Galatians 4

Greetings friends,

In chapter 4, Paul concerns us with the issue of valuing our position in Christ. Using comparing and contrasting, he drives home the concept of our adoption by God through Christ.

The memory passage is
Galatians 4:4-7,9,31 (ESV)
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.
⁹ But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?
³¹ So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.

The Outline theme is the Gospel of Adoption as Sons.

In the first seven verses, Paul contrasts the standing of a slave and a son. The child and the slave have similar lives when they are young, even though the child is the 'owner of everything', or at least will be. The child's father put guardians and managers over the child until the right time (we were children like this at one time also). But, at the right time, God redeemed us through Christ and adopted us as sons. With that new standing we receive the Holy Spirit in our hearts and the hope of an inheritance from God in heaven.

Paul reminds us in the middle of that section that we have 'Daddy' access to God because we are now sons and not slaves. Abba! is the Aramaic word for 'Father', but it is in the diminutive form as used by small children addressing their fathers.

Beginning in verse 8, Paul changes tone. "If you know this, why are you trying to enslave yourself under any other principle? You are free from worldly religions and the Law because of you standing in Christ. Was my labor all for not? I know you received the Gospel when I was with you, for you immediately showed fruit by accepting and caring for me. Now it appears that some false teachers have come in and tried to affect you and the truth you know. It would be better if I was with you now, because your actions thoroughly perplex me."

Verse 21 initiates a long discourse on our position using an historical example; the sons of Abraham through Hagar and Sarah. "Ok, if you want to be under the law, you had better pay close attention to what it says!" First, he covers the facts; Abraham's son born of the flesh (human effort) through Hagar was Ishmael, and his son born of the promise (God's effort) through Sarah was Isaac.

Then Paul moves to a level of interpretation about these facts. He writes that these mothers and sons can be considered allegorically; as covenants. Hagar represents the covenant given to Moses at Mount Sinai (the Law) that enslaved the people under sin (3:22). Sarah represents the covenant given to Abraham (and us through faith) and is seen as the 'Jerusalem from above [that is] free' (26).

As followers of Christ, we (along with the Galatian believers) are not children of the slave but children of the promise (Rom 9:8) and are counted as offspring. And if sons, then heirs through God (7).

How does this affect my worship?
I was struck by verse 9. Even though these believers had heard, received and acted on the true Gospel, they still were easily persuaded to add back in things from their past or things from the Law. It's as though they were freed from prison but were now standing at the gate wanting to get back in. My first reaction to them is 'RUN'!!! But then I think about how I do the same thing. I constantly am trying to 'perfect myself in the flesh' and enslave myself under some other law. And that takes my focus off of Him and puts it squarely on me. That affects my worship. Lord, please show me mercy when I turn back again to the flesh. Please guide me back into Your truth and Your Gospel so that I don't enslave myself to anything buy You.

How does this affect my discipleship?
Even Paul was perplexed by those he discipled at times. How do I balance grace and love and acceptance with the need to (sometimes sternly) correct sin and disobedience? It happens. You teach and train someone in the truth (as He has given it to you) and sometimes the things that you hear out of their mouths don't sound like what you put in! Was it in vain! Or is the work still ongoing? I must remember that I am still ongoing, too. And the things that come out of my mouth don't always sound like the stuff He put in. Lord, please help me be a better disciple as I try to make disciples. Thank you for never giving up on me.

May you walk today as sons and not slaves,

Ethan