Galatians 4:1-7[1]
Rolling Hills Church, 25 July 2010
In this book of Galatians the theme is clearly justification by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. Grace, by faith alone in Christ alone. All the blessings that God pours out on Jesus Christ, the second Adam, are poured on us IN CHRIST. The first Adam pulled us into sin and death; the Second Adam, who DID fulfill the law and obey the Father, offered His life on the cross to pay the sentence of death for our sins and pull us to LIFE.
And week after week, justification by faith alone in Christ alone comes to the top as the central premise of the message. It may seem repetitious to some of you, and that is quite acceptable to me. You see, when you learn a song, a verse of Scripture, or the roster of your favorite sports team, it requires some amount of repetition. Learning that we are justified by faith alone is a worthy, foundational thing for believers. When we can't separate justification from sanctification in our beliefs, the gospel is always at risk in our lives; our faith will be at risk of being futile (4:11). So let us absorb, consider, learn, and know this good truth from this good book inspired by our good God.
Gal 4:1-7
1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything,
2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father.
3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"
7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
When we believe in the Son of God, we are adopted as sons; we are no longer slaves to sin. We can rejoice that we've been chosen, redeemed, adopted, given the Holy Spirit, and made an heir through Christ. This is the good news of Christianity! Justification by faith in Jesus Christ is the free gift of the Father to all who believe.
Son and the Slave look the same growing up. The Romans had a 'coming of age' ceremony called toga virilis. At the Roman ceremony boys would take their toys - and at a similar ceremony the girls would take their dolls – and offer them in a sacrifice to the gods as a symbol of putting childhood behind them. Paul was likely alluding to that custom in his comment in 1 Cor 13:11: "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways." It marked the day the boy became a man; and the distinction between being a boy and being a man was very clear in that culture. Before that time, they were both under a tutor (paidagogos); it was his responsibility to train them, get them to school, and diligently (somewhat mercilessly) teach young males, both slave and son, all things needed to grow up well. He was not trying to be their friend; more often he resembled a drill sergeant in basic training! The father oversaw this work and the tutor answered to him. The Jews had and still have a ceremony called bar mitzvah, which does the same thing; it is celebrated the first Sabbath after the boy turns twelve. At the bar mitzvah the boy and the father come before God and the father prays, "Blessed be thou O God who hath taken from me the responsibility of this boy," and the boy would pray, "O my God and God of my father, on this solemn and sacred day which marks my passage from boyhood to manhood, I humbly raise my eyes unto Thee and declare with sincerity and truth that henceforth I will keep Thy commandments and undertake to bear the responsibility of my actions toward Thee."[2] Now in many households when they had servants or slaves, both boys learned and grew together until manhood. In Jewish families that were barren, it was probable that a servant would become the heir. Gen 15:2 But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"
The Father in this instance had allowed the law to be the tutor for His people, the Jews. And when the time came, the Savior came; grace came, the New Covenant came, and it was time for adulthood as far as FAITH goes; it was time to see the manifestation of the One faith was looking toward (adulthood), not time to go back toward childhood things.
In the Fullness of Time. Paul compares the time a child became adult to the time that Christ came to fulfill all righteousness, die on the cross, and bring justification, righteousness, and new and everlasting life to all who would believe in Him. And Christ did, church, come in the fullness of time. It wasn't accidental; it wasn't coincidental. It was in God's perfect plan, and in His perfect time.
It was right religiously. The Jews were done straying after the Babylonian captivity, and had settled down to worship God and endure suffering, looking for their Messiah. They were building synagogues all over the Roman Empire. The Greeks and Romans were open to new ideas and philosophies, despite their religious idolatry and arrogance.
It was right politically. Rome had instituted Pax Romana (Peace of Rome) throughout their empire. Pax Romana (Latin for "Roman peace") was the long period of relative peace and minimal expansion by military force experienced by the Roman Empire in the first and second centuries AD. Its span was approximately 207 years (27 BC to 180 AD)[3]. Conquest was limited and good will was encouraged. With good roads, communication, free and safe travel between what had been antagonistic cities and countries, what better time was there for the apostles to take the gospel to the ends of the earth?
It was right biblically. This was the time God had planned, and all the prophecies were fulfilled in the night the Savior was born of a virgin in a stable. The place, time, person, descendants, everything was specifically spelled out and fulfilled in God's time and place through God's people. 'Born of a woman' refers to the virgin birth. Isaiah tells us He would be born of a virgin; Micah tells us He would be born in Bethlehem. The Psalms tell us He would be a son of David, and God also promised that to David Himself in Chronicles. Daniel tells us, when one labors through the history and prophecy, the time of His birth and the situation of the kingdoms leading up to it. This was God's plan, God's time, God's place, and through God's chosen person, young Mary, betrothed to Joseph, who would have to be registered for the census in Bethlehem.
Born under the law refers to the Jews under the covenant of Moses, and Christ lived that righteously, then set us free from it by suffering His cruel death on the cross!
No Longer Slaves. Folks, Christ came to buy back those under the law and set them free. He came to buy these sinful, idolatrous Galatians who had worshipped multiple gods and or no god at all. Paul shows the Galatians here in this passage that there was no need, having come to Christ through faith, to go back through the 'childhood' of Israel, the Covenant of the Law. No need at all! Though the Jews were under the covenant of law, the Greeks had been enslaved to sin, various false gods, and corrupted, unbelieving, idolatrous lives! They weren't going back to that; they were tempted to go experience the law, though.
Paul said there was no need. Experience, believe, trust in, and treasure the good grace that you have in Christ Jesus! TREASURE it! And don't turn to the law for justification!
We Too Are Sons. Those who have been called to Christ, who have responded to the Word of God by repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ, know that the siren call of the world will not stop. We aren't tempted to go back to the law as much as back to the world! And even when trusting in grace – especially when trusting in grace! – we are
You are no longer slaves; neither to your childhood nor theirs. You are free in Christ, adopted, justified through faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone.
You have inherited eternal life. You have all the blessings of being a child of God by faith; everything that is given to the church 'in Christ' is given to you! You are joint heirs with Christ! Why, when you have all these eternal, spiritual riches, would we turn to the fading, powerless, temporary riches of this world? Why idolatry when we can be sons of God! When we have tasted the good riches of eternal life, would we then backtrack to grab the gusto of this world?
When we believe in the Son of God, we are adopted as sons; we are no longer slaves to sin. We can rejoice that we've been chosen, redeemed, adopted, given the Holy Spirit, and made an heir through Christ.
The truth in this text is the truth throughout the entire book of Galatians; we are saved by grace through faith alone! We are justified by faith in Christ alone, and not by faith and works of the law.
[1] All Scripture, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (via E-Sword Software) © 2001 Crossway Publishing. All Rights Reserved
[2] This information in this paragraph was gleaned from MacArthur's New Testament Commentary on Galatians, © 1987 by THE MOODY BIBLE INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO. All rights reserved.
[3] Little touch of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pax_Romana helping me out with details here.
No comments:
Post a Comment