As we wrapped up last week we were reminded that the Law was
given for a couple of reasons and one of them was to make sin and death a
reality. It established rules and rituals for a faithless generation that wanted
to go back to Egypt as slaves instead of braving the adventure that God had
planned for them.
The Law had a purpose but it is faith in Jesus that truly
sets you free. He has set us free from the Law and free from the Hell we
deserve.
This is one of Paul’s frustrations in what is going on in
the Galatian church. They knew about Jesus, they knew about the freedom He
provides, and they have heard the message first hand from Paul. Yet, he finds
them waffling, being led astray by a watered down wishy washy imitation message
of faith and works. With an emphasis on the works, not the faith.
The truth that Paul is reminding them is that the Law paved
the way. It helped people to understand that they were sinners in need of a
Savior. It is only through faith in Jesus Christ that one is justified. It is
only through faith that one is saved from hell and are able to enter into
Glory.
Let’s pick up where we left off last week.
Galatians 3:26-27
“26 for you are all sons of God
through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as
have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ like a garment.”
The first point Paul is making in these verses is that if
you believe in Jesus Christ, if you have faith in Him, you are a child of God.
He is talking to the Galatian church and it is a message to each of us. If you
believe in Jesus Christ, if you have faith in Him, faith that He can save you,
if He is the Lord of your life, you are a child of God!
Under the Law there were rules, rituals, and punishments for
not following them. We see over and over in the Old Testament that the people
and their kings did one of two things. They either were like king David and did
what was right in the eyes of the Lord or they turned their back on God and did
what they wanted. If they followed in David’s footsteps, they were blessed. If
they went their own way without God, judgement would come.
The Law brought punishment if it was not followed, like one
would punish a young child for not following the rules. The people of Israel
were God’s children and acted like children.
Exodus 16:1-3
“16 The entire Israelite community departed from
Elim and came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the
fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt. 2 The
entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the
wilderness. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only
we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots
of meat and ate all the bread we wanted. Instead, you brought us into this
wilderness to make this whole assembly die of hunger!”
They did not like how things were going and they essentially
threw a fit.
Numbers 14:1-4
“14 Then the whole community broke into loud
cries, and the people wept that night. 2 All the
Israelites complained about Moses and Aaron, and the whole community told
them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this
wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us into this
land to die by the sword? Our wives and little children will become
plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?”4 So
they said to one another, “Let’s appoint a leader and go back to Egypt.”
Again, the Israelites were acting like spoiled children.
They needed something like the Law to teach them the difference between right
and wrong. They needed it to teach them what it meant to depend on God.
It is different today. It is different once we have become
the children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:16-17
“16 The Spirit Himself testifies
together with our spirit that we are God’s children, 17 and
if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—seeing
that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”
Through Jesus we have been grafted into the family of God,
not as little children that need to be managed but as co-heirs. Not as slaves,
but as people who get to share in the inheritance that has been set aside for
Jesus. An inheritance of Glory.
Before Jesus, the Law was needed to guide and teach the
young Israel nation. With Jesus the Law is not needed and our faith in Christ
brings us into the family of God. Not as little children but as adults with
rights and responsibilities. We are called to serve Him, share His message, to be
a witness to the world, and in return we get to be a part of God’s family for
all eternity.
Let’s look back at our verses in Galatians and see what else
they show us.
Galatians 3:26-27
“26 for you are all sons of God
through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as
have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ like a garment.”
In Roman society when a young man would come of age he was
given a special toga or robe. It signified that he was no longer a child. It
gave him full rights in the family and even in the state. It indicated that he
was a grown up son. That is what is meant by ‘put on Christ like a garment.’ It
is through our faith in Jesus that we are recognized as grown-ups and co-heirs.
Galatians 3:28
“There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or
female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
‘for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’
1 Corinthians 12:12-13
“12 For as the body is one and
has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so
also is Christ. 13 For we were all baptized
by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or
free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”
In God all Christians are the same. No one is spiritually
superior when compared to others. The Law following Jew is not above us lowly
gentiles. Having faith in Jesus is the ultimate equalizer. Free or slave, male
or female, black, white, brown, red, or yellow none of it matters. We are all
equal in the eyes of the Lord. It does not matter what you have or who you are.
It does not matter if you grow up in a mansion or in the ghetto. All are equal
and God loves each one of us equally. He has called each one of us to serve in
our own ways, and He has guaranteed that each of us will have a place in
Eternity with Him.
Faith in Jesus and being a child of God is all that matters.
Galatians 3:29
“And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed,
heirs according to the promise.”
If you remember a couple weeks ago I mentioned that the seed
of Abraham is Jesus. I also said that it is through our faith in Jesus that we
are granted the promises made by God to Abraham. All who believe in Jesus, the
seed of Abraham, will be granted the promise of justification by faith.
Faith in Jesus brings us into the family of God not as
children, but as co-heirs who are called to serve. And through being co-heirs
we are guaranteed a part of the inheritance, eternity in Glory.
Paul uses the example of a boy becoming a man in the next
several verses.
Galatians 4:1-2
“4 1 Now I say that as long as
the heir is a child, he differs in no way from a slave, though he is the
owner of everything. 2 Instead, he is under
guardians and stewards until the time set by his father.”
No matter who a person is, if they are a child living under
the Law they are treated as such. They have to follow the rules and answer to
others. There is no freedom and no authority to make decisions. It was not
until their father recognized them as an adult that they had any rights.
Galatians 4:3
“In the same way we also, when we were children, were in
slavery under the elemental forces of the world.”
Paul’s point here is that the we are slaves to the world
while we are immature children. For the Jews it was the Law that kept them this
way, but for us gentiles it is the things in the world. The pull of society and
the work of the devil that keep us weak and enslaved.
Galatians 4:4
“When the time came to completion, God sent His
Son, born of a woman, born under the law,”
In those days, the father chose when to acknowledge that his
son had become an adult for it to be recognized by others. God the Father chose
the time to send His Son so that all humankind could be recognized and set free
from the bondage of sin.
Galatians 4:5
“to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive
adoption as sons.”
God sent His Son for two specific tasks. First was to
‘redeem those under the law’. Jesus came down to pay the ultimate sacrifice so
that those who were slaves to the Mosaic Law would be set free. He paid the
ultimate price so no one would have to follow the Law any longer. The rules,
rituals, sacrifices, and traditions had become a hindrance. The Law was an incredible burden. It was a
heavy yoke. Jesus came to fulfill the Law so that
it would no longer be needed.
The second reason He came was so that we could be adopted
into God’s family. As Followers of Christ we have full rights as a grown up son
in Roman society had. We do not have task masters lingering over us. We do not
have to follow the rituals. We are set free from our sins and are full fledged
co-heirs with our Lord and Savior.
Galatians 4:6
“And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His
Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!”
We are saved through our faith in Jesus, but it is the Holy
Spirit who comes and dwells in us. The Holy Spirit is a gift from God to every
believer because we are His children. Every single one of us, if we have faith we
have the Holy Spirit. He is our guide, teacher, and counselor. He guides us to
be witnesses to the lost, He guides us to talk to our Father when in need, He
teaches us through God’s Word, and He gives us peace when the seas are stormy.
I do want to note that we think of Abba as meaning Father,
which is correct but a better interpretation for us today would be Daddy.
Father is formal, but Daddy reminds us of the closeness between a man and his
young children. A Daddy is there when they are scared or have a need, just like
our Abba is there for us whenever we need Him.
Galatians 4:7
“So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a
son, then an heir through God.”
Paul is declaring that the Galatians are no longer slaves,
but heirs. He is telling them to stop living like little children and embrace
the wonderful gift they have been given. They are co-heirs with Jesus and are
going to spend eternity with Him.
Paul was giving them and us a wakeup call. Stop acting like
little children. You are a child of God, a grown, responsible, honored, child
of God. You are part of His family. You have the Holy Spirit living in you. You
are not to let the world or a bunch of rules hold you back. Stop acting like a
child and start acting like an heir. A child acts like a child only focusing on
their wants, but a heir follows in the footsteps of those that came before
them. We need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
If you have faith in Jesus you are given an amazing gift and
a huge responsibility. A gift that sets you free from the bondage of sin and a
responsibility to share that gift everywhere you go. A responsibility to love
others. Remember Follow Jesus, Love God, Love Others, and Be a Witness.
You are not a slave! You are a Child of God, A glorious thing with a huge responsibility. Now what are
you going to do? How are you going to follow the commandments give by Jesus?
God Bless,
Robert
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