Free as Children

Introduction

Q: Can anyone keep the law of God perfectly?

A: Since the fall, no mere human has been able to keep the law of God perfectly, but consistently breaks it in thought, word, and deed.

Romans 3:10–12 ESV

as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

Transition: We are no longer under the law as this one simple word “for” says, but are adopted because of “For in Christ...”

Sister—> Foster parent

Adoption, no longer part of the family you were born into, but are now part of a new family.

Transition: Paul uses the picture of adoption as a way to show us what we are now.

A: Since the fall, no mere human has been able to keep the law of God perfectly, but consistently breaks it in thought, word, and deed.

Romans 3:10–12 ESV

as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

Romans

Transition: We are no longer under the law as this one simple word “for” says.

Q: So what happens when we are not under the law? verse 26-29

Whose we

Galatians 3:26 ESV

for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

Why we are no longer under the Law

BUT Through faith in Jesus Christ —> Sons of God. We have been adopted.

In Justification, the picture is legal. It meets our spiritual need that we need to be made right before a holy God, but adoption is so much better, the judge not only declares you “not guilty,” but He also gets up off the bench, comes down to where you are, takes your chains off of you, and says, “Come home with Me as My son.” JI Packer put it this way, “To be right with God the Judge is a great thing, but to be loves and cared for by God the Father is a greater.”

APPLICATION: If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all. - JI Packer, Knowing God

Baptism —> outward and visible of an inward and spiritual grace.

Put on Christ — Like changing clothes. When we put our faith in Christ, we have but on a new self, a new identity. No longer defined by who we are, but on whose we are.

Spurgeon: “You stand before God as if you were Christ, because Christ stood before God as if he were you.”

It is in Christ that there are no more distinctions

BI: In Christ, our identity is based on whose we are, not who we are.

It is in Christ we

Galatians 3:28 ESV

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Verse 28: Unity within diversity, but not sameness in the church. We celebrate our differences/gifting. Our differences don’t divide, our identify unites us. As we are in Christ.

Abraham Seed = Christ = Son of God

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Abraham true seed = Believers = Sons of God

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Fulfillment of promise vs. 29c ---> Promise (reception of the Spirit, Justified by faith)

Q: What was our old Identity? Vs 1-3

Galatians 4:3 ESV

In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.

Galatians 3

Answer: “Enslaved to the elementary principles of this world.”

Every culture back then had a time during wich a boy, even though he was an heir in the family, would basically be treated as a slave. At a certain age the individual’s status would change, and he would take on the responsiblities of manhood. He would officialyl pass from being a child - like a servant - to a son.

Verses 1-2: Every culture back then had a time during which a boy, even though he was an heir in the family, would basically be treated as a slave. At a certain age the individual’s status would change, and he would take on the responsibilities of manhood. He would officially pass from being a child - like a servant - to a son.

Do you see the picture that Paul is painting for us. Because according to verse 28, the full rights of a son, including the full inheritance, are granted to all who belong to Christ, regardless of whether they are male or female.

Walking around in a prison cell screaming that they are free.

Verse 3: Powers of evil prevail in this age and dominate the lives of sinful human beings. The law of God, which can only condemn the sin of its subjects, is also an enslaving force. From all such slavery, Christ brings deliverance.

Powers of evil prevail in this age and dominate the lives of sinful human beings. The law of God, which can only condemn the sin of its subjects, is also an enslaving force. From all such slavery, Christ brings deliverance.

Moo, D. J. (2015). The Letters and Revelation. In D. A. Carson (Ed.), NIV Zondervan Study Bible: Built on the Truth of Scripture and Centered on the Gospel Message (p. 2389). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Transition: BI —> In Christ, Our identity is not based on who we are, but whose we are. We are no longer slaves, but have been set free from the power of sin.

Q: What is our new Identity? Verse 4-7

Galatians 4:4-

Galatians 4:4–7 ESV

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.

Answer:

Galatians 4:5 ESV

to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Outcome:

Galatians 4:6 ESV

And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Galatians

Verse 4: At the right time both theologically, religiously, culturally, politically God Sent his Son so that we might receive the position of Sons. God in his sovereignty was designing all of history for this moment in time. It was an appointment. Just as much as God has designed a moment a time when Jesus will come back.

God sent his son, Jesus, Fully divine, who alone can bear the infinite wrath of God.

God sent his son, fully human, born of a woman.

God sent his son, fully righteous, “born under the law.” He perfectly fulfilled all the demands of the law.

Adoption requires someone who comes at the right time and someone who has the right qualifications.

So now we have the privileges of sonship. The ability to call the Holy God, Maker of the universe, Creator, judge, Father. We have a new identity.

BI: In Christ, our identity is not based on who we are, but whose we are.

Application (SO WHAT):

World gives confusion —> Christ gives clarity

Based on what you are, Based on whose you are

or what the world says you are

It’s ever changing Never Changing

Find yourself You are found

Disunity Unity

The Gospel brings people together. The gospel gives us a new identity. What’s more, it brings sinful people with various backgrounds (economic, geographic, ethic, etc) together. The gospel takes selfish people and causes them to love one another. But when you read through out the New Testament, and from experience that selfishness constantly attempts to overthrow this unity and make us focus on another thing for our identity. So, how do we combat selfishness? We are told to preserve unity by walking in a manner that is worthy of the gospel. This is a humble, gentle, enduring, and loving walk. This is what preserves unity rather than fracturing it, because the gospel gives us a new identity. When we are in Christ, we are suddenly enabled to walk in this way because the Spirit of God is in you, changing you, making you more like Christ. As long as we are on this side of glory, we need to be praying for unity, that we would live in our new identity. We need to ask that we would walk in the gospel, leaving footprints of humility.

Father, cause us to be united together, a a church, in love.

Conclusion:

BI: In Christ, our identity is based on whose we are, not who we are.

Adoption —> name change

Baptism is a picture of the old and new

Christ ---> we’ve put on a new identity.