Thus far on my series on the role of women in both the church and the home, I have posted up six articles.

1. Introduction article to the discussion.
2. Resources – listing some introductory resources to both sides of the coin.
3. Genesis 1:26-28 – looking at the initial creation account of male and female.
4. Genesis 2:18-22 – looking at this debated passage and what it teaches about women.
5. Genesis 2:18-22 (Part 2) – sharing some more thoughts, specifically connecting it all with vs24 and the two becoming one flesh.
6. Genesis 3:16 – sharing an alternative translation of the verse, but ultimately challenging us to not make this verse a cornerstone passage because of Christ and the new creation.

So, to this point, I spent a lot of time on what I would identify as ‘creation passages’. But now it is time to move on to two very important ‘new creation passages’. The first being 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 and the second being Galatians 3:27-29.

The well-know theologian, Gordon Fee, makes this interesting comment in his consideration of gender roles:

‘Perhaps the worst thing the evangelical tradition has done on gender matters is to isolate them from the bigger picture of biblical theology. Indeed, I think we are destined for continual trouble if we do not start where Paul does: not with isolated statements addressed to contingent situations, but with Paul’s theology of the new creation, the coming of God’s eschatological rule inaugurated by Christ – especially through his death and resurrection – and the gift of the Spirit.’ (Listening to the Spirit in the Text, p57)

Though I am convinced that the creation account (Genesis 1-3) never inherently sets one gender as superior to the other, or one gender to have leadership-headship over the other, I think what makes this even clearer is the reality of the New Testament’s teaching on the new creation that we now taste of in Christ and the kingdom of God. This is the gospel: that Jesus Christ came with the kingdom of God, announcing that it was breaking into our world and making a completely new one. We still await the final consummation of this at His parousia. But we, who are in Christ, have entered this new covenant creation even now.

Therefore, Fee’s words leave a resounding impact on me, and hopefully you as well. Our understanding of gender roles, or any other theological concept, must be grounded in the reality that the new creation has already come in Christ.

So, with regards to moving into the discussion on the impact of the new creation on gender roles, let’s start off with 2 Corinthians 5:16-17. Verse 17 is, no doubt, a well-known verse, but vs16 also gives relevant revelation into the discussion.

16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Here we see Paul laying out an important theological concept. First of all, in vs16, he says we now regard no one according to the flesh. Why? Because we no longer make such distinctions in regards to Christ either. One could identify Christ as male, Jewish, free, and add on a whole other list of characteristics that would seem to put a person in God’s favour. But Paul makes it clear that none of those things matter in the economy of God. Gender, race, age, social status, etc, do not bring one into God’s favour.

Then what does?

This is expounded on in vs17. What matters most is that of the new creation! For those who are in Christ, joined to Him through a faith relationship, the old order of things has passed away and, behold, that person has joined a completely new order. This is the new creation of which we get to taste of even now in this age!

Paul would state something similar in the latter parts of his letter to the Galatians:

For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. (Galatians 6:15)

There is no room for determining our roles in the kingdom of God due to gender, or any other issue at that matter like age, economic status, social status, nationality, race, etc. The roles and ministries of God’s people are not to be determined by fleshly measures. Paul makes it clear that is how those of the old covenant measured things. But we are part of a new covenant kingdom and a new creation in which our roles and ministries are determined through our union with Christ and our calling in Christ. This is the glory of the new creation!

Yes, I know, we still have passages like 1 Timothy 2:8-15 or 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 or Ephesians 5:22-24. But, as Gordon Fee reminds us above, we cannot approach these texts, not any specific text, as an isolated statement apart from the new creation theology of Christ and His kingdom. This will lead to dubious understandings devoid of the bigger picture of what Christ has done and is doing.

Stay tuned for next week as I will pick this up more in my next article on Galatians 3:27-29.