Freedom: Adoption into Christ
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Arguments continue
Arguments continue
We have seen several defences/arguments from Paul as he has introduced justification by faith. Tonight the argument continues, this time regarding sonship in Christ from apparent adoption to actual adoption. This goes from who we were, what God did and what we are now.
Previously a personal argument (Gal3:1-5)
Who has bewitched you, tricked you, deceived you?
Don’t think you can perfect in the flesh what has been given to you by the Spirit.
Spirit is received by faith not by your works in the flesh.
Previously a biblical/scriptural argument (Gal3:6-25)
Abram believed God and was reckoned righteousness prior to the law
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, by becoming the curse for us.
Reason for the law was to know sin and to lead people to justification by faith.
Previously a practical argument (Gal3:26-29)
In Christ there is no difference, Jew, Greek, male, female
In Christ we are Abrahams seed, heirs of the promise regarding the seed, meaning the blessings.
Tonight another practical argument (Gal4:1-7)
Under the Law the Jews were heirs apparent
In Christ Jesus all may become heirs actual.
We become actual heirs not by our works; but by Christ works; and tonight we continue to look at a practical argument that Paul has and offers up.
For us to get a fuller picture just a few more little things to look at first.
(When do I become an adult picture)
Question: When does a person become an adult?
In the culture of the time of this writing it only focused on the boy-child to when he becomes a man. From heir apparent to heir actual. In the culture Paul is dealing with the question was still in place, when does the boy-child become a man?
Jewish culture - 1st Sabbath after 12th birthday
On this date there would be a prayer offered up by the father to God for the son; then the prayer from the son accepting responsibilities under the law as a man.
A sign could even be posted outside the home that the father was no longer responsible for the actions of the son.
Greek culture - at 18 becomes a cadet for 2 years and then would be considered a man
At the age of 18 a boy-child would become a cadet and under the direction of the State for the next two years. There would be festival sending him off whereas all his hair would be cut off and offered to their gods as a sacrifice and seeking protection over the boy-child as he became a man.
Roman culture - was not defined by a date, but normally between 14-17.
The child’s toga was identified by a purple band at the foot of it; it was called a pretexta, and it would be exchanged after a festival called the Liberalia for the toga virales that men would wear. This was at the discretion of the Father as to when.
All three had definitive days, but not definitive dates, but it was definable when the boy-child would become a man.
There is a definitive day that we became a child of God and a son of God as we are adopted into God’s family. Paul continues with the defence, the argument of the sufficiency of the grace of God through justification by faith, vs the law and legalism.
Adoption
Adoption
Paul is still making his defence, continuing with his argument that the Galatians did not need legalism, they needed Jesus. They had Jesus and should not give up Jesus for a system of works that could not save them (justify them) in the first place.
1 Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father.
3 So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,
5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.
When a sinner comes to a place of understanding, and by faith they confess, repent and submit to the Lord and the changes the Lord wants to make in them, they go from sinner to a spiritual babe in Christ.
(Spiritual nourishment picture)
Spiritual nourishment is needed (1Pt2:2-3)
like newborn babies need the milk, pure milk, of the word so can grow in salvation, that is “if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.” as it says in v.3.
Because our position and possession has changed we have been adopted as sons (Eph1:5)
God’s grand plan was to adopt us as sons through Jesus Christ. That was in accordance to His good pleasure.
Entered into God’s family by rebirth, by regeneration (Jn3:3; Tit3:3-4-7)
Enter into the family by being born again as it says in Jn3:3 or now look at the Titus verses
3 For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. 4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,
5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Question: How did we become heirs? - see (v.5-6)
Question: what is the result of being an heir? see (v.7) justified! and now have the hope of eternal life.
One of the benefits of being born again is being adopted. We, as children of God, get to enjoy the full benefits of our adoption. When we compare our adoption to the illustration that Paul offers up.
The one under the law they were children of bondage
No different than a slave (Gal4:1)
Keep in mind that Paul is a Roman citizen and has that mindset. In the Roman world a boy-child would be cared for by a slave. The child really was no different than the slave. it was:
Under guardianship (Gal4:2)
The master commanded the slave (servant) and the servant commanded the boy-child even though he was the son, the heir apparent. He was in bondage at this time, with no access to the benefits of being the heir until comes out from under the guardianship.
Held in bondage (Gal4:3)
Being held in bondage did not make him any less the heir apparent just was not the heir actual at this time.
Paul is speaking to the Galatians about the bondage that the Judiazers are trying to bring them back under. Legalism that was not freedom but was bondage . It was not a step towards maturity but a step back into childhood, infancy. Christ came to set them free (Gal5:1).
But, good news the law is not God’s final word: JESUS IS (Heb1:1-3)
1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
The Law had a purpose to point to Jesus (Gal3:23-29). To show that we, as sinners, were in need of a Savior, because we come to know the severity of sin that severs us from God and that there was no work that we could do to close that separation. We need the grace of God through faith to be adopted into the family of God by regeneration, rebirth by being born again.
We do not want to allow anyone to burden us with burdens we are not meant to carry. We cannot be burdened by rules, regulations or in this case Law which would bring us back into bondage, bondage of legalism! We need to standfast in the liberty in which Christ died for us to have .
Christ died for us to be free from bondage (Gal5:1)
1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
When we understand our liberty, our adoption, our position and our possession in Christ we will be able to:
Serve the Lord more energetically
Talk to the Lord more Frequently
Study the Word more joyfully
Give to the Lord more generously
Law is needed in our world, in our society, without law or a system of law there would be anarchy and society would destroy itself from within.
The Law tells us what to do, but does not give us the power to do it. That comes from trading a religion based on works to a relationship based on love. It is because of love that it brings us to our next point.
What God Did: He Redeemed US!
What God Did: He Redeemed US!
Redeemed how I love to proclaim it. That is what Paul points to now after making the defense about being a slave under the law to now a freedman in Christ. Adopted as sons!
4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?
(In the fullness of time picture)
Fullness of time, similar to “the right time” Rom5:6
While we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for us.
The Romans help set the path, or to prepare the way for the Lord. This is the Pax Romana a time of building up, a time of setting up city infrastructure and linking the cities by roads, a time of peace being kept by the Roman guards.
At the fullness of time, God sent His Son (Jn3:16)
Sent his Son, his only begotten Son, because of love
At the fullness of time, Son, born of a woman (Lk1:26-38; Isa7:14)
At the fulness of time, Christ was born, by a predetermined plan.
Jesus was the fulfillment of the Isaiah prophesy, to bring the child Immanuel, God is with us, into the world in the predetermined place (Bethlehem) at the fullness of time.
Now after Paul told us when He came, he goes on to explain why He came.
5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
To redeem is to pay the price for a slave. to keep as a slave or to set free.
Jesus came not only to pay the price to set us free, but to take us from slaves to be sons!
Under the Law the people were just children under a guardian, but under grace, justification by faith the believer is made a son, an heir in adult standing in God’s family.
What we are: sons and heirs
What we are: sons and heirs
At just the right time we were made sons and heirs, that get to share in the promises and the divine nature of the Father (2Pt1:4)
6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.
What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?
Did you notice anything in these verses? Maybe something like the trinity there?
God sent His Son to live and to die so to make us sons
God sent His Spirit to make us son’s
And because we are sons, we get to share in the divine nature of the Father
4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
sharing of His divine nature not as slaves, but as sons
A slave has a master, a son has a Father
A slave obeys out of fear; a son obeys out of love
A slave is poor; a son is rich
A slave has no future; a son has a future
When the sinner comes to the Father through the Son, we are given the Spirit who tells us we are a child of the Father (Rom8:15-16)
15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
What do you see, what do you notice what sticks out to you?
As a son, we can cry out Abba Father.
As a son, we know the Spirit testifies that we are Sons, children of God!
We obey out of love for the Father because of the sacrifice of the Son; and the Son giving us the Spirit. The Spirit works in us and on us to help us to trow and to know the love of the Father and for the Father, so as then the Spirit produces fruit as noted in Gal5:22-23, where love is poured out (Rom5;5)!
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
For in Christ there is no law! For the love of God is poured out within our hearts as it says in Rom5:5.
Law cannot produce love nor obedience, only faith can produce love and obedience (Jn14:15)
If you love me you will keep My commands
From the love of the Father, the Son and the Spirit we are made rich, we are made sons, heirs, actual heirs not apparent heirs. We can enjoy the riches He came to give us.
Riches we get to have because of the Father, Son and the Spirit.
Riches of His Grace (Eph1:7)
Riches of His glory (Php4:9)
Riches of His goodness (Rom2:4)
Riches of fathers fullness that dwells in the Son (Col1:19)
Riches of all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col2:3)
The son has a future, the slave, the servant maybe cared for, but it is not required, but the father always provides for the son. In one sense we are pending our final adoption, but until then we have the assurance of it (Rom8:23)
23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.
We may not know exactly what is going to be like when we are changed, when we are transformed, but we do know we will be like him according to 1Jn3:1-3.
The best is yet to come!
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
(adopted as sons of God picture) encouragement (adopted #2) prayer (exit slides)