Paul Explains Their Adoption (Gal. 4:1–7)

1 Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, 2 but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Among the blessings of the Christian experience is adoption. We do not enter God’s family by adoption, the way a homeless child would enter a loving family in our own society. The only way to get into God’s family is by regeneration, being “born again”. The New Testament word for adoption means “to place as an adult son.” It has to do with our standing in the family of God: we are not little children but adult sons with all of the privileges of sonship. We are the children of God by faith in Christ, born into God’s family. But every child of God is automatically placed into the family as a son, and as a son he has all the legal rights and privileges of a son. When a sinner trusts Christ and is saved, as far as his condition is concerned, he is a “spiritual babe” who needs to grow; but as far as his position is concerned, he is an adult son who can draw on the Father’s wealth and who can exercise all the wonderful privileges of sonship. We enter God’s family by regeneration, but we enjoy God’s family by adoption. The Christian does not have to wait to begin enjoying the spiritual riches he has in Christ.

I. What we were: children in bondage (vv. 1–3).

1 Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, 2 but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world.

A. The spiritual immaturity of living under the law.

No matter how wealthy a father may be, his infant child or toddling child cannot really enjoy that wealth. In the Roman world, the children of wealthy people were cared for by slaves. No matter who their father was, the child was still a child, under the supervision of a servant. In fact, the child themselves were not much different from the servant who guarded them.

This was the spiritual condition of the Jews under the age of the Law. The Law, was the “guardian” that disciplined the nation and prepared the people for the coming of Christ. So, when the Judaizers led the Galatians back into legalism, they were leading them not only into religious bondage, but also into moral and spiritual infancy and immaturity.

B. Legalism is not a step toward maturity; it is a step back into childhood.

The Law was not God’s final revelation; it was the preparation for that final revelation in Christ. It is important that a person know their ABCs, because they are the foundation for understanding all of the language.

The person who sits in a library and recites the ABCs instead of reading the great literature that is around them, is showing that they are immature and ignorant, not mature and wise. Under the Law, the Jews were children in bondage, not sons and daughters enjoying liberty.

II. What God did: redeemed us (vv. 4–5).

4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

A. The old religions were dying; the old philosophies were empty and powerless to change lives.

Strange new mystery religions were invading the empire. Religious bankruptcy and spiritual hunger were everywhere. God was preparing the world for the arrival of His Son. From the historical point of view, the Roman Empire itself helped prepare the world for the birth of the Saviour. Roads connected city with city, and all cities ultimately with Rome. Roman laws protected the rights of citizens, and Roman soldiers guarded the peace.

Thanks to both the Greek and Roman conquests, Latin and Greek were known across the empire. Christ’s birth at Bethlehem was not an accident; it was an appointment: Jesus came in “the fullness of the time.” (And, it is worth noting, that He will come again when the time is ready.) Paul is careful to point out the dual nature of Jesus Christ, that He is both God and man. As God, Jesus “came forth”; but as man, He was “made of a woman.” The ancient promise said that the Redeemer would be of “the woman’s seed”; and Jesus fulfilled that promise.

B. Paul explains why He came.

“5 to redeem those who were under the law,” Redeem is the same word Paul used earlier (Gal. 3:13); it means “to set free by paying a price.” A man could purchase a slave in any Roman city either to keep the slave for himself or to set him free.

Jesus came to set us free. So, to go back into the Law is to undo the very work of Christ on the cross. He did not purchase us to make us slaves, but sons! Under Law, the Jews were mere children, but under grace, the believer is a son of God with an adult standing in God’s family.

III. What we are: sons and heirs (vv. 6–7).

6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

A. The son has the same nature as the father, but the servant does not.

When we trust Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us; and this means we are “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). The Law could never give a person God’s nature within.

All the Law could do was reveal to the person their desperate need for God’s nature. So, when the believer goes back into Law, they are denying the very divine nature within, and they are giving the old nature (the flesh) opportunity to go to work.

B. The son has a father, while the servant has a master.

No servant could ever say “Father” to their master. When the sinner trusts Christ, they receive the Holy Spirit within, and the Spirit tells them that they are a child of the Father (Rom. 8:15–16).

When the Spirit enters the heart, He says, “Abba, Father” (Gal. 4:6); and, in response, the believer cries, “Abba, Father!” (Rom. 8:15) The word Abba is an Aramaic word that is the equivalent of our English word “papa.” This shows the closeness of the child to the Father. No servant has this.

C. The son obeys out of love, while the servant obeys out of fear.

The Spirit works in the heart of the believer to quicken and increase his love for God.

The Judaizers told the Galatians that they would become better Christians by submitting to the Law, but the Law can never produce obedience. Only love can do that. “If ye love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15).

D. The son is rich, while the servant is poor, and the son has a future, while the servant does not.

We are both “sons and heirs.” And since we are adopted—placed as adult sons in the family—we may begin drawing on our inheritance right now. God has made available to us the riches of His grace, the riches of His glory, the riches of His goodness, and the riches of His wisdom and all of the riches of God are found in Christ.

While many kind masters did provide for their slaves in old age, it was not required of them. The father always provides for the son.

In one sense, our adoption is not yet final, because we are awaiting the return of Christ and the redemption of our bodies. Christians have experienced the first stage: we have been purchased by Christ and indwelt by the Spirit. We are awaiting the second stage: the public declaration at the return of Christ when “we shall be like Him”. We are “sons and heirs,” and the best part of our inheritance is yet to come.