Galatians 4:1-7

Galatians 4:1–7 KJV (WS)

1 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; 2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Introduction

How many of you have heard of the growing trend to make some of your car’s features a subscription based service?

BMW, Volkswagen, Toyota, Audi, Cadillac, Porsche, and Tesla have all dabbled in subscription models for certain options.

The price for these features ranges from $80/yr to $18/mo.

Car companies want their customers to pay for things like.

Heated seats

Lane assist

Automatic braking

Increased horsepower/torque

Increased battery range

The crazy thing about this, all of the equipment is already installed on the car, it just needs to be activated.

For a Roman son, there are some similarities to this idea.

When he was born he was entitled to all of the features of sonship based on who his father was in society.

The son of a wealthy, powerful man had enormous potential at his disposal.

But, like a car with all the features turned off, the boy was essentially treated like one of the servants until the day that he reached adulthood.

We talked about this 2 weeks ago with the pedagogue.

A Roman son was supposed to enter into the full realization of sonship at the age of 16.

Paul uses this cultural understanding to illustrate the process of the gospel in his audience’s life.

All of humanity is invited to join God’s family.

I say this as a matter of review from previous passages.

Jew or Greek, Slave or Free, Male or Female, it does not matter, Jesus died for all.

Through Jesus we can all be made a part of God’s family through Jesus.

When Jesus died, He died for the sins of the world.

That’s what 1 John 2:2 tells us. “2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

John the Baptist pretty much said the same thing, John 1:29 “29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

A Roman son does not enjoy the benefits of sonship until he comes of age. (1-3)

Through no effort of his own, Roman sons are born into their family.

He may be born into a politicians family.

He may be born into a merchants family.

He may be born into the emperors family.

As long as he is a child, however, he is no different than a servant.

In terms of agency, authority, and freedom.

He enjoys none of what his father has earned and purchased.

Instead, he is kept under tutors and governors.

They tell him what to do and where he can or can’t go.

This doesn’t change until the child meets the prerequisites set forth by his father.

This may be reaching a certain age.

It may be completing a course of study.

It could really be anything set up by the father.

Once the child fulfills the requirements of the father, he receives a whole new life.

His privileges and rights are fully realized.

He gets to live in the light of the life that his father had prepared and provided for him.

This model of sonship is pictured in the gospel. (4-5)

Before we are saved, we are children.

We are held in bondage under the rudiments/elements of the world.

This means we were like the Roman son that tries to be good enough to earn his father’s acceptance.

He tries to do good enough at his studies.

He tries to be manly enough to earn his father’s respect.

He tries to amass achievements that his father will be impressed by.

When it comes to the sinner and his relationship with God, we know that this can never succeed.

And that’s ok, because the Father knew/knows our inability.

He had a plan to deal with it.

So, when the time was right, the Father put his plan into action.

He wanted us to be a part of His family so badly that He sent His only natural Son to be born into our family so that He could pass the tests for us and so that we could be accepted through Him.

Jesus, the fully vested Son of God, allowed Himself to be born as a human.

He was therefore subject to the law, just like you and me.

The difference was, that Jesus kept all of the law.

He never broke a single rule.

He fulfilled the law’s expectations after billions of other humans had failed.

He didn’t do this to earn His own position of sonship, He already had that.

Jesus did what He did so that we could receive the position of sons.

John 1:12 “12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”

Through Jesus, we are now fully accepted children of God.

As children of God, believers can enjoy the full catalog of features available to God’s children. (6-7)

We have received the Spirit of His Son into our hearts.

This is the only use of this phrase in the Bible.

Paul is referring to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, here.

In the gospels, we see Jesus being led by the Spirit and doing miracles in the power of the Spirit.

Paul is reminding the Galatians that the same Holy Spirit that empowered the ministry of Jesus now lives in God’s other children.

Our possession of the Holy Spirit is the equivalent of a son possessing the power and authority of His father.

We have the power of God on our lives because His Spirit lives in us.

We get to speak to the God of the universe as our Father.

Abba, Father is the term reserved for the close relationship of a child and his father.

Think carefully about the privilege that we have to be able to speak to God this way.

The better your picture of God, the more precious this privilege will become.

This closeness should really be unthinkable.

It is only possible because of Jesus.

This should influence the way we pray to God.

We have a new identity.

Isn’t it interesting that Paul, who commonly opened his letters with the title “a servant of Jesus Christ” points out that our identity is no longer servants but sons?

This goes back to the first part of this passage that points out the lack of freedom of the child.

He is like a servant has no agency or power.

The son is not like this.

The son enjoys the freedom and power of his father.

In Christ, as sons of God, we are free.

Freemen get paid for their labor, slaves do not.

You may have tried to live a moral life as a lost person, but it got you nothing.

As a son of God, though, we get rewarded for our co-labors with God.

We have an inheritance.

An earthly inheritance consists of a limited supply of valuables split between a few people.

What about our inheritance from God?

He has billions of children.

He also has infinite resources.

His resources aren’t just physical, they are also spiritual.

The greatest inheritance that we could receive from God is forgiveness of our sins.

We know that is not where the inheritance of God stops.

It is seen in the countless evidences of His grace in our lives.

If we would more regularly remind ourselves of His goodness, we would be better off for it.

One day, the inheritance of God’s children will be so overwhelming, God’ll have to give us new bodies to enjoy it all.

Jesus, our Savior, friend, and brother, has gone before us to prepare a place for us.

The beauty and excitement of heaven and all that God has planned for his children in the new earth, will be unlike anything we could even imagine.

It’s all part of our inheritance.

Application

If you are not a child of God, you are like a child.

You are missing out on the benefits of being part of God’s family.

Jesus has already done the work necessary for you to be a son or daughter of God.

All you have to do is present yourself to Him for inclusion in His family.

Your sin is the only thing preventing you.

If you will ask Him, Jesus will take away your sin and wash you clean.

You too can become a part of God’s family.

If you are a child of God, are you making full-use of the blessings of sonship?

You have the Holy Spirit.

You have privileged access to the God of the universe.

You have a new identity.

You have an inheritance.