Not Slaves, Sons

The contrast is between those who are under the Law, and are therefore slaves to it, and those who are under grace and are adopted sons of God with full privileges and rights of that position. This is not to say that we are not slaves to righteousness and to God. makes it clear that we are. But that has to do with our personal relationship with God. Galatians is dealing with our legal relationship to God. Legally we have been adopted and are adult children of God. As such we have rights and responsibilities we did not have before salvation. Paul is writing this to the Galatians because of their desire to return to the perceived security of the Law in regards to sanctification. He wants them to understand that the Law makes you a slave, grace makes you a son. The benefits of sonship are highlighted here.

Sons Have The Holy Spirit v. 6

V. 4 states that God sent His Son and in v. 5 it states that He redeemed those under the Law that believers might receive adoption. Paul is communicating the reality that when we trust in Christ, we become children of God. Because of this, we have the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives is directly related to our adoption. We are not enslaved to a system that offers no lasting hope of salvation and deliverance! We are children of God and we have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us!

The Holy Spirit enables us to cry out “Abba, Father!” His presence in our lives signifies the new and intimate relationship we have with the Father. Abba is the word that was used by children to address their father. That is the kind of intimacy associated with this particular word. It is also a noun of direct address which is an incredible thought. We can address God directly! Under the Law there was a lot that had to be done to approach God, through the Spirit we have direct access! He is our Abba.

Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible The illustration 4:1–7

“The purpose of the Son’s mission was to give the rights of sonship; the purpose of the Spirit’s mission, to give the power of using them.”

H. B. Swete

I love that thought. Christ enabled us to be Sons. But the Holy Spirit enables us to come before the Father with our sonship. perfectly compliments this verse and helps to explain it.

perfectly compliments this verse and helps to explain it.

Romans 8:15–16 NKJV

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

The presence of the Spirit within us confirms our status as children of God. We are adopted children who have the full right to call the Father our Abba because we are His!

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible Chapter 4

Here the SPIRIT is regarded as the agent in praying, and the believer as His organ. In Ro 8:15, “The Spirit of adoption” is said to be that whereby WE cry, “Abba, Father”; but in Ro 8:26, “The SPIRIT ITSELF maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” The believers’ prayer is His prayer: hence arises its acceptability with God.

Jam

Our ability to pray comes directly from the presence of the Holy Spirit within us. When our relationship is unimpeded we are able to pray in the Spirit. In light of this relationship we discover a second benefit of sonship.

Sons Are Heirs Of God v. 7

“No longer” indicates that we were slaves! There are only two positions. Salves to sin and the Law that exposes it. Or. Slavery to righteousness and the God who bestows it. The fact that we are no longer slaves but sons indicates the new relationship purchased by Christ on the Cross and initialized through the coming of the Holy Spirit at Salvation. This new relationship comes with new privileges. We are heirs of God through what Christ has done! What is our inheritance? Paul dealt with that back in ch. 3. It is salvation, the justification purchased for the believer through the death of Christ along with all the blessings that accompany it. That is our inheritance.

Only sons get the inheritance. We become sons through faith and we then inherit justification, righteousness. Along with this righteousness comes “every spiritual blessing in Christ” ().

The concept of our being heirs is emphasized in .

Romans 8:17 NKJV

and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

We are heirs!

Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible The illustration 4:1–7

How foolish it would be then to go back under the bondage of the Law!

Considering all the freedom and blessings we have in Christ. It would be ridiculous to return to either the bondage of sin or of legalism. Sin will never satisfy and legalism cannot bring security, safety, or sanctification.

We are not slaves to a system, we are adopted children of God who have inherited the righteousness of Christ, every spiritual blessing, and eternal life in heaven with God.

CHALLENGE: We must live like the children of God that we are!

V. 6

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible Chapter 4

YE ARE sons, therefore ye need not be as children (Ga 4:1) under the tutorship of the law, as being already in the free state of “sons” of God by faith in Christ (Ga 3:26)

Sent forth - ἐξαποστέλλω (exapostellō) send away; send out; send off. To dispatch v. — to send away towards a designated goal or purpose. Finite verb, aorist, active, indicative, third person, singular.

Sent forth - ἐξαποστέλλω (exapostellō) send away; send out; send off. To dispatch v. — to send away towards a designated goal or purpose. Finite verb, aorist, active, indicative, third person, singular.

Crying out - κράζω (krazō) shout; cry out; call out. To scream v. — to utter or declare in a very loud voice; often indicating a harsh sounding utterance. Verb, present, active, attributive participle, singular, accusative, neuter.

Abba - ἀββά (abba) Abba; abba. Abba (father) n. — (Aramaic) father, probably as an informal term that a child would be privileged to use with his own father. Noun, vocative, singular, masculine.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 4:6

Used by Christ (cf. Mark 14:36), this familiar form indicates intimacy and trust as opposed to the formalism of legalism.

V. 7

Slave - δοῦλος (doulos) slave. Slave n. — a person who is legally owned by someone else and whose entire livelihood and purpose was determined by their master. Noun, predicate nominative, singular, masculine.

Heir - κληρονόμος (klēronomos) heir. Heir n. — a person who is entitled by law or by the terms of a will to inherit the estate of another. Noun, predicate nominative, singular, masculine.

Galatians: An Introduction and Commentary f. The Difference between Son and Infant (4:1–11)

As surely as we are children, we are God’s heirs by his own gift

The Grace New Testament Commentary 2. The Law Enslaved People until the Liberator Came (4:1–7)

Implicit here is the need to live like those who are in Christ.