Christ’s Birth, Our Coming of Age (Gal 4:1-9)

Introduction

December 16, 2018 | Cornerstone Christmas Program Message |

Introduction

Coming of Age. Most cultures have some form of a “coming of age” event. This coming of age events signifies the transition from child to adult. (1) In ancient Rome, a young Roman male would shave his beard and remove his amulet which marked him as underage. He began to wear the “toga virilism” or “toga of manhood.” He became a citizen and began his military service. For girls, their wedding day became their transitional event. (2) Boys and girls of the Jewish faith would become a bar or bat mitzvah – a son or daughter of the commandment – boys at thirteen and girls at twelve. These new men and women were considered adults and were expected to follow the law. (3) We are probably most familiar with the quinceanera. The quinceanera party is connected to the Latin American countries. When a girl reaches the age of 15, her relatives throw her a rather elaborate party. (4) Pygmies have a coming of age event in which the Spirit of the Forest ritually kills the boys to propitiate their rebirth as men. And equally dramatic is the Hamar people’s coming of age party in which the young boy experiences “bull jumping.” Prior to their bull jumping, the female relatives dance around the boy and encourage the other men to whip him. Their whipping displays their support. Plus, the scars they receive will impact who they can marry.

In American culture we have little that would reflect some of these more dramatic coming of age parties. For us, often, the 16th birthday is significant. This birthday is referred to as the “sweet 16 birthday party” for girls. It’s at this moment when a large percentage of American youth get their license. At 18, they can vote. At 21 they can drink.

New Freedom. Regardless the event, at this moment in a child’s life they transition from childhood to adulthood. As adults, they receive new found freedoms. They can vote, get a license, drink, gamble, smoke, get married, etc. But with these new freedoms come an expectation that they are going to act like adults. They are going to be held accountable as adults. Prior to this moment, they were treated like children and they didn’t have the freedoms that would be enjoyed by adults.

Transition. The birth of Christ was the world’s coming of age party. So then, look at what Paul writes to the Galatians in chapter 4.

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, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. 8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? ( ESV).

Elementary principles of the world.

Let me start, sarcastically, with stating that you appear to need a doctorate to understand what “elementary principles” means. The commentators offer a plethora of different potential interpretations. This moment is not the time to attempt to understand them all. Let me point out just two. And, I’ll start with the one I don’t think it is, even though most modern commentators seem to understand it as the following.

First, the elements as spiritual powers.[1] (1) The idea of slavery is connected to these elementary principles. Clearly, elsewhere, we are considered to be enslaved to the demonic forces that presently control the world. (2) Paul tells us that we were “enslaved to those that by nature are not gods” (). This seems to personify these “elementary principles” in a way that the law wouldn’t do.

I think I understand this position, and of course we are at war with the demonic forces. We were enslaved to their direction and it would be foolish for us to go back into that slavery. With that said, the rest of the context and language seems to indicate another interpretation.

Second, the elements are rudimentary understandings of God and his laws. (1) The inherent meaning for this word would favor this interpretation. Generally speaking this term refers to “what belongs to a basic series in any field of knowledge; in grammar, the ABC’s . . . as a religious technical term elementary doctrines, fundamental teachings, basic principles.” [2] (2) In verse 4, Paul writes that Christ came to redeem those who were under the law. (3) Paul displays his frustration in verse 10 as he confronts them on observing days and months and seasons and years. (4) Paul, in connects human tradition to “elemental spirits.” It appears that the Jewish traditions tied to the law are likened to these elementary principles. (5) Pauls’ other usage of this term in Colossians is in the immediate context of legal requirements, “do not handle, do not taste, do not touch ().

Israel possessed the law. They had the accurate and appropriate sacrificial system, but most cultures seemed to even understand the basics of appeasing a god who was angry over wrong doing. That’s why even the Gentiles were considered enslaved to the elementary principles.

The elementary principles can be likened to the ABC’s of faith. A rudimentary understanding of the law and the sacrificial system was like taking the class “Life 101.” (1) There is a God. (2) He has expectations. (3) When we don’t follow those expectations, someone must pay in some fashion, i.e. a sacrifice is required. Everyone in the world seems to get those few “elementary principles.” The Jews were able to get into the second semester of the class and were able to understand the proper way to offer sacrifices and what laws God expected of them. The rest of the world was at a loss.

Christ’s birth is the transitioning point. Following the birth of Christ, we were offered “Life 201.” We now understand that we can’t meet up to the expectations and that Jesus met those expectations for us. We now understand that those prior sacrifices were just a picture of the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus would offer. We now understand that those days of celebration all pointed to Christ. We don’t celebrate our exodus from Egypt. We celebrate our freedom from slavery to sin. We have a fuller and more robust understanding of how God has chosen to work with his people.

With that said, we’re still teen agers. We may get more than those under the law, but we still don’t get a lot.

Conclusion

So what? What do we do with this brief word study? Let me draw your attention to two points of application. The passage in Galatians indicates that Jesus birth was a transitional point. We are now in a different place. We are in a more advanced class.

So, act like an adult. Paul, with dismay in his tone, inquires of these believers why they are still acting like children. “How can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?” () And he writes in Colossians, “If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations ‘Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch’” ().

You might ask, with a bit of confusion, how might one go back to the law. Paul writes in that we go back to the elementary principles or child like actions when we are taken captive by human philosophy and human tradition. When we try to appease God through keeping a certain list of regulations, when we take on ascetic lifestyles, when we punish ourselves, we are acting like children. None of these things will help in stopping our fleshly desires.

And yet, just like a child, we want to have some part in God’s redemptive work. Imagine a child attempting some task and struggling away at it with no positive results. You look on with compassion and offer to help and they stare at you with fire in their eyes and tell you they can do it. Pretty immature, right? That’s what we do. God is telling us that he offered Christ to pay the penalty of our sin, and instead of putting on maturity and accepting the help that we desperately need, we instead attempt to solve the problem ourselves.

Stop it. The law never saved anyone. Your righteousness can’t save you. All the law did was to clearly communicate our sinfulness and need of a savior. Christ is our Savior and we need to accept his salvation.

Appreciate your position as heir of God. Christ came so “that we might receive adoption as sons” (). “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” (). You are a child of a Sovereign King. You are co-heirs with Christ. Christ’s birth and perfect life, death, and resurrection made that possible. Live full of appreciation for what he’s done.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. ( ESV).

[1] John Stott, in his commentary on Galatians, offers a concise two view analysis of “elementary principles of the world.” He draws the came conclusions as Timothy George in the NAC commentary on Galatians. They, along with many other modern commentators conclude that the elementary principles of the world refer to either the “elementary spirits of the world” or the human plight of “universal enslavement to sin.” Each of them include the concept of demonic forces being tied to these elementary principles.

Barnes, in his commentary, writes, “It then denotes the elements or rudiments of any kind of instruction, and in the New Testament is applied to the first lessons or principles of religion.”

[2] Timothy Friberg, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, Baker’s Greek New Testament Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000), 357.

[2] Timothy Friberg, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, Baker’s Greek New Testament Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000), 357.

στοιχεῖον, ου, τό strictly . . . first beginning, element or principle . . . (1) generally, the rudimentary elements of anything, what belongs to a basic series in any field of knowledge; in grammar, the ABCs; in speech, basic sounds; in physics, the four basic elements (earth, air, fire, water); in geometry, the axioms; in philosophy, the givens; (2) as used in the NT; (a) as a religious technical term elementary doctrines, fundamental teachings, basic principles (; perhaps , and , )