Spiritual Freedom

From Childhood To Adult

Paul reminds the churches at Galatia that they had grown spiritually mature in their relationship with Jesus Christ. He uses an illustration of how a child becomes an adult. In This day it was real easy to determine when a child became an adult.

The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians The Days of Childhood (Galatians 4:1–7)

(1) In the Jewish world, on the first Sabbath after a boy had passed his 12th birthday, his father took him to the synagogue, where he became a son of the law. At that point, the father said a blessing: ‘Blessed are you, O God, who has taken from me the responsibility for this boy.’ The boy prayed a prayer in which he said: ‘O my God and God of my fathers! On this solemn and sacred day, which marks my passage from boyhood to manhood, I humbly raise my eyes to you, and declare, with sincerity and truth, that henceforth I will keep your commandments, and undertake and bear the responsibility of my actions towards you.’ There was a clear dividing line in the boy’s life; almost overnight he became a man.

(2) In Greece, a boy was under his father’s care from the age of 7 until he was 18. He then became what was called an ephebos, which may be translated as cadet, and for two years he was under the direction of the state. The Athenians were divided into ten phratriai, or clans. Before a boy became an ephebos, at a festival called the Apatouria, he was received into the clan; and in a ceremonial act his long hair was cut off and offered to the gods. Once again, growing up was quite a distinct process.

(3) Under Roman law, the year at which a boy grew up was not definitely fixed, but it was always between the ages of 14 and 17. At a sacred festival in the family called the Liberalia, he took off the toga praetexta, which was a toga with a narrow purple band at the foot of it, and put on the toga virilis, which was a plain toga worn by adults. He was then escorted by his friends and relatives down to the forum and formally introduced to public life. It was essentially a religious ceremony. Once again, there was a quite definite day on which the boy attained manhood. There was a Roman custom that, on the day a boy or girl grew up, they offered their toys to Apollo to show that they had put away childish things.

In this generation it was clear that after a certain age a child became an adult. The transition from childhood to adult resulted in the child being responsible for his actions. His parents were released from the responsibility of the a child’s actions after their age of accountability. We see this when Jesus heals a blind man.

18 The Jews then did not believe it of him, that he had been blind and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight, 19 and questioned them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?” 20 His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be [a]Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.

There is a time when a child cannot be legally held responsible for their actions. They do not have the cogitative ability to understand some of the actions they take. They do not understand the magnitude of what they do. Because of this, they are not held legally responsible for some of the things they do. For example, if a 4 year child finds his dad’s gun and chases their friend around pretending be a cowboy a the gun discharges he will not be held responsible for what happens. That responsibility will fall on the parents who left a child unsupervised and did not take measures to keep the child from getting the gun.

Paul is saying to Galatians, before Christ came and the Holy Spirit was given they were in bondage to the elementary things of the world

Elementary things of the world

What are the elementary things of the world? The Greek word here means basic. The Galatians were held bondage by the basic things of the world. John explains what these are in

15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

Lust of the flesh is predominately sexual sin, however in this context it is referring to those sins that originate in the heart. These are the sins that satisfy the flesh.

Lust of the eyes is referring to those things that appeal to the eye that cause you to sin. This is predominately materialism. This is a form of idolatry. The desire for the things money can bring you.

Boastful pride of life is referring to self-exaltation. This is having a higher view of yourself that puts other people down. It is power.

Apart from Christ, the Galatians were held in bondage to sex, money and power. They did not know any other way of life. Might I contend that we are the same as the Galatians. Apart from Christ we will be held in bondage to these things.

However, now that H has come we have a righteousness beyond ourselves that frees us from the bondage of the elementary things of the world.

God Sent Forth His Son

In the fullness of time

God knew the exact time when he needed to send Jesus into the world. John Macarthur puts it very well when he says:

The fulness of time refers to the completion of the period of preparation in God’s sovereign timetable of redemption. When the law had fully accomplished its purpose of showing man his utter sinfulness and inability to live up to God’s perfect standard of righteousness, God ushered in a new era of redemption.

MacArthur, John. Galatians MacArthur New Testament Commentary (MacArthur New Testament Commentary Series) . Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition. fully accomplished its purpose of showing man his utter sinfulness and inability to live up to God’s perfect standard of righteousness, God ushered in a new era of redemption.

MacArthur, John. Galatians MacArthur New Testament Commentary (MacArthur New Testament Commentary Series) . Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.

There comes a point when it is obvious that without a Savior mankind is without hope. The law reveals the magnitude of man’s sinful heart. God saw that at this time He would send his Son to be the Savior of the world.

Christ fulfilled the requirements of the law

He was born under the law. He lived the law perfectly without sin. He is the only one who can.

Because he fulfilled the law he posses the rewards for fulfilling the law. This is eternal life. Since He is the owner of eternal life he can do with it what he wants. He has chosen to give it to all who put their faith in Him.

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 [a]My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

We are heirs to the kingdom of God because Jesus has given us His Spirit

A person knows that they are a Christian by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit convicts people of sin so that they can repent.

The Holy Spirit guides people into the will of God.

The Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we pray.

The Holy Spirit gives us the strength to do the things of God that we can’t do by ourselves.

The Holy Spirit confirms that we are children of God.

Don’t Turn Back

Paul was cautioning the Galatians not to turn back to the law for their salvation. They would find that they would be discouraged with religion and turn back to the old ways of doing things. This is what religion does. It demands things that are unattainable and leave a person frustrated. This is why so many people are reluctant to follow Jesus. Because they know that they cannot attain to the things they believe Jesus is going to demand of them. This is a lie from Satan. Jesus has already fulfilled the expectations he has for you. All he wants you to do is trust him and follow him.

According to a letter written by Martin Luther’s youngest son, Dr. Paul Luther, and preserved in the Library of Rudolstadt, Martin Luther (1483-1546) related to his family the story of his conversion. He acknowledged with great joy that it was while he was visiting in Rome that he came to the knowledge of the truth of the gospel.

It happened this way. As multitudes have done, Luther, then a young Saxon monk, lashed by a tormenting conscience and heavily burdened with a load of sin, was ascending the Sancta Scala, or “holy stairs” (twenty-eight broad marble stairs claimed to be the very steps Jesus walked on when sentenced by Pilate in Jerusalem) on his hands and knees, repeating his prayers on each step in hopes of receiving the promised indulgence of the church. In his zeal he had come to make the ascent, hoping thus to be rid of his burden and obtain the favor of God, when suddenly the words of the prophet Habakkuk came forcibly and incessantly to his mind and heart, “The just shall live by faith.”

At once he ceased his crawling, and standing up, descended the “holy stairs.” When he returned home to Germany, he took this Scripture as the chief foundation of all his doctrine. This string of monosyllables that sums up the way of salvation became Martin Luther’s text. He made this great verse, found four times in the Scriptures, with its doctrine of justification by faith, the watchword of the Reformation. 

 The precious message of the grace of God reached the heart of Martin Luther upon the “holy stairs,” and the burden of unforgiven sin was rolled away. Luther became a new creature in Christ Jesus, and henceforth he rejoiced in preaching in no uncertain words that blessed and soul-emancipating truth of “Justification by Faith” to the joy and blessing of thousands. Boldly he declared publicly,

“I, Doctor Martin Luther, unworthy evangelist of our Lord Jesus Christ, confess this article of faith: THAT FAITH ALONE JUSTIFIES BEFORE GOD, WITHOUT WORKS.”