Sons, not Slaves (Galatians 4:4-7)

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Galatians 4:4-7, English Standard Version)

Back to our study in the book of Galatians. We are now in chapter 4, and Paul is still in the doctrinal section of the letter; he is still giving instruction regarding the thesis of the book which is a defense of the doctrine of justification by faith in Jesus Christ alone. Paul closed chapter 3 with this verse: “And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:29). The thought being our faith in Christ makes us Abraham’s spiritual offspring, and therefore fellow heirs in the promise of God. It is this thought which carries over into chapter 4. Let’s take a look at what this passage has to offer.

1. The Perfect Timing of God (“But when the fullness of time had come”). I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating because God’s word mentions it over and over again. God’s timing is perfect; better than any watchmaker’s in Switzerland. God doesn’t have a “Plan B,” and he is never caught off guard. Everything that is happening is going according to the steady marching out of God’s plan (“According to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” Ephesians 1:11b). The phrase “fullness of time” is very interesting. We would probably say nowadays, “when the time was just right.” In other words, the events of history were building up for just this moment. This was the moment that God was waiting for to present the way of salvation to the world. Think of all the events of world history that have happened up to that moment; all of them orchestrated by God for the sole purpose of sending his Son into the world. Which leads us to the next point…

2. The Coming of the Son (“God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law”). I love the precise economy of words that the Bible uses. In five simple words, Paul describes the singular most important event of human history short of the Second Coming: “God sent forth his Son.” This first coming of Jesus Christ into the world marked the end of the old covenant and the beginning of the new covenant. This event has so impacted world history that we now reference historical events around the birth of Christ (B.C. and A.D.). So much more could be said of the coming of Jesus Christ, but space doesn’t allow. However, Paul makes two points regarding Christ’s coming. First, he was born of a woman, and second, he was born under the law. These two statements sum up one of the most important doctrines of orthodox Christianity: The Incarnation of Christ—i.e., God in bodily form.

“Born of woman” is meant to emphasize his physical humanity. There are two important things to note here though. First, it doesn’t say “born of man” because Jesus did not have an earthly father, he is the Son of God conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit. Second, this phrase points back to the earliest recorded prophecy concerning the coming of Christ. Way back in Genesis, God prophesied about the coming of his Son (“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” Genesis 3:15). Notice the phrase “her offspring” in Genesis and “born of woman” in our passage; they tell of the same thing—the coming of Christ. The other phrase, “Born under the law,” emphasizes Jesus’ legal standing during his incarnation in the sense that, like everybody else, he was obligated to live under the strictures of the law.

3. The Work of the Son (“To redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons”). In the most broad sense, Jesus came to earth to achieve one goal, the redemption of those who were under the law. Question: Who are those under the law? That’s us; everybody is born under the law. The idea of redemption is to buy back, to ransom. If you have ever clipped coupons, then you know what it means to redeem something because you then take those coupons to the supermarket to redeem them for money. Question: What was the price of our redemption? The blood of Christ. Christ had to die to redeem us (“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses” Ephesians 1:7a).

Christ came to redeem us for the purpose of our adoption as sons (and daughters) of God. In the Roman culture, adoption was a very big deal! If a person was adopted into a Roman family, it meant that the person was regarded as special. It’s one thing to be born into a family, but quite another to be chosen to be in a family. Now, by nature, we’re not children of God (cf. Ephesians 2:3), but through the redemption that Christ brings, we are adopted into God’s family.

4. The Results of Adoption (“And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God”). OK, God has this massive plan, he sends his Son into the world to redeem us and secure our adoption into the family of God, the next question is why does God do all of this? What results from all this effort on God’s part? Two things: We have the Holy Spirit with us now, in the present; and God's riches and blessing in the future. Notice, because we are now the children of God, God gives us his Holy Spirit (Spirit of his Son is the same thing as the Holy Spirit). In Ephesians, we learn that the Holy Spirit is God’s “down payment” securing the promise of our future glory: “In him you also…were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it” (Ephesians 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts gives us the right to call God our Father. The word “Abba” is an Aramaic term of endearment; it’s like calling God, “Daddy.” Remember now, this God that we can call “Daddy” is the same God who called the universe into existence and promises to judge sinners according to his unswerving justice—don’t take this awesome privilege lightly!

We get the Holy Spirit now, and we also get in the future blessings and riches! Paul goes on to say that we are no longer slaves (to the Law), but now sons! He then draws this to its logical conclusion. If we are sons—i.e., in the family of God—then we are heirs! As heirs, we get in on the inheritance of God. In Romans, Paul writes that we are “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17). Christ is the Son of God, we (through adoption) are sons of God, therefore we get what Christ gets when the inheritance is fully realized. God has basically promised Jesus EVERYTHING, and we get to get in on that action too! And don’t think God is going to run short of riches to pass out; his resources are infinite!

Application Time. If you’re a child of God, redeemed through the blood of Christ, then your future is secure! You have the Holy Spirit! You have the right to call God “Abba, Father!” You are no longer a slave to the demands of the Law! Your future is incredibly bright! However, this privilege is not given to everyone. Contrary to modern notions of the universal Fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of mankind, not everyone has the right to call God Father. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). Don’t pass over this lightly. You don’t fall into Christianity by accident. You’re not a child of God because your parents are Christians, or because you go to the right church, or because you prayed a prayer at a revival. Look back at the verse from John’s gospel; you need to receive Christ and believe in his name. These are conscious, deliberate actions. If you’re not sure you have received Christ, make sure of that right now! Can you look back to a time when you turned away from your life of sin, and by faith turned to Christ as you only hope of salvation? If you have, then the promises of God are yours by faith!  If not, then everything we've talked about is not in your future; but today could be your day of salvation!

Bottom Line: One of the benefits of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life is his testimony in our hearts that we are a child of God. I close with this verse from Romans: “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16).

Have a blessed day!

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