Galatians 4:1 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
God shows us here that children are not to be treated as adults. A child may be an heir to a fortune, but he does not have access to that as a child because he does not know how to handle it.
Children often see things that are really not worth anything, but they want to have it. Some children have more discernment than others. We had a child that liked junk food, but refused to spend his money on buying it. He would eat it if it was given to him, but he would not buy it. We had another son that would spend his money just as quickly as he received it. Our children never had much money while they were young, but we did let them spend a little on things at times.
Children need supervision. They need direction.
In verse 1 we see that the child may be the heir, but he has no greater access to the inheritance than a servant. He will have it all one day, but he needs to grow up first.
Verse 2 tells us that it is expected that a child will be under a tutor and governors. The father determines when the child should have access to the inheritance. That is, if he is a wise father.
Paul is writing this to the Jews. God chose the Jews through Abraham. We have already seen that. Gentiles that get saved become a part of Abraham’s spiritual family.
In our text, the Jews were given the law and as we noted in chapter 3, the law was the schoolmaster to point them to Christ. The law demands perfection. Breaking one law makes the person guilty of all. The Jews could not keep God’s law, and most of them did not want to try.
Even the few who wanted to do right, were not able to keep the law. God gave the sacrificial law for the purpose of providing an atonement for the sins of the people. All the Jews were to bring their sacrifices to the Temple. The Priest would offer them to God. For most of the people, this was just a formality. They did not believe in the God of Abraham, and they just went on sinning. In fact too many of the kings did the same thing.
The law was the tutor and governor while Israel was a child.
In verse 3 Paul brings it to his present generation. Every generation can do the same here.
Hebrews 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
When a person is saved, they are a spiritual infant. They need to be taught and they need to accept the truth and grow into spiritual adulthood. Every true Christian spends a lifetime learning. As they grow, they can become teachers to help others who need to know the truth. There are too many infants out there today who are acting as though they are teachers, but they are teaching heresy.
In verse 3 Paul tells us that as children, we were in bondage under the elements of the world. The world is lost in sin. The Jews often got caught up in the sins of the world. Even the Jews who believed, often drew back into the world. Even Peter, an apostle, was guilty of drawing back into the world in chapter 2.
In verse 4 we see that has changed. God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, under the law. Jesus came under the Old Testament system. Joseph and Mary had to bring the appropriate offering to the Temple for Mary’s cleansing. Jesus kept the Sabbath laws and the dietary laws. He lived under the law but was not in bondage to the law.
In verse 5 we read that He came to redeem those who are under the law. Jesus did not come to destroy the law. He came to fulfil the law. He provided the way for the veil of the Temple to be torn in two from the top down. He opened the way to the throne of grace, to help in time of need. He forgave the sins of all the Old Testament saints that had trusted in the promises of God. As they brought their sacrifices, and their sins were atoned (covered), now they were removed.
Jesus Christ provided the means to be adopted into God’s family and given the privilege of being adopted as sons who can realize the inheritance given us.
David wrote of this in the Psalms. In fact Job wrote of this in his book as well. A few Old Testament saints understood there was more than what they were experiencing. It was not based on feelings, but they knew the promises of God were not fulfilled in the Old Testament. Thus we read in verse 4 of the fulness of time. God did not rob the Old Testament saints of anything. They needed patience and faith in Him just as we need it today.
Jesus Christ came to make the way for us to be freed from the bondage of the world. Jesus Christ did what the law could never do. Too many people want to throw out the law and they have a corrupted view of grace. Grace is not the license to sin. Grace is the help needed to glorify God. In Jesus Christ saints are adopted into God’s family and as such we receive the Holy Spirit into our hearts. We have noted before that true New Testament saints receive the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. He comes and abides in us. He gives us that ability to cry out Abba Father. The word translated as Abba, has the sense of endearment. There is a close relationship that God has provided for His children through Jesus Christ.
In verse 7 Paul continues to relate to the Old Testament Jews. They were under the law and thus servants. The Old Testament saints (those who truly believed in God) needed to wait until the Lord Jesus Christ came to fulfil the Old Testament promises regarding His first coming.
Those who are saved today, do not need to go through the Old Testament phase before arriving at the New Testament place. We are adopted into God’s family at salvation and have access to all of His resources. We have all of His peace available to us and all of His grace and all of His love, etc. We have access to it all. We need to understand this and we need to draw from the many blessings He provides for His true child. As noted we become a child of God through adoption. We are not born saved. Jesus Christ was and is the second person of the Godhead and He came into this world as the Son of God and Son of Man. He was not adopted, but was the only begotten. We, those who are saved, are adopted into God’s family and we have the privileges of a son through adoption. We have eternal life. We can have the mind of Christ. We have the love of God in us. We need to yield to the gifts given to us through salvation.
Paul is pointing out that we have so much in Christ. God’s plan of salvation was in place from before the foundation of the world. He laid it out for man over time. All those who trusted in Him will receive all the promises of God. He enabled Job and David and Jeremiah and many other Old Testament saints to be able to live with the joy of the Lord in their hearts. They lived with the anticipation that God would keep His promises. We, those who are saved today, also live in anticipation that His promises are sure. We too can enjoy His peace and joy today. At the resurrection we will receive the fulness of His promises. Our bodies will be changed and our relationship with Jesus Christ will be tighter than it can be now. We will be made ready to receive and enjoy that. For now, we have been adopted into His family. We have that sense of endearment that comes with that. We have access to the throne of grace to find grace to help in time of need. Be sure your faith is that of Christ. Rest in His promises today.
Pastor Bartel