"For through faith you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus. For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise." - Galatians 3:26-29

"Now I say that as long as the heir is a child, he differs in no way from a slave, though he is the owner of everything. Instead, he is under guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elements of the world. When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God 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 God has made you an heir. But in the past, since you didn’t know God, you were enslaved to things that by nature are not gods. But now, since you know God, or rather have become known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elements? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? " - Galatians 4:1-9


1. JESUS FREES US

Galatians 3:24-26 - “The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith. But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for through faith you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus.”

Paul once again emphasizes that the Law, as we recognize our inability to keep it, drive us to the cross where we are compelled us to trust, by faith, in Jesus.

AND now, although the law still serves a purpose in our lives, those who’ve been saved by grace through faith are no longer under it’s penalty.

“You are all sons of God in Christ Jesus.”

NOTICE – Paul doesn’t say, “through faith you are all sons and daughters of God in Christ Jesus” but rather, he says “sons of God in Christ Jesus”

Today, those words would likely produce charges or chauvinism, sexism to be hurled towards Paul.

In describing Gods children, the Bible uses the term “sons and daughters”. Why doesn’t Paul do so here?

In this passage and in the first few verses of chapter 4, Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, uses the term “sons of God” rather than “sons and daughters” or “children of God” – very intentionally.

What Paul is doing here isn’t chauvinistic at all, it’s actually the opposite. It was actually counter-cultural.

In Paul’s day, it was only the sons who could receive inheritance.

When Paul specifically identifies those who believe as “Gods sons in Christ Jesus”, he is communicating the fact that all who have called upon the name of the Lord for salvation by grace through faith have been adopted into Gods family and are heirs to the promise of eternal life in Heaven with Him!
He stresses that "ALL" in verse 27-29 “For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.”

Jesus frees us from the penalty of the law and grants all who know Him as Savior the full rights of an adopted son, including the full inheritance, regardless of their gender, heritage, or social standing!

Paul helps us to better understand that inheritance in the first few verses of chapter 4. According to the book of Acts, Paul was a citizen of Rome and because of this, he understood Roman culture.

The father (paterfamilias" had absolute rule over his household and children. If they angered him, he had the legal right to disown his children, sell them into slavery or even kill them.
When a child was born, the midwife would lay the child down at the fathers feet and after examining it, the father would choose whether it would become part of the family (if not, they'd be killed or placed by the roadside).

If chosen to be part of the family, children were placed under the strict care and guidance of a servant or slave.

It was Roman custom that when a father determined that it was time for his son to go from a boy to a man and therefore a legal heir, a great ceremony would be held called a Liberalia.

At this ceremony, the son is declared an adult, acknowledged as a son and given a new set of clothes that distinguish him as a man.

With that in mind, look at Galatians 4:1-3 “Now I say that as long as the heir is a child, he differs in no way from a slave, though he is the owner of everything. Instead, he is under guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elements of the world”

The comparison Paul is drawing – As we saw last week, the Law served as our guardian. We were as immature children under a guardian - Before righteous desires are formed in our hearts, we need that guardian because we need to be told right from wrong. The Law does that.

Paul says that as a child, we differ in no way from a slave. In fact, we actually have less freedom and authority than the guardian, though we are rightful heirs.

SO AGAIN – The Law served as a guardian…BUT...though that guardian can tell us right from wrong, distinguishes what it ethically and morally pure and what is not, and even shows us the consequences that accompany rejecting this instruction: that guardian cannot change our hearts.

The Law can serve as a model for our behavior but it’s insufficient to save our souls.

HERE’S THE GOOD PART –

Galatians 4:4-5 “When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons”

Fullness of time – When the time was just right, God sent Jesus to save us.

Let’s not imagine that God was sitting up in Heaven watching things unfold waiting for an opportune moment and thinking : “Ok, things are lining up. seems like it’s a good time to send Jesus. Things are lining up. Gotta strike while the iron is hot”

NO – The Lord God had appointed the time of Christ coming before the foundations of this world were even established and had been orchestrating human history for this precise moment in time.
- Right Time Theologically –
- Right Time religiously
- Right time culturally
- Right Time Politically

WHEN THE TIME WAS RIGHT
- "God sent His Son"…speaks to His deity
- "Born of a women"…speaks to His humanity
- "Born under the law, to redeem those under the law"…speaks to His mission (fulfilling the law on our behalf)

But that’s not all - “…so that we might receive adoption as sons”

The Lord Jesus not only purchased our freedom but elevated us to the place of sons and daughters by adopting us into Gods family!

Again – Paul is illustrating of position in Christ by citing the Roman culture that He is familiar with

The custom of Roman adoption – adopted sons weren’t the black sheep of the family but were given absolutely equal privileges in the family and equal status as heirs.

Through faith in Christ, our pardon has been purchased and we’ve been made a permanent part of Gods family!

Jesus free’s us from loneliness, isolation, the penalty of sin…but He also frees us to something

2. JESUS FREES US TO OBEY

In our culture, those words don’t seem to fit together, do they?

FREE to OBEY?

Our culture views freedom as the ability to define your own existence and make your own rules.

That concept of freedom isn’t actually freedom at all. It’s the opposite.

You and I are designed to live under the Lordship of Christ. To live in submission to His Commands. To live according to the principles and precepts found in His Word.

When the Law was our guardian, we would force ourselves to obey because we had to.

But now that we are in Christ, we are free to obey because we get to!

Galatians 4:6-7 “And because you are sons, God 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 God has made you an heir.”

Paul said – we’re no longer a slave but a son.

And we’re sons who want to be like their dad.

So we’re no longer forced to obey His commands but we desire to.
The Gospel changes our hearts so that we desire to live our lives in a way that would please Him.

Paul has been crystal clear in his letter to these Galatian believers: Jesus frees you from the penalty of the Law…He frees you to obey the law.

AND THEN HE CALLS FOR A DECISION TO BE MADE.

Galatians 4:8-9 “But in the past, since you didn’t know God, you were enslaved to things that by nature are not gods. But now, since you know God, or rather have become known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elements? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again?”

WE KNOW THAT WE NEED SOMETHING BEYOND OURSELVES IN ORDER TO BE TRULY HAPPY, AT PEACE, CONTENT.

So we all identify something that we think will give us those things.

The problem – If that thing is not our Lord – we won’t find true fulfillment but terrible frustration

THAT’S NOT FREEDOM – that’s bondage. It’s a powerful thing.

You don’t have to go back to that.

The moment you believed Gods Gospel promise of sending a Messiah to die so that you could live – you were released from the penalty of sin.

As you continue to believe that Gospel Promise we are released from the power of sin.

I exhort you to live in the freedom we’ve been given.