Has the gospel erased gender

A couple of weeks ago I was told about someone who used this verse to say the gospel removes gender and therefore supports the transgender cause.

If someone claims the Bible says something, we should examine that declaration and see if it is so. That’s just what I did. I examined the verse and its context, I researched commentaries to find what has been the historical understanding of the verse, and I read Paul’s other epistles to see if his own teaching conformed to this interpretation.

Let’s begin with Paul’s epistles. Here is a suggested chronology of his epistles

What’s with the chronology? Some may suggest that Paul grew in his understanding of the implications of the gospel as he went along. I don’t believe this, but for the sake of discussion, I skimmed through the epistles written after AD 57 to see if he taught that gender had been erased by the gospel. Here is a summary (in chronological order):

2 Corinthians - 8:18  And we have sent with him the brother...

12:2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago...

Romans – Paul refers to father and fathers, consistently uses the masculine pronoun, routinely addresses his discourse to “O man” ... Then there’s

1:27  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

7:2  For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.

Ephesians -  wives, husbands, men, father and mother

Colossians  - wives, husbands, fathers

1 Timothy – chock-full of references to men, women, older women, younger women, sister, fathers, young men, brothers, widows (a woman whose man has died); he says elders and deacons are men with one wife, a woman is not to teach a man

2 Timothy - grandmother, mother; he calls Timothy “my son” and “man of God”

Titus - the husband of one wife, aged men, aged women, young women, young men

Somebody forgot to tell Paul that the gospel has erased gender! He went so far as to give exhortations that were gender specific as well as church regulations that were gender based. Clearly, there is neither male nor female does not mean gender has been erased or removed or nullified or done away by the gospel. Well then what does it mean?

What follows is the historical interpretation or understanding of this passage using the comments of Chrysostom, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Matthew Henry, and Adam Clarke. Why use such ancient people’s views? If you will notice, these comments are spread out between 400 and 1800 and thus represent the consistent, historical, traditional interpretation of this verse.

Chrysostom, 347-407
There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female: for you all are one in Christ Jesus.
See what an insatiable soul! For having said, We are all made children of God through Faith, he does not stop there, but tries to find something more exact, which may serve to convey a still closer oneness with Christ. Having said, you have put on Christ, even this does not suffice Him, but by way of penetrating more deeply into this union, he comments on it thus: You are all One in Christ Jesus, that is, you have all one form and one mould, even Christ's. What can be more awful than these words! He that was a Greek, or Jew, or bond-man yesterday, carries about with him the form, not of an Angel or Archangel, but of the Lord of all, yea displays in his own person the Christ.

Martin Luther, 1483-1546
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
The list might be extended indefinitely: There is neither preacher nor hearer, neither teacher nor scholar, neither master nor servant, etc. In the matter of salvation, rank, learning, righteousness, influence count for nothing.
With this statement Paul deals a death blow to the Law. When a person has put on Christ nothing else matters. Whether a person is a Jew, a punctilious and circumcised observer of the Law of Moses, or whether a person is a noble and wise Greek does not matter. Circumstances, personal worth, character, achievements have no bearing upon justification. Before God they count for nothing. What counts is that we put on Christ.
Whether a servant performs his duties well; whether those who are in authority govern wisely; whether a man marries, provides for his family, and is an honest citizen; whether a woman is chaste, obedient to her husband, and a good mother: all these advantages do not qualify a person for salvation. These virtues are commendable, of course; but they do not count points for justification. All the best laws, ceremonies, religions, and deeds of the world cannot take away sin guilt, cannot dispatch death, cannot purchase life.
There is much disparity among men in the world, but there is no such disparity before God. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23.) Let the Jews, let the Greeks, let the whole world keep silent in the presence of God. Those who are justified are justified by Christ. Without faith in Christ the Jew with his laws, the monk with his holy orders, the Greek with his wisdom, the servant with his obedience, shall perish forever.

For ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
There is much imparity among men in the world. And it is a good thing. If the woman would change places with the man, if the son would change places with the father, the servant with the master, nothing but confusion would result. In Christ, however, all are equal. We all have one and the same Gospel, "one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all," one Christ and Savior of all. The Christ of Peter, Paul, and all the saints is our Christ. Paul can always be depended on to add the conditional clause, "In Christ Jesus." If we lose sight of Christ, we lose out.

John Calvin, 1509-1564
He therefore explains, in a few words, what is implied in our being united, or rather, made one with the Son of God; so as to remove all doubt, that what belongs to him is communicated to us.
28.There is neither Jew nor Greek. The meaning is, that there is no distinction of persons here, and therefore it is of no consequence to what nation or condition any one may belong: nor is circumcision any more regarded than sex or civil rank. And why? Because Christ makes them all one. Whatever may have been their former differences, Christ alone is able to unite them all. Ye are one: the distinction is now removed. The apostle’s object is to shew that the grace of adoption, and the hope of salvation, do not depend on the law, but are contained in Christ alone, who therefore is all.

Matthew Henry, 1662-1714
That this privilege of being the children of God, and of being by baptism devoted to Christ, is now enjoyed in common by all real Christians. The law indeed made a difference between Jew and Greek, giving the Jews on many accounts the pre-eminence: that also made a difference between bond and free, master and servant, and between male and female, the males being circumcised. But it is not so now; they all stand on the same level, and are all one in Christ Jesus, as the one is not accepted on the account of any national or personal advantages he may enjoy above the other, so neither is the other rejected for the want of them but all who sincerely believe on Christ, of what nation, or sex, or condition, soever they be, are accepted of him, and become the children of God through faith in him.

Adam Clarke, 1760-1832
There is neither Jew nor Greek - Under the Gospel all distinctions are done away, as either helping or hindering; all are equally welcome to Christ, and all have an equal need of him; all persons of all sects, and conditions, and sexes, who believe in him, become one family through him; they are one body, of which he is the head.

Neither male nor female - With great reason the apostle introduces this. Between the privileges of men and women there was a great disparity among the Jews. A man might shave his head, and rend his clothes in the time of mourning; a woman was not permitted to do so. A man might impose the vow of nasirate upon his son; a woman could not do this on her daughter. A man might be shorn on account of the nasirate of his father; a woman could not. A man might betroth his daughter; a woman had no such power. A man might sell his daughter; a woman could not. In many cases they were treated more like children than adults; and to this day are not permitted to assemble with the men in the synagogues, but are put up in galleries, where they can scarcely see, nor can they be seen. Under the blessed spirit of Christianity, they have equal rights, equal privileges, and equal blessings; and, let me add, they are equally useful.


So, does the phrase there is neither male nor female teach gender has been removed? that God no longer takes note or care of your gender? that you can therefore be any gender you identify with? No, it does not. It teaches that we all have equal access to God through faith in Christ; that by faith in Christ we are all equally justified, regenerated, and adopted; that through this faith we all have equal access to the blessings of the gospel; and that we are now one in him. But as we saw earlier, the remainder of the New Testament has commands that are gender specific, as in husbands, love your wives and I suffer not a woman to teach a man. God made us male and female, with the blessed differences that characterize both. Let us rejoice in our equal access, in our unity, and in the gender God has given to each one of us!