Born To Save Those Under The Law
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Introduction:
The Gospel of Santa Claus
You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
He's making a list
And checking it twice;
Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town
He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!
This is what I call the Gospel of Santa Claus. Serene and I have been having conversations about Santa Claus. Serene she can’t wait until Santa Clause brings gifts on Christmas day. Maybe she has been watching some cartoons about it.
And as a pastor, this is what I say to her. Jesus is so much greater than Santa Claus. Why? Santa Claus only gives gifts to good children. And by the Bible’s definition, no one is good. So if only good people get gifts, then no one would get gifts because we are all bad. That means if you live by Santa’s definition, you and your brother and sisters would never get gifts.
Jesus is greater because he gives good gifts not to those who are good, but to those who don’t deserve it. And you get gifts on Christmas when it is not even your birthday.
Jesus is the gift of salvation not to people who are righteous, but people who are guilty and deserve nothing. Jesus the reason why we celebrate Christmas.
The Gospel of Santa Claus
I don’t hate Santa, but most secular people believe in the gospel of Santa Clause. Good people get rewarded, while naughty people get punished. That is really no good news if we truly understand our condition as described in the Bible.
You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
He's making a list
And checking it twice;
Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town
He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!
Recap
Read more: Christmas Song - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town Lyrics | MetroLyrics
As we have been looking at the Ten Commandments for the past eleven weeks, I hope that we have learned that God’s law is holy and spiritual and good. I hope I have shown you that by looking deeper into the Law of God, it shows us where we have all stumbled and violated the Holy law. If you remember, there were three uses of the Law: restrain evil, convict of sin, and show us what pleases God.
Institutes of the Christian Religion 9. The Law, as Augustine States, by Accusing Moves Us to Seek Grace
“The law bids us, as we try to fulfill its requirements, and become wearied in our weakness under it, to know how to ask the help of grace.” He writes similarly to Asellius: “The usefulness of the law lies in convicting man of his infirmity and moving him to call upon the remedy of grace which is in Christ.”
Institutes of the Christian Religion 9. The Law, as Augustine States, by Accusing Moves Us to Seek Grace
Again: “The law was given to accuse you; that accused you might fear; that fearing you might beg forgiveness; and that you might not presume on your own strength.” Again: “The law was given for this purpose: to make you, being great, little; to show that you do not have in yourself the strength to attain righteousness, and for you, thus helpless, unworthy, and destitute, to flee to grace.”
Heidelberg Catechism 44. Sunday
QUESTION 114. Can those who are converted to God keep these commandments perfectly?
No: but even the holiest men, while in this life, have only a small beginning of this obedience; yet so, that with earnest purpose they begin to live, not only according to some, but according to all the commandments of God.
QUESTION 115. Why then doth God so strictly enjoin upon us the ten commandments, since in this life no one can keep them?
First, that all our life long, we may learn more and more to know our sinful nature, and so the more earnestly seek forgiveness of sins and righteousness in Christ; secondly, that we may continually strive, and beg from God the grace of the Holy Ghost, so as to become more and more changed into the image of God, till we attain finally to full perfection after this life.
Heidelberg Catechism 44. Sunday
QUESTION 114. Can those who are converted to God keep these commandments perfectly?
No: but even the holiest men, while in this life, have only a small beginning of this obedience; yet so, that with earnest purpose they begin to live, not only according to some, but according to all the commandments of God.
QUESTION 115. Why then doth God so strictly enjoin upon us the ten commandments, since in this life no one can keep them?
First, that all our life long, we may learn more and more to know our sinful nature, and so the more earnestly seek forgiveness of sins and righteousness in Christ; secondly, that we may continually strive, and beg from God the grace of the Holy Ghost, so as to become more and more changed into the image of God, till we attain finally to full perfection after this life.
And I think today;s message is a perfect transition into our meditations on Christmas. Because Jesus Christ was born under the Law, to set free his people from the curse of the Law, to rewrite the Law by the Spirit of God upon God’s people’s hearts to give them power to obey the Law because we have freedom in Christ.
And this is why we turn to as we meditate on the truths of Christ’s birth this upcoming Christmas. We celebrate the coming and birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. And his birth was the most important birth in human history.
When was He born?
How was He born?
Why was He born?
Background
If you are familiar with the book of Galatians, the fundamental problem Paul is dealing with as he writes to these churches is the danger of abandoning the gospel of Jesus Christ.
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
False teachers, Judaizers, may have influenced some people of the congregation go back to the Law of Moses to find salvation. These teachers were saying that if you would be truly saved, not only must you obey God’s Law, but also the ceremonial laws of the OT like circumcision and Sabbath keeping.
We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
In other words, they were believing a Santa-Claus like gospel: good Christians who keep the Law get rewarded, while bad Christians who don’t go to Hell. Those good Christians who keep ceremonial laws like circumcision and Sabbath keeping are those who are rewarded while those who do not may not be saved.
And Paul writes 6 chapters to defend the doctrine of justification. In the very center of the letter, Paul says,
For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”
And he says,
Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.
Anyone who thinks they can keep the Law of God does not truly understand the Law of God and has not truly seen his depraved and wretched condition as one enslaved and cursed by by sin and the power of the Law. Great Christians throughout history have understand that even though the Law is Holy and Good, yet it reveals their sinfulness and depravity when trying to keep it in the flesh.
Institutes of the Christian Religion 9. The Law, as Augustine States, by Accusing Moves Us to Seek Grace
“The law bids us, as we try to fulfill its requirements, and become wearied in our weakness under it, to know how to ask the help of grace.” He writes similarly to Asellius: “The usefulness of the law lies in convicting man of his infirmity and moving him to call upon the remedy of grace which is in Christ.”
Institutes of the Christian Religion 9. The Law, as Augustine States, by Accusing Moves Us to Seek Grace
Again: “The law was given to accuse you; that accused you might fear; that fearing you might beg forgiveness; and that you might not presume on your own strength.” Again: “The law was given for this purpose: to make you, being great, little; to show that you do not have in yourself the strength to attain righteousness, and for you, thus helpless, unworthy, and destitute, to flee to grace.”
Heidelberg Catechism 44. Sunday
QUESTION 114. Can those who are converted to God keep these commandments perfectly?
No: but even the holiest men, while in this life, have only a small beginning of this obedience; yet so, that with earnest purpose they begin to live, not only according to some, but according to all the commandments of God.
QUESTION 115. Why then doth God so strictly enjoin upon us the ten commandments, since in this life no one can keep them?
First, that all our life long, we may learn more and more to know our sinful nature, and so the more earnestly seek forgiveness of sins and righteousness in Christ; secondly, that we may continually strive, and beg from God the grace of the Holy Ghost, so as to become more and more changed into the image of God, till we attain finally to full perfection after this life.
Luther said, “He hated the righteousness of God.”
And those who have ever tried to live up to the holy demands of God’s law both externally and internally, have come up terribly short.
To try to live up to God’s law is like a man trying to jump up to the moon. You may jump higher than others, but you will never reach and obey God’s demands. It is impossible to keep God’s Law.
he Law: restrain evil, convict of sin, and show us what pleases God.
Heidelberg Catechism 44. Sunday
QUESTION 114. Can those who are converted to God keep these commandments perfectly?
No: but even the holiest men, while in this life, have only a small beginning of this obedience; yet so, that with earnest purpose they begin to live, not only according to some, but according to all the commandments of God.
QUESTION 115. Why then doth God so strictly enjoin upon us the ten commandments, since in this life no one can keep them?
First, that all our life long, we may learn more and more to know our sinful nature, and so the more earnestly seek forgiveness of sins and righteousness in Christ; secondly, that we may continually strive, and beg from God the grace of the Holy Ghost, so as to become more and more changed into the image of God, till we attain finally to full perfection after this life.
And I think today;s message is a perfect transition into our meditations on Christ
If you want to get into heaven, then you must meet heaven’s requirement which is perfection.
This is why the gospel of Jesus Christ is so profound and special to us as believers. We can’t get to heaven on our own. No, heaven must come down to us. Christmas is about heaven coming down to us in love in a person which makes our hearts burn with worship as we see the mystery and wonder of the child in a feeding trough who is in fact the God who sustains the whole universe. So as we reflect on the birth of Christ this morning, I will read our Scripture again but just focus on verses 4-7. And we will ask
1. When was He born?
2. How was He born?
3. Why was He born?
Scripture Reading:
I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. 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.
I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. 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.
When He was born? In the fullness of time.
How He was born? Sent, born of a woman, born under the law
Why was He born? To redeem those under the curse, to give the right of sonship
I. When He was Born? (v. 4)
I. When He was Born? (v. 4)
Historians say that Christ was born between 6 B.C. to 4 B.C. The exact date is not what concerns me, but what the text says: in the fullness of time.
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
Some say that the this was the perfect time religiously. The Jews has been exiled and under foreign rule waiting for their Temple to be restored and waiting for their Messiah to return to make things right like the golden age of King David and Solomon. They were waiting for their Messiah to come.
The Greeks and Romans were disillusioned with the empty pagan rituals and gods of their day because the gods acted just like humans in deified form given to immorality, drunkenness, anger, and rage. Some were seeking a better worldview.
Religious, Cultural, and Political
Others say that this was the right time politically. The Pax Romona or the period of peace within Rome from all enemies was instituted Caesar Augustus. There was peace on all sides and there were about 70 million people living throughout the Roman Empire.
The Pax Romona allowed for easy travel as the well-built roads were established all throughout the Empire. Rome was at the peak of its prosperity during this time. The same roads that Roman Soldiers walked, would be the same road Christians would carry the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.
It was the right time culturally. Because of the Alexander the Great’s influence, Greek culture was brought to bear throughout the whole Roman Empire. There was a common culture and a common language through the Greeks. This is why the NT was written in Greek.
But it was also the right time spiritually under the sovereign time table of God.
making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
The time was the right time because God believed it was the right time.
The New American Commentary: Galatians (2) The Radical Change: From Slavery to Sonship (4:1–7)
Early Christian apologists pointed to the fact that the birth of the Messiah occurred during the Pax Romana, a period of relative peace and stability. Others have pointed to the development of a common language, favorable means of travel, the emergence of an urban civilization that made possible the rapid spread of the Christian message, and so forth. Still others have pointed to the lapse of a definite period of time (cf. Dan 9:24) that had to occur before the appearance of the Messiah. It is sufficient to say with Calvin that “the time which had been ordained by the providence of God was seasonable and fit.… Therefore the right time for the Son of God to be revealed to the world was for God alone to judge and determine.”179
Do you know that we divide the calendar and human history with the birth of Christ? B.C. often means “before Christ” and A.D. is the Latin phrase which means “year of our Lord”. The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used calendar in the world today?
Christian—God’s timing is the best timing. Lloyd Jones, the famous welsh preacher would say, “Our worst timing is God’s best timing”. Do you trust God’s timing for your life? Maybe you didn’t get that job you expected? Maybe you saw your life going a certain way but you may have not found a spouse? Or maybe you thought you would be doing something more effective for God on a mission field, but he still has you here. Do you believe God’s is sovereign over time and maybe preparing you for greater things to come? Do you believe that God knows what He is doing with history, but also with every detail of your life?
He was sovereign over every detail of Christ’s life, and I believe he is sovereign over every detail of our life as well.
Spurgeon Commentary: Galatians Exposition
The infinite Lord appoints the date of every event; all times are in His hand. There are no loose threads in the providence of God. No stitches are dropped; no events are left to chance. The great clock of the universe keeps good time, and the whole machinery of providence moves with unerring punctuality. It was to be expected that the greatest of all events should be most accurately and wisely timed, and so it was. God willed it to be when and where it was, and that will is to us the ultimate reason.
Non-Christian—The birth of Christ is the most significant and important birth in history. As you listen to Christmas songs of Christ’s birth on the radio and department stores, I pray you really have eyes to see the true meaning and signficance of Christ’s birth. If you do, it will change your life now and your eternal destiny if you grasp these truths.
The fullness of time was God’s perfect timing in allowing His Son to be born in a small town in a feeding trough to nobody parents. But it was the fullness of time because it was the age where a new day was dawning.
God’s people were enslaved under the law, exiled for their repeated offenses of the law, and did not have the ability to keep the Law. So in the fullness of time, God entered into human history to bring about a new day. And that new day was in the birth of Christ.
Silent night, holy night
Son of God, oh, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new glorious morn
Fall on your knees
O hear the angels' voices
O night divine
O night when Christ was born
It isn’t by coincidence that God brought you here today. Maybe you never really knew what Christmas was all about, but in God’s timing he has brought you here about the true meaning of Christmas.
II. How Was He Born? (v. 4)
II. How Was He Born? (v. 4)
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
A. Sent by God (Truly God)
In the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son. Sending implies that the Son did not come into existence at his birth. No, the Son existed before time began. In John’s Gospel, we read,
God Sent Him
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
The Son was in the beginning with God (think about the early chapters of Genesis), the Word was with God (distinct personality from God), and the Word was God (deity). And the Word was the agent of Creation. In other words, all things were made through the Son.
This is to say that Jesus Christ is fully and truly God.
The Christmas message rests on the staggering fact that the child in the manger was—God. J.I. Packer
B. Born of Woman (Truly Man)
Born of a Woman. But the Son of God was not only truly and fully God, he was truly and fully man. This is the mystery of what Theologians call the incarnation of the in-fleshing of God.
Jesus Christ took on humanity without loss of his deity. If you read the Gospels, Jesus had to eat, learn, grow, and mature because He was in fact one of us. He was tired from a long day of ministry. He needed to sleep on a boat. He was thirsty and did everything we do.
Why did God become a man?
To Sympathize
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
2. To Be a Sin-Bearing Substitute
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.
3. To Make Us Sons and Daughters
“Christ became what he was not in order that we might become what we were not”
Born of a Woman
In other words the Son of God became a man, in order to make men Sons and Daughters of God.
C. Born under the Law
What does this mean? Jesus was born as a Jewish baby, under Jewish Law, to meet the requirements of thee Law.
Born under the Law
I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”
As we have been studying the Ten Commandments, Jesus did not come to abolish the Law.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’ ”
Matthew 5:
So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him,
“You are my Son,
today I have begotten you”;
as he says also in another place,
“You are a priest forever,
after the order of Melchizedek.”
In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.
Theologians often refer to Jesus’ sinless life as the active obedience of Christ. In his life, Jesus never violated the Law. He kept the Law perfectly. He kept the Law blamelessly. No one could accuse him of wrong doing. Even when Jesus was on Trial, Pilate said to Him,
When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.”
Jesus had to fulfill the demands of God’s Holy Law so that He would be punished by the curses of God’s Holy Law which is the passive obedience of Christ.
Non-Christian—Most people believe that good people go to heaven. That is true. The only problem with that statement is that the Bible says that no one is good.
as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
But the good news is that Jesus Christ was born under the Law, to fulfill the Law’s requirement, to bear the curses of the Law, to set his people free from the Law, so that God’s people would have the Law of God written not on tablets of stone, but on their very hearts so that their obedience would be one in which it is Spirit enabled and empowered to keep God’s law not out of guilt and fear, but out of gratitude and grace under the Law of Christ.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
The fact that death is in the world is evidence that we are still under a curse. Man was not originally supposed to die. He died because of his disobedience to God’s law. For the wages of sin is death.
Do you want to be saved from the curses of God’s Law? Turn from your sin and look to the One who fulfilled the Law in your place!
Christian—Doesn’t your heart rejoice in this? Every great Christian and the heroes of the faith understood this? Once they understood the free gift and free offer of the gospel, out of love for Christ they were burning with a holy zeal and affection for God because Jesus kept the Law for them, in their place, and now the Law is kept in the heart of every believer because now we have the Spirit of God in our hearts.
Oh how I love your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
God’s Law should be a delight to us now because we are now longer under its curse, but under its instruction because Jesus freed us from the Law.
Sinning Christian—Does this mean we should sin because we are freed from the Law?
What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
Romans
True born again Christians are those who use their freedom in Christ not to sin, but to serve in love.
Transition:
When was He born? In the fullness of time at God’s appointed time.
How was He born? He was sent by the Father, truly God, taking on Human flesh, born under the Law....
And finally, why was He born?
III. Why Was He Born? (vv. 5-7)
III. Why Was He Born? (vv. 5-7)
This is the gift of God for us this Christmas.
to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
He was born to redeem sinners to give them the right of adoption and the gift of the Spirit to bear witness our adoption.
III. To Give the Gift of Sonship
III. To Give the Gift of Sonship
Galatians
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!”
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!”
A. Redemption
He was born to redeem those under the Law. This is Paul’s argument in the previous verses:
Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.
I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.
Galatians 3
He says that before Christ came, the Law or the principles of this world, were just a temporary hold until we would receive the rights of sons.
Whether Paul is thinking about Jewish, Greek, or Roman practices, the point is that the Law was meant to be a a kind of babysitter until the fullness of time would come.
The Law could never save, because the Law’s function is to condemn violations of the Law. The righteous shall live by faith.
Jesus was born under the Law in the fullness of time to redeem those under the Law!
Redeem is to buy back. In other words, we had an infinite debt to pay God because of our sins. But because of Jesus’ coming, he pays our debt, and buys us back to God!
B. Adoption
But not only does He redeem us, he adopts us!
to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
Adoption is not a beautiful process. It is a messy, heart-wrenching situation.
Children are forced from homes to homes, deal with trauma from an early age, face abandonment, drug and sexual abuse.
The Christmas message rests on the staggering fact that the child in the manger was—God. J.I. Packer
To be adopted into a family, a child brings this baggage into the family. Yet in the family’s love, the child could one day feels one he truly belongs.
For those who know friends who have adopted or are parents who have adopted yourself, you know the intensive and extensive work that goes on in adoption. There are screenings you have to go through, there are evaluations you have to go through, endless paper work, matching of children, fees, and all sorts of hoops you have to go through to adopt a child.
But once you go through all that labor, and the Judge legally pronounces that the child is yours, parents feel this thrill of joy that the kids are finally theirs!
Parents who adopt don’t make a distinction between biological and adopted children, they are my children!
J.I. Packer says that the greatest blessing of the gospel is not the forgiveness of sins, but adoption in Christ.
[Adoption] is the highest privilege that the gospel offers: higher even than justification. This may cause raising of eyebrows, for justification is the gift of God on which since Luther evangelicals have laid the greatest stress, and we are accustomed to say, almost without thinking, that free justification is God’s supreme blessing to us sinners. Nonetheless, careful thought will show the truth of the statement we have just made. That justification—by which we mean God’s forgiveness of the past together with his acceptance for the future—is the primary and fundamental blessing of the gospel is not in question. Justification is the primary blessing, because it meets our primary spiritual need. We all stand by nature under God’s judgment; his law condemns us, guilt gnaws at us, making us restless, miserable, and in our lucid moments afraid; we have no peace in ourselves because we have no peace with our Maker. So we need the forgiveness of our sins, and assurance of a restored relationship with God, more than we need anything else in the world; and this the gospel offers us before it offers us anything else. . . . But this is not to say that justification is the highest blessing of the gospel. Adoption is higher, because of the richer relationship with God that it involves. (Packer, Knowing God, 206–7)
To sum up, justification makes us right before the judge, adoption makes us loved before the Father.
God says, “You are mine! You are my son and daughter! You no longer belong to the family of the evil one, but you have been brought into my family! You have been brought into my Son’s family because of His saving Work.”
“To be right with God the Judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is a greater” Packer
How does Packer define a Christian? Most people think those who are followers or disciples of Christ. Well, Packer defines a Christian this way...
It is to know God as Father
Non-Christian—Do you know God as your Father? You may have come from a broken family. You may have come from a abusive family. An unloving family. In fact, your father may have been absent.
But I want to tell you there is a better Father. There is a perfect Father who is willing to receive you if you receive His Son in Faith. And if you receive His Son, He brings you into a family.
Non-Committed Christian—If you have received God as your Father, why haven’t you joined His family? Membership is really just saying you belong to a local family because God is your Father. If God is your Father, then you have spiritual brothers and sisters which is called the local church. You show that you are part of the family by committing to family, identifying with the family (baptism), and regularly affirming you are family through (communion). Communion is our common union with Jesus Christ. Why haven’t you taken this more seriously.
Christian—How do you view God? Do you view him as a loving Father or a judge? The Christian is One who knows God as Father. It speaks of intimacy. You see, the Judge has stepped of the bench to receive you into his own home if you believe in His Son. We are children of God.
Children act like their parents. If you are living in sin, and continual disobedience, maybe God is not your Father. But if you seek to obey the Lord and want to please Him, then it may be evidence that you are a child of God.
Christian—Adoption is one of the most beautiful displays of the gospel. Whether the Lord has give you children or not, adoption is one of the clearest expressions of the gospel. Many kids are put in foster system waiting to be placed into loving families. Many kids are unwanted and disregarded by their own families, and they are left as orphans.
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
James 1:
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And how do you know whether you are truly God’s Son?
The Message of Galatians 2. God’s Action through Christ (Verses 4–7)
He sent His Son that we might have the status of sonship, and He sent His Spirit that we might have an experience of it.
And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
Spurgeon Commentary: Galatians Exposition
The infinite Lord appoints the date of every event; all times are in His hand. There are no loose threads in the providence of God. No stitches are dropped; no events are left to chance. The great clock of the universe keeps good time, and the whole machinery of providence moves with unerring punctuality. It was to be expected that the greatest of all events should be most accurately and wisely timed, and so it was. God willed it to be when and where it was, and that will is to us the ultimate reason.
God has given the Spirit to testify that we are Sons and Daugthers of God.
God has given the Spirit
This past week, I went outside to get the mail with Reverie. And as I was walking back to the home, I heard a loud cry. This is the loud cry you hear when I’m preaching.
Valor cried out loud. I could hear him outside of my house. His natural reflex was to call me for comfort and presence.
Every true believer who has the Spirit of Christ will cry out to God. Our natural reflex is to cry out to God in our times of need. It is our natural reflex.
In disappointment or pain, we will run to God in our darkest hour.
Cry is a loud cry. It is a loud shout. The word abba is the aramaic form of daddy.
And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled.
In Jesus’ greatest need, he cried out to God.
And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.”
So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
“Christ became what he was not in order that we might become what we were not”
The Epistle to the Galatians 2. The Coming of Christ: Spiritual Maturity (4:1–7)
Christ achieved the purpose of redeeming those under law by bearing the full obligation of the law in life as well as the curse of the law in death (3:13). And the purpose or intended result of this redemption was that “we,” that is, both Jews and Gentiles (cf. on v. 3 above) might “attain the status of sons” or, more literally, “receive the adoption as sons” (NASB).74
You know there has been an interesting study down. A newborn baby will mimic the sound of its mother. And a mother knows the distinct crying of its own baby even in the midst of other crying babies?
And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
Well, God knows those who are his by those who cry out to Him. He specifically knows those who are his own children.
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
How do you know you are a Son?
You run to God in your deepest need and darkest hour.
You confess Christ as Lord.
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
2. You confess Christ as Lord
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.
Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.
The New American Commentary: Galatians (2) The Radical Change: From Slavery to Sonship (4:1–7)
4:4 Verses 4–5 contain one of the most compressed and highly charged passages in the entire letter because they present the objective basis, the Christological and soteriological foundation, for the doctrine of justification by faith.
Christian—Do you view your relationship to God more as a slave than a son? Or you relate to God more like a Genie than a good Father?
Stop living in slavish fear, but live in grace and gratitude by a loving God who loves you and given His Son to prove His love.
Stop praying like a slave, but pray like a son. The evidence you are a child of God is that you run to your Father and you long to be near him because His presence and His word are a comfort to you.
Non believers do not run to God for comfort or for help in the way a child runs to a loving father for help.
Another evidence you belong to God is that you run to Him, you long to be with Him, and His presence and His word are a comfort and peace to your soul.
Non-Christian—If you are not a Christian, you can have God as your Father today. God the Father is a good Father, because He sent His Son into the world to pay for your sins.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
And not only did He send His Son, He sent His Spirit to confirm sonship if you would repent of your sins and trust in His Son.
And repentance and believing in Jesus also means following Him. And why don’t you make your faith public by being baptized in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and be part of God’s family.
Summary: Christmas is about the birth of the Son of God in a manger.
When was He born? In the fullness of time.
How was He born? Sent by the Father, born of a woman, under the Law
Why was He born? To redeem us and give us the gift of Sonship.
So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Conclusion
One of the joys, as a parent now, is to see the joy of my children. No one buys me gifts anymore, and that is ok. If you look at our Christmas tree, all the gifts are for the kids. It is when I see my children light up in joy and love that makes my heart melt. I hope that the gifts they get are just expression of our love to our children.
In the same way, the Father finds pleasure when we delight in Him. When we say to Him, I love you daddy. I love you Father, for you have given your Son to me, and I know I am your Son because you have given the Spirit to me to testify with my Spirit that I truly belong and I am yours.
Lord, you have given me everything I need. I love you. For you have given your best by giving me Your Son. And your Spirit confirms that I am no longer a slave, but a son. Thank you for giving me yourself. This is the gift and true meaning of Christmas.
Notes:
The Son redeemed us from the Curse of the Law.
And the Spirit testifies with our Spirit that we are children of God.
And when we cry out to our Daddy, He will be there to guide us and comfort us. And when we seek to do his Will and obey Him, we bring great delight to the Father.
And all of this was from the loving heart of God this Christmas. Christmas has already come 2000 years ago in the manger of bethlehem. God has come to give us himself. And we know that by the Spirit He has given us.
The Christmas gift of God is the gift of His Son, to make us His sons and daughters, to experience the love of the Trinune God throughout all eternity.
So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Notes:
Why did God adopt us? Because He wanted to. Adoption is not a beautiful process. It is a messy, heart-wrenching situation.
Children are forced from homes to homes, deal with trauma from an early age, face abandonment, drug and sexual abuse.
Justification makes us right by the Father, but Adoption makes us loved by the Father.
Platt, David. Exalting Jesus in Galatians (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) (p. 72). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
To be adopted into a family, a child brings this baggage into the family. Yet in the family’s love, the child could one day feels one he truly belongs. My prayer is that one day you real feel like you belong.
Platt, David. Exalting Jesus in Galatians (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) (p. 72). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Why did God adopt us? Because He wanted to. Adoption is not a beautiful process. It is a messy, heart-wrenching situation.
I do believe I am a child of God. I know God loves me. I’m assured that He loves me because He sent Christ to die for me. And I have his Spirit within me telling me that I belong even with all my failures and my baggage.
Platt, David. Exalting Jesus in Galatians (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) (pp. 71-72). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Platt, David. Exalting Jesus in Galatians (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) (p. 71). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Platt, David. Exalting Jesus in Galatians (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) (p. 72). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
I do not mean to give the impression that the Law should be despised. Neither does Paul intend to leave that impression. The Law ought to be honored. But when it is a matter of justification before God, Paul had to speak disparagingly of the Law, because the Law has nothing to do with justification. If it thrusts its nose into the business of justification we must talk harshly to the Law to keep it in its place. The conscience ought not to be on speaking terms with the Law. The conscience ought to know only Christ. To say this is easy, but in times of trial, when the conscience writhes in the presence of God, it is not so easy to do. As such times we are to believe in Christ as if there were no Law or sin anywhere, but only Christ. We ought to say to the Law: "Mister Law, I do not get you. You stutter so much. I don't think that you have anything to say to me."
What is a Christian?
Platt, David. Exalting Jesus in Galatians (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) (p. 72). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Luther, Martin. Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (p. 108). Kindle Edition.
It is to know God as Father
Only the acts of a Christian are truly good and acceptable to God, because they are done in faith, with a cheerful heart, out of gratitude to Christ.
Why did God adopt us? Because He wanted to. Adoption is not a beautiful process. It is a messy, heart-wrenching situation.
Children are forced from homes to homes, deal with trauma from an early age, face abandonment, drug and sexual abuse.
To be adopted into a family, a child brings this baggage into the family. Yet in the family’s love, the child could one day feels one he truly belongs. My prayer is that one day you real feel like you belong.
I do believe I am a child of God. I know God loves me. I’m assured that He loves me because He sent Christ to die for me. And I have his Spirit within me telling me that I belong even with all my failures and my baggage.
I do not mean to give the impression that the Law should be despised. Neither does Paul intend to leave that impression. The Law ought to be honored. But when it is a matter of justification before God, Paul had to speak disparagingly of the Law, because the Law has nothing to do with justification. If it thrusts its nose into the business of justification we must talk harshly to the Law to keep it in its place. The conscience ought not to be on speaking terms with the Law. The conscience ought to know only Christ. To say this is easy, but in times of trial, when the conscience writhes in the presence of God, it is not so easy to do. As such times we are to believe in Christ as if there were no Law or sin anywhere, but only Christ. We ought to say to the Law: "Mister Law, I do not get you. You stutter so much. I don't think that you have anything to say to me."
Luther, Martin. Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (p. 108). Kindle Edition.
Luther, Martin. Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (p. 108). Kindle Edition.
Only the acts of a Christian are truly good and acceptable to God, because they are done in faith, with a cheerful heart, out of gratitude to Christ.
Christ was not only born under the Law, fulfilled the law, but bore the full cursed of the Law. Christ on the Christ was bearing the punishment for all the sins of mankind.
Luther, Martin. Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (p. 108). Kindle Edition.
Only the acts of a Christian are truly good and acceptable to God, because they are done in faith, with a cheerful heart, out of gratitude to Christ.
Only the acts of a Christian are truly good and acceptable to God, because they are done in faith, with a cheerful heart, out of gratitude to Christ.
Luther, Martin. Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (p. 112). Kindle Edition.
Luther, Martin. Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (p. 112). Kindle Edition.
God. We may now say to the Law: "Mister Law, you have lost your throne to Christ. I am free now and a son of God. You cannot curse me any more."
God. We may now say to the Law: "Mister Law, you have lost your throne to Christ. I am free now and a son of God. You cannot curse me any more."
Luther, Martin. Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (p. 116). Kindle Edition.
Luther, Martin. Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (p. 116). Kindle Edition.
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
The Message of Galatians 2. God’s Action through Christ (Verses 4–7)
He sent His Son that we might have the status of sonship, and He sent His Spirit that we might have an experience of it.
Spurgeon Commentary: Galatians Exposition
The infinite Lord appoints the date of every event; all times are in His hand. There are no loose threads in the providence of God. No stitches are dropped; no events are left to chance. The great clock of the universe keeps good time, and the whole machinery of providence moves with unerring punctuality. It was to be expected that the greatest of all events should be most accurately and wisely timed, and so it was. God willed it to be when and where it was, and that will is to us the ultimate reason.
The One who is the Law was judged by the Law. The One who fulfilled the Law, was cursed by the Law. The One who was blameless under the Law, became blameworthy under the Law.
One of the joys, as a parent now, is to see the joy of my children. No one buys me gifts anymore, and that is ok. It is when I see my children light up in joy and love that makes my heart melt.
In the same way, the Father finds pleasure when we delight in Him. When we say to Him, I love you daddy. I love you Father, for you have given your Son to me, and I know I am your Son because you have given the Spirit to me to testify with my Spirit that I truly belong and I am yours.
Application: Stop living like a slave.
Luther, Martin. Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (p. 112). Kindle Edition.
Galatians: A Mentor Commentary Summary
The purpose for which God sent His Son was to redeem sinners under law.
God. We may now say to the Law: "Mister Law, you have lost your throne to Christ. I am free now and a son of God. You cannot curse me any more."
College student wanting to return to kindergarten.
Luther, Martin. Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (p. 116). Kindle Edition.
Galatians: A Mentor Commentary Comment
The Father sent His Son and the Spirit of His Son so that even your future inheritance is a present possession.
Active Obedience in the perfection of Christ
He is not intending to say that the Spirit being given after sonship is a reality. The point is that the Spirit confirms, authenticates, and ratifies their sonship.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new glorious morn
Fall on your knees
O hear the angels' voices
O night divine
O night when Christ was born
Schreiner, Thomas R.. Galatians (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on The New Testament series Book 9) (p. 272). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
Galatians: A Mentor Commentary Comment
The Father sent His Son and the Spirit of His Son so that even your future inheritance is a present possession.
“ ‘Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
He is not intending to say that the Spirit being given after sonship is a reality. The point is that the Spirit confirms, authenticates, and ratifies their sonship.
Institutes of the Christian Religion 7. The Punitive Function of the Law Does Not Diminish Its Worth
The law is like a mirror. In it we contemplate our weakness, then the iniquity arising from this, and finally the curse coming from both—just as a mirror shows us the spots on our face. For when the capacity to follow righteousness fails him, man must be mired in sins. After the sin forthwith comes the curse.
Schreiner, Thomas R.. Galatians (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on The New Testament series Book 9) (p. 272). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
Institutes of the Christian Religion 7. The Punitive Function of the Law Does Not Diminish Its Worth
It remains, then, to the law to arm God’s wrath for the sinner’s downfall, for of itself the law can only accuse, condemn, and destroy.
Institutes of the Christian Religion 2. The Law Contains a Promise
Elsewhere he teaches that “the law was put forward because of transgressions” [Gal. 3:19]; that is, in order to humble men, having convinced them of their own condemnation.
Schreiner, Thomas R.. Galatians (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on The New Testament series Book 9) (p. 272). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
“ ‘Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
Institutes of the Christian Religion 7. The Punitive Function of the Law Does Not Diminish Its Worth
The law is like a mirror. In it we contemplate our weakness, then the iniquity arising from this, and finally the curse coming from both—just as a mirror shows us the spots on our face. For when the capacity to follow righteousness fails him, man must be mired in sins. After the sin forthwith comes the curse.
Institutes of the Christian Religion 7. The Punitive Function of the Law Does Not Diminish Its Worth
It remains, then, to the law to arm God’s wrath for the sinner’s downfall, for of itself the law can only accuse, condemn, and destroy.
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
Institutes of the Christian Religion 2. The Law Contains a Promise
Elsewhere he teaches that “the law was put forward because of transgressions” [Gal. 3:19]; that is, in order to humble men, having convinced them of their own condemnation.
Institutes of the Christian Religion 9. The Law, as Augustine States, by Accusing Moves Us to Seek Grace
“The law bids us, as we try to fulfill its requirements, and become wearied in our weakness under it, to know how to ask the help of grace.” He writes similarly to Asellius: “The usefulness of the law lies in convicting man of his infirmity and moving him to call upon the remedy of grace which is in Christ.”
Institutes of the Christian Religion 9. The Law, as Augustine States, by Accusing Moves Us to Seek Grace
Again: “The law was given to accuse you; that accused you might fear; that fearing you might beg forgiveness; and that you might not presume on your own strength.” Again: “The law was given for this purpose: to make you, being great, little; to show that you do not have in yourself the strength to attain righteousness, and for you, thus helpless, unworthy, and destitute, to flee to grace.”
Heidelberg Catechism 44. Sunday
QUESTION 114. Can those who are converted to God keep these commandments perfectly?
No: but even the holiest men, while in this life, have only a small beginning of this obedience; yet so, that with earnest purpose they begin to live, not only according to some, but according to all the commandments of God.
QUESTION 115. Why then doth God so strictly enjoin upon us the ten commandments, since in this life no one can keep them?
First, that all our life long, we may learn more and more to know our sinful nature, and so the more earnestly seek forgiveness of sins and righteousness in Christ; secondly, that we may continually strive, and beg from God the grace of the Holy Ghost, so as to become more and more changed into the image of God, till we attain finally to full perfection after this life.