God’s Heirs through Christ
Adoption can be a very good experience.
Galatians 4:1-7 NLT
God’s Heirs through Christ
4:1 Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had. 2 They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set. 3 And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world.
4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” 7 Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.
Examine the scriptures:
Galatians 4:1-7 NLT
God’s Heirs through Christ
4:1 Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had.
Paul expands on the analogy of a child coming of age.
Young children who inherit an estate technically own everything their father had owned.
However, as young children, these heirs are treated as minors. (Treated as slaves.)
They are not free to do as they wish.
They are not able to make significant decisions.
- If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they reach a certain age, even though they actually own everything their father had.
2 They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set.
These heirs are under guardians who watch over them
and under trustees who manage the estate.
These heirs are treated like minors until they reach the age of maturity.
3 And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came.
Before saving faith in Jesus Christ.
We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world.
Like children – spiritually immature.
The Galatians, as Gentiles, were not under the Mosaic Laws. They were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world.
Colossians 2:20-21 NLT
20 You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, 21 “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”?
Slaves to “religion”.
A man made system of works.
Laws and ceremonies to be performed to achieve divine acceptance.
- That’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world.
4 But when the right time came,
God the Father chose the time for Christ’s coming to earth.
God sent his Son,
Divine intervention.
God sent Jesus, the eternal second member of the Trinity.
born of a woman,
Isaiah 7:14 NLT
14 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).
Matthew 1:18 NLT
18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.
subject to the law.
Jesus was born under the law as a Jew.
Jesus kept the law perfectly.
2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT
21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
Jesus fulfilled the Law.
Matthew 5:17 NLT
Teaching about the Law
17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the Law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose (to fulfill the law).
Jesus rescued us from the curse of the law.
Galatians 3:13 NLT
13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
- Jesus was born under the law as a Jew.
Jesus kept the law perfectly.
Jesus fulfilled the Law.
Jesus rescued us from the curse of the law.
5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law,
Freedom from the bondage of the Law.
Colossians 1:13 NLT
13 For he (God) has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,
1 Peter 3:18 NLT
18 Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.
Why would Gentile converts want to be placed under the bondage of the law?
so that he could adopt us as his very own children.
Ephesians 1:5 NLT
5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.
The Galatians (all believers) could now experience the enjoyments and privileges of a mature son in the family of God because of Christ’s redemptive work.
- When the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law, to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.
6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
- All believers receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”
Romans 8:15 NLT
15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”
God’s Spirit present in our hearts moves us (prompts us) to pray to God, addressing Him as Abba, Father. (Daddy)
An intimate Father child relationship.
- As Christians we can experience an intimate Father/child relationship with God.
7 Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.
From slaves to sons and heirs.
Note that the “we”, “our”, and “us” in verse 6 has been changed to “you”.
Romans 8:17 NLT
17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
- As believers we are God’s children and we are his heirs.
“We will…tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord…
so that they should set their hope in God.”
God’s Heirs through Christ
Galatians 4:1-7 NLT
4:1 Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had. 2 They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set. 3 And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world.
4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” 7 Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.
- If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they reach a certain age, even though they actually own everything their father had.
- That’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world.
- Jesus was born under the law as a Jew.
Jesus kept the law perfectly.
Jesus fulfilled the Law.
Jesus rescued us from the curse of the law.
- When the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law, to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.
- All believers receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
- As Christians we can experience an intimate Father/child relationship with God.
- As believers we are God’s children and we are his heirs.
