All Sons and Daughters

I am a girl. And I am happy I am. The other day, Greg asked me (who knows why), “If you could choose whether to be born a boy or a girl, which would you choose?” My answer: “A girl, of course!” Being what God has made me makes me happy. I’m not a son. I am a daughter.

But some girls read the verse in Galatians 4:7, “you are no longer a slave, but a son,” and something inside them bristles. A son? What is wrong with being a daughter? Was this scripture, as some may think, an example of a chauvinistic choice made by the writer? Well, just read Paul in Galatians 3:28 say, “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” (esv).

But Paul isn’t saying that there is nodifference! Greeks would certainly be free to keep their distinct culture. Did you ever see My Big Fat Greek Wedding? In one of the funniest scenes, Dad (Michael Constantine) uses Windex to cure ills “from psoriasis to poison ivy.” Well, I have no idea if Greeks really believe this (after all, my roots are Spanish!), but if they want to believe that Greek culture is the best culture in the world, by all means, they may have at it!

The Bible isn’t advocating that we wipe out the beauty of the distinctive uniqueness in different cultures, classes, or genders. We aren’t identical or interchangeable . . . but we are certainly, as believers, all “one” in Christ. I am a Christian before all things: before I am a woman, before I am an American, before I am a Californian, or before I am anyone or anything else. The gospel has some pretty radical social implications.

In Paul’s day, the biggest barrier was the barrier between male and female. Women were absolutely considered inferior to men. So for Paul to say that we are equal in Christ, and that before God we are equally as gifted and able as men, was nothing short of revolutionary!

So when we read that we are all sons and heirs, let’s not take offense or be too anxious to swap it for politically correct gender-neutral language. This was radical and wonderful, that women were given the status of sonship. In the first century only men were able to inherit property. Only a son could become a “legal heir.” So when the Bible calls all of us sons of God in Christ, it is inclusive, not exclusive. We are all heirs. We are all “sons of God”!

God is even-handed in His gender-specific metaphors. After all, the Bible describes all Christians together, including men, as “the bride of Christ”! Men are “brides” and women are “sons and heirs.” Wow, now that is something to think about.

“So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God.” —Galatians 4:7

Used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie, PO Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514. Cathe, Greg’s wife of 42 years, is the founder and director of the women’s ministry at Harvest Christian Fellowship and teaches in the Women’s Bible Fellowship at Harvest.