I must repent…

I have used a text and today it struck me that I’ve misused a text often in the last several years.

First let me say this I believe women can be ordained as pastors, the priesthood of all believers.  And also I just think our way of ordaining is all afoul, you can read my thoughts on that HERE.

In these last several years though I have not only used the reasoning of priesthood of all believers as a reason for my position I have also used this text quite often,

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28

Since my mind wasn’t even thinking about women’s ordination as I read these three chapters and all I was doing was focusing on the definite context of Galatians 1-3 when I suddenly read Galatians 3:28 without thinking of it in terms of social or role equality I realized, this text in my understanding of strict contextual exegesis has nothing to do with “male” or “female” roles. It is 100% solely in the context of how a person receives salvation and what Paul is saying is that it doesn’t matter if you’re a slave or a free person, a man or a woman, Jew or Greek, can we add Adventist or Catholic, we all are inheritors of the promise of salvation through the same means, “faith in Jesus.”

This text is not about gender roles or social equality it is about access to salvation. Jesus and Jesus only!

So I repent for misusing the text far too often. I want social equality on this issue, but not at the hands of poor exegesis.

Next Reading: Exodus 33-36