Journal: Priscilla Papers
Volume: PP 30:2 (Spring 2016)
Article: New Creation And Inheritance: Inclusion And Full Participation In Paul’s Letters To The Galatians And Romans
Author: Caroline Schleier Cutler

PP 30:2 (Spring 2016) p. 21

New Creation And Inheritance: Inclusion And Full Participation In Paul’s Letters To The Galatians And Romans

Caroline Schleier Cutler

Caroline Schleier Cutler is a PhD student in Biblical Studies at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. She lives with her supportive husband in Windsor, Ontario, and is extremely proud of her two adult children. Her paper was co-winner of the 2015 CBE Student Paper Competition in Los Angeles.

A common theme in biblical narrative and prophetic literature is that God aligns with those whom Walter Brueggemann calls the “dispossessed, that is, those denied land, denied power, denied place or voice in history.”1 The dispossessed can also be defined as those who do not receive an inheritance, or who do not receive an inheritance unless someone else acts on their behalf. Thus, in an ironic twist, God ensures that it is the dispossessed who become the heirs, the meek who inherit the earth (cf. Matt 5:5).

In Paul’s epistles to the Galatians and Romans, the themes of adoption and inheritance are prominent, particularly in Gal 3:23-4:7 and Rom 8:14-25. In Rom 4:13, the true descendants of Abraham are promised that they “would inherit the world.” This denotes an inheritance that is substantial—even cosmic—in its proportions. It is an inheritance closely tied to the concept of “new creation” (Gal 6:15), which is central to Paul’s thinking.

In examining these inheritance texts in Galatians and Romans it is necessary to address two questions: Who inherits? and What kind of inheritance do they receive? Some have suggested that these passages—especially Gal 3:28—are to be interpreted solely in terms of salvation. However, the Galatian and Roman letters present ample evidence that inheritance goes beyond soteriology (the work of Christ) to encompass social and ecclesiological issues as well. Indeed, it has the potential to impact every area of the Christian life and even the whole of creation. The context of Galatians is crucial for this interpretation of Gal 3:28 and its surrounding discussion of inheritance. The context of Paul’s account of the Antioch incident in Gal 2:11-14 sets the stage for how Gal 3:28 is to be understood and, moreover, how to apply it in the twenty-first century.

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