another: "Let there be an interchange of slavery and submission... it is better that both masters and slaves be slaves to one another."
Neither Male Nor Female means: Gender Irrelevant to Salvation; Relevant to Roles
The Complementarian doctrine, elucidated since the 1980s, is different from the traditional view. Complementarians promote a patriarchal or male hierarchical structure as being ordained by God. This view states that God's original, perfect design before 'The Fall' was with men leading and women submitting. They will say that when God instructs the woman and man to be fruitful and to rule the earth, one instruction is for her and one for him.
Complementarians agree that God values men and women equally and men and women are equal in regards to salvation. Since all humans share similar intellectual capacities, and the Bible says God shows no favouritism, a Complementarian (patriarchal) view is that subservient roles are equally important and honoured. Equal value does not mean having the same rights or responsibilities. They will say that God designed humans and assigns them to specific roles by gender. Essentially, they believe genders should be separate but equal. (This concept was called impossible in the Brown v. Brown legal case, which stated that forced separation is inherently unequal).
Passages that appear to grant equal freedoms to men and women (Galatians 3:28, Romans 10:12, and Colossians 3:11) must be reconciled with passages that appear to restrict women from certain roles. Complementarians may examine passages that appear to liberate women as follows:
filter them through passages that appear to restrict women, so that passages that appear to promote equality are explained in the context of the restrictive passages.
argue that Paul moved from an egalitarian to a non-egalitarian viewpoint over time, and the more recent letters take precedence
Often, a Complementarian will explain the apparent conflict by saying that gender differences do not restrict equality to salvation but do not impact other arenas. A Complementarian will say God values all people equally and assigns women to subordinate roles and men to authoritative and leadership roles. They may say both male and female roles are equal and highly valued. However, male roles are unrestricted and more highly respected and compensated, while female responsibilities are secondary, subject to male supervision, and are chronically underpaid.
They set policies according to their interpretation of passages that appear to limit women. A narrow understanding of 1 Timothy 2 and 1 Corinthians 14 can lead to believing that God assigned leadership and authority only to males and service and subjugation only to females. It means men and women are equal but different.
To be honest, the idea of equal but separate sounds a lot like the false argument that was used to support segregated, inferior schools for Blacks. In 1954, the US Supreme Court ruled that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional. This decision overruled the 1896 principle of "separate but equal". The Supreme Court stated that separate education facilities are inherently unequal.
Neither Male Nor Female means: Gender is Irrelevant to Roles and Freedoms
An Egalitarian Christian will say that God values all humans equally and gives humans equal freedoms and responsibilities. God's original design in creation was for men and women to co-reign over the earth. God told them both to have dominion over creation. Many egalitarian Christians will affirm that God shows no favouritism for male or female, but does show favouritism for cisgender heterosexuals.
The Old Covenant with Abraham was sealed by male circumcision; women were included through the male ritual. Jesus restored gender equality. Jesus was born of a woman and brought a new covenant, which is sealed by baptism, regardless of gender.
When the Bible says there is 'neither male nor female' for those 'in Christ', it means our human distinctions lose significance. It does not mean we are not the same; gender differences remain. Our gender is unimportant, irrelevant, or secondary to our place in the body of Christ. Gender is subordinate to our faith. While we have our identity in Christ, we also identify ourselves as a woman, a man, or trans, a wife, a widow, a red-head, or a left-handed person. You continue to have unique characteristics even as you have an identity in Christ. Gender does not determine our roles or functions. No gender is favoured with more authority or responsibility. Our roles are determined by the gifts God gives to individuals. We each have unique gifts, equal freedoms and responsibilities. We are not defined by our sex, and gender differences do not define roles or functions.
Passages that appear to restrict women must be more closely examined to understand how they are consistent with the equality Paul describes in Galatians, Romans, and Colossians. Egalitarians may examine passages that appear to restrict women and find that when they are put in context:
They refer to a specific past situation, time, or place and are not universally applicable; the interpretation must be culture-specific
They refer to a quote from new believers that Paul refutes and corrects
That the Gospels and the authentic letters of Paul take precedence over the later letters
Deny that 1 Timothy should be taken seriously because a follower of Paul likely wrote it and not Paul himself (this is a weak response since there are also issues in 1 Corinthians)
Women and men both have value in all areas. The Bible does not endorse that roles or activities be determined by gender. Our calling at home, church, and society is determined by the gifting of the Holy Spirit and not by gender. In contrast to their first-century contemporaries, early Christians attempted to surmount social divisions.
The sixth-century Council of Macon addressed a rumour that women did not have souls and that the term "man" did not include women. The Council rejected the idea based on Genesis, where God created "man", referring to both male and female.
Nellie McClung, a Christian advocate for women's rights, author and member of the Alberta parliament, was one of the 'Famous Five' who petitioned the Supreme Court of Canada to have women declared as persons eligible for office in the Senate. The case turned on the question of whether the term "man", in the British North America Act, included both men and women. Turned down by Canada in 1927, the British Privy Council declared women to be persons in 1928. In her 1937 book "More Leaves from Lantern Lane," McClung states that love fulfills the law and that we have artificially restricted our love. She referred to Galatians 3:28 in her comments on the ordination of Miss Lydia Gruchy in 1936:
"The United Church of Canada took ten years to make up its mind whether or not it could allow a woman to be ordained in its ministry. Every two years the matter came before the General Council; every two years there were speeches made, and committees appointed to look into the matter, and "ascertain the mind of the presbyteries", but finally in September of last year, the last hurdle was taken, and the matter was decided in the affirmative "by an overwhelming vote". Only one application for ordination has been before the Council meetings all these ten years, and the applicant has not said a word. She has gone on teaching and preaching. She has driven her Ford in the summer over the uncertain roads, and her little horse-drawn cutter in the winter; she has lived with the people she served, sharing their joys and sorrows. Once in a while she has been invited to speak in the city churches, and has done so with a dignity and charm which has made her friends and advocates. Miss Lydia E. Gruchy of Kelvington, Saskatchewan, has a perfect record of eleven years' country service. In July 1936 she was called to be the assistant pastor of Saint Andrew's United Church in Moose Jaw, and her ordination followed. So the United Church of Canada has at last endorsed what Saint Paul said more than eighteen hundred years ago, that there is no "male or female bound or free," but all are one in the service of God." - Nellie McClung
Neither Male Nor Female means Unity
Another view is that 'In Christ, there is neither male nor female' means that different privileges based on gender are eliminated in the unity of one body in Christ. No more male and female means the two parts are united as one. Paul shows corresponding pairs to unity using examples such as male/female, Jew/Gentile, and slave/citizen. His examples show that what used to be a master-slave relationship becomes a united brother-brother relationship.
The Bible gives many examples of unity: the vine and the branches, the head and the body, and marriage, which makes two become one. These pictures demonstrate unity, mutual dependence, and mutual service.
"In the image of God he created them: male and female (Genesis 1:27)
This verse may be saying God created a male-female human, one being in God's image.
In Christ, each individual becomes a union of male and female in the image the three-in-one God, who is neither male nor female.
"Religious, social, and sexual pairs of opposites are not replaced by equality, but rather by a newly created unity." J. Louis Martyn, The Anchor Bible.
While unity is a worthy objective, it will not last if unity is achieved using a model where one party is lost in the other. If unity is achieved by peaceful mutuality, it is more likely to last. If unity is achieved by subordinating one person to another, the underlying injustice might bring disharmony and disunity. Unity cannot mean the loss of the individual. Unity comes where each individual is recognized for their worth, and both individuals work together on a common goal. United harmony does not come from one serving the other, but of both serving each other.
Neither Male Nor Female means: Females mature into Males
Ancient philosophers and Christian theologians believed that only a male brain could comprehend abstract thought. Females were undeveloped males, and a few very devout females might mature to become males. Do both women and men give up their gender? An expert on the Gospel of Thomas understands the passage this way:
"If each gender is mutually relinquished in this way, no gender would remain. The very idea of gender is seen as meaningless." William G. Duffy, author of The Hidden Gospel of Thomas.
Since Greco-Roman culture admired male domination and disdained passivity as effeminate and weak, there are few examples of historic men presenting themselves as women.
Transforming to appear like a man was the only way the women could become apostles, preachers, and patrons of the church. It was church and society that caused women to think they had to become like men to use their gifts. In the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus says, "I will lead her [Mary Magdalene] that I may make her male, in order that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who makes herself male will enter into the kingdom of heaven." The inference is that Jesus is not welcoming Mary regardless of her gender, but welcoming Mary as an exception, making her something better than a female, designating her as a male.
Mariamne, in the Acts of Philip, was permitted to be an apostle because she had "a man's soul". However, to travel as an apostle, she would have to “remove her feminine clothing and character." These two gospels are not in the canon of the Bible, but give insight into the first and second-century Christian thought. These ancients believed men might enter God's kingdom, and women who believed in Christ might mature into men in order to enter God's kingdom. The underlying thought was that a woman had weak logic and conceptual thinking. Women may not have a soul or might mature to have a man's soul. As they matured in Christ, they could "Act like men" (1 Corinthians 16:13).
Melania the Elder was said to be a "Female Man of God". Perpetua, a 2nd-century martyr, described her vision saying, "And I was stripped naked, and I became a man."
This dream is highly controversial. Second-century Christians thought Perpetua's description means her vision showed she literally became a man. It seems backed by her statement that she was stripped naked. Her nudity reveals her new male genitalia. She was honoured as a model holy person.
By the fourth century, there was a backlash against females becoming male. The AD 340 Council held at Gangra condemned ascetic practices common in Asia Minor. These practices incuded women presenting themselves as men by cutting their hair and wearing men's clothing, avoiding marriage, vowing celibacy even within marriage, and abstaining from meat and wine.
Augustine commends Perpetua for her bravery while asserting that she is not a model or example. Bravery and piety are masculine traits, and it is an exception that Perpetua exhibits them. Adam Miller writes that Augustine affirms gender-based rules and that women are inherently weak. While Perpetua dreamed she became a male, she remained asleep in her female body. He asserted that a female must remain in her subordinate and weaker body. Miller quotes Augustine saying,
“…to the inner self they are found to be neither male nor female; so that even as regards the femininity of the body, the sex of the flesh is concealed by the virtue of the mind, and one is reluctant to think about a condition in their members that never showed in their deeds.”
Much of Augustine's theology is based on pagan Greek philosophers such as Aristotle, who said, "The relation of male to female is by nature a relation of superior to inferior, and ruler to ruled." Borrowing from the pagan Greek philosopher, Plato, Augustine viewed the soul as distinct and separate from the body. Augustine asserted that the soul was able to transform from female to male, but the body could not. Perpetua's vision of becoming male was symbolic.
Margaret Cotter-Lynch indicates that the original language of Perpetua's vision can be translated more accurately as: "And I as a woman, was made a thing which is male."
In other words, she remained a woman (the subject of the sentence) and at the same time was male. Females are not undeveloped males. Neither Perpetua's body or soul transformed from female to male. She was male-female at once.
Neither Male Nor Female means: Humans are Male-Female
Some view 'neither male nor female' as meaning that God gave all humans elements of both male and female. While the traditional Christian view is that God made males and God made females, Genesis 1:27 can also be understood to say that God made humans, and each was a male-female.
Early Christians accepted that the original word 'adam' means 'human' and referred to both male and female. The individual man was not given the proper name 'Adam' until Genesis 4. God is a three-in-one being who is neither male nor female but has characteristics of both. Humans, likewise, are in God's image, neither male nor female but having characteristics of both.
Ancient Jews recognized eight genders in the Talmud, and they taught that the first human was both male and female. Later, God separated the original human into two distinct people: Adam and Eve. The ancient rabbis referred to androgyny as a continuing gender category in the Mishnah and Talmud. The Rabbis also recognized a category of people whose sexual characteristics are lacking or undetermined and a category of people whose sexual characteristics change with puberty.
"Rabbi Yirmeya ben Elazar: In the hour when the Holy One created the first human, He created him as an androgynos (one having both male and female sexual characteristics), as it is said, “male and female He created them.”
In 1923, Katharine Bushnell quoted from a Talmudic Miscellany that the first human was a bi-sexual organism. She published the idea that this original human was a type of hermaphrodite who could reproduce asexually. She suggests that God created a hermaphrodite human and then formed separate genders at a later stage of human development.
For example, in the Caucasian Rock Lizard, an egg develops into an embryo without male fertilization.
Could it be that God blessed the asexual humans and told them to be fruitful, multiply, and rule the earth? (Genesis 1:28).
Later, after seeing the coupling of the animal kingdom, the hermaphrodite human wanted the intimacy of a suitable partner, so God split the human, taking part of the human's side to form the woman, leaving the man delighted to have a counterpart like himself (Genesis 2:21-22). The dividing of the male and female into two counterparts is why a husband and wife desire to be united as one flesh (Genesis 2:24). Perhaps this origin story would explain why we continue to have some humans who are in that gray area between male and female.
Gender was never, is never, and will never be relevant
Compare the following Bible translations:
(a) "There is no male and female"
(b) "There is no more /no longer male and female"
Many Bibles add "no more/no longer." It's not in the original text.
Adding "no more/no longer" creates and "us/them" idea. It takes a truth that is universal and makes it exclusive. It's building in a human interpretation. Saying there is no male and female does not mean we are the same. Circles and triangles remain different. It means we are all humans and the same on the inside. External characteristics like citizenship, race, class, and gender are divisions built by humans.
Diana Butler Bass explains the text actually says "ouk eni", meaning “does not exist”.
"All the distinctions of ethnicity, economics, and gender are human inventions. No distinctions. Ever. Oneness. No boundaries. No division. We are all children of God."
The lack of distinction between genders is not only for those who become Christians. It is not replacing worldly gender distinctions with a Christian lack of distinction. It is a universal truth for everyone, everywhere, regardless of their beliefs. Paul is apparently quoting an ancient baptismal creed that acknowledges that differences based on gender, class, or race did not, do not, and will not matter. Paul is not replacing the Jewish religion with the Christian religion. Paul is reassuring Galatians that they belong, just as Jews belong.
Today, we can repeat this affirmation so that each person, regardless of gender or class, can know they are an equal heir in God's realm. It reminds us that God grants equal freedoms to all individuals. The Spirit empowers all believers to use their gifts. There is no preferential authority awarded by gender.
The creed was originally about the fact that race, class, and genderare typically used to divide the human race into us and themto the advantage of us. It aimed to declare that there is no us, no them.We are all children of God. It was about solidarity, not cultural obliteration. - Stephen J. Patterson, author of The Forgotten Creed: Christianity’s Original Struggle against Bigotry, Slavery, and Sexism
Conclusion
"There is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ," Galatians 3:28
Does this mean women and men are the same? No. There are differences between the sexes and between individuals.
Does it mean there are no gender differences? No. It means our gender differences do not affect our freedoms.
Does it mean to ignore or forget your sexual differences? No. We are built differently.
Does it mean we don't identify our gender? No, we identify as Christians, and we identify our gender, and we identify our unique gifts and abilities.
We identify our gender, but it does not define who we are or what we may do. We are unique individuals with a variety of gifts.
It is good to celebrate the unanimity of the belief that we are all valuable in God's eyes and all justified by faith, regardless of ethnicity or gender. After that, I hope we can remain open-minded in seeing how various Christian and Jewish groups understand the implications of there being neither male nor female:
The historical Catholic view is that, due to the Fall, women must remain subordinate until Christ returns or until the afterlife, when gender becomes irrelevant.
The Complementarian view is that women and men are equally valued and have equal access to salvation, and that God limits and restricts women to subordinate roles.
An Egalitarian believes that being male or female is irrelevant to roles on earth. While gender differences remain, they have no impact on either our salvation or our activities; all have a responsibility to use our gifts as God individually calls us.
Gender differences remain but our differences disappear in Christian unity. Our gender identity is subordinate to our Christian identity. Christian unity relies on valuing all people equally, not achieving unity by one dominating and one disappearing. The head, torso, arms, and legs are all equally essential for unity.
Ancient philosophers thought that women were not capable of abstract thought, yet in Christ, women might mature into men.
Ancient Jews identified God as neither male nor female, the first human as neither male nor female, and the continuing existence of several genders. Christian missionary and interpreter Katharine Bushnell understood Genesis to say that the first human was male-female, and today's humans may be male, female, or somewhere in between.
Biblical scholarship shows that Galatians 3:28 is not stating a change from gender distinctions to no gender distinctions in Christ. It is affirming the belief that gender was never, is never, and will never be relevant.
Next time you read "in Christ, there is no more male nor female", I hope you will have a fuller understanding of the way Paul's readers may have viewed gender and creation. I believe it is wonderful to imagine each human in God's full image, regardless of your gender. Once you see each human as bearing the full male-female image of God, the gender of our earthly bodies becomes irrelevant to God's calling on our lives.
Elaine Ricker Kelly Author is empowering women with historical fiction about women in the Bible and early church and Christian blogs about women in leadership, church history and doctrine. Her books include:
Forgotten Followers from Broken to Bold, Book 1
The Sword A Fun Way to Engage in Healthy Debate on What the Bible Says About a Woman's Role
Because She Was Called: from Broken to Bold, Book 2, A Novel of the Early Church, imagines Mary Magdalene's trip to testify before the emperor
Walk with Mara on Her Healing Journey: 21 Steps to Emotional Resilience
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