Gal 4:1-2 | KingComments | STEP | . Chapter 4 is related to the previous chapter and in the first verses Paul takes a closer look at the heir. He describes the contrast between the heir under the law and those who are heirs through faith in Christ. The comparison between a child and a slave makes clear that, as long as a child is under the authority of his educators, there is no difference between them. A child may have rich parents, but all those riches have no use for him as long as he is unable to access them independently. Until that time, in earlier days, a child lived under the authority of “guardians” (who especially took care of the personal well-being of the child) and “managers” (who especially watched over the possessions of the child). That lasted until the time when the father regarded the child as an adult who was responsible enough to make his own decisions. . The period in which the child was not allowed to act independently, can be compared with the period in which the believer lived before the coming of Christ. During that period the law controlled his relationship with God. There was no relationship possible with God as Father, and therefore the Father could not share His thoughts with the believer about being an heir. This period of childhood was marked by a sort of slavery to the law. Whoever is under the ‘law’, whatever that may be, is not free. By any definition, being under the law, means slavery and bearing a yoke, just as Peter calls the law in Acts 15 ( ). Here Paul uses another expression for the law, namely, “elemental things of the world”. The law belongs to the world. After all, the law was given to a people in the flesh, a natural people, without any questioning of the spiritual condition of that people. The law was never meant to bring man into relationship with God in order to know Him as a Father. The essence of the law is that man should learn to know himself. . The fact that the law didn’t bring man to know God as Father in order to possess the inheritance is most strikingly seen at the cross. The nation, to whom the law was given, brought the Giver of the law to the cross. Then “the fullness of the time” had come. The law had fully served its time as an opportunity for the nation to receive all the promises of God. Man is found to be a sinner to the deepest of his being and has forfeited all rights to the fulfillment of the promises. When the time had come that man revealed himself in full depravity, that was the moment that God fully revealed Who He is. God gave the law through angels ( ), but He gave His Son Himself, without involving anyone else. Christ was “born of a woman”, because sin also came into the world through a woman. He was born of a woman, but begotten by the Holy Spirit – therefore without the nature of sin. He always had the form of God ( ), but took a body, a body God had prepared for Him ( ). That Christ was ‘born of a woman’ proves His true Manhood. It also proves His true pre-existence as God. If it had not been so, what then would have been remarkable about the fact that He was born of a woman? . It was also necessary that He was “born under the law”. Only then could He redeem those who were under the law. In His life He glorified the law, for He fulfilled it and bore in His death the curse of it. But by keeping the law faithfully He could never have saved a man. Moreover, His keeping of the law was an accusation against every man who violated the law. He became a substitute for the sinner not by His obedient life, but by bearing in the three hours of darkness the sins of all who believe in Him. And the magnificent result of His work on the cross is that we may stand as sons before God! It is significant to know that there is a difference between being a child of God and being a son of God. To be a child of God means above all that you have the life of God, that you are a partaker of His nature ( ). The nature and essence of God are light and love. That is what a child of God shows in his life; he’s walking in the light and in love. Sonship especially has to do with a position, with the value you have for God. He wants fellowship with sons. Sons are predestined for Himself ( ). A believer is both a child and a son. It has nothing to do with a process of growing, in which you would outgrow the stage of being a child to become a son. . Then Paul connects sonship to the fact that “God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts”. First, God sent His Son; after that He sent the Spirit of His Son. Here you see how the three Persons of the Godhead accomplished the blessings of sonship in God’s plan of salvation. God sent His Son to give us sonship; He sent the Spirit of His Son in our hearts to give us the consciousness and the joy which come with that. Here the Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of His Son”. This emphasizes that sons of God possess the same Spirit as the Son of God. That which the Spirit of the Son works out in the sons, is the same as what characterizes the Son: the conscious relation to God as Father. The word “Abba” speaks of confidence; it is the word the child of God uses when he speaks to his Father, just as we might call our father ‘daddy’. The Father is pleased when we come to Him in that way. . He who, conscious of being a son, says ’Abba, Father’, can’t be a slave anymore. Such a person knows that everything that belongs to the Father, He shares with His sons. They are the “fellow heirs” with the Son ( ). That and that only and nothing else is the place God has destined for those who are His sons. Now read Galatians 4:1-7 again. Reflection: Do you already call God “Abba, Father”? What do you think this means to God? Praise Him that as a son you are an heir.

‏ Galatians 4:1-2

From Child to Heir

Gal 4:1-2. Chapter 4 is related to the previous chapter and in the first verses Paul takes a closer look at the heir. He describes the contrast between the heir under the law and those who are heirs through faith in Christ. The comparison between a child and a slave makes clear that, as long as a child is under the authority of his educators, there is no difference between them.

A child may have rich parents, but all those riches have no use for him as long as he is unable to access them independently. Until that time, in earlier days, a child lived under the authority of “guardians” (who especially took care of the personal well-being of the child) and “managers” (who especially watched over the possessions of the child). That lasted until the time when the father regarded the child as an adult who was responsible enough to make his own decisions.

Gal 4:3. The period in which the child was not allowed to act independently, can be compared with the period in which the believer lived before the coming of Christ. During that period the law controlled his relationship with God. There was no relationship possible with God as Father, and therefore the Father could not share His thoughts with the believer about being an heir. This period of childhood was marked by a sort of slavery to the law. Whoever is under the ‘law’, whatever that may be, is not free. By any definition, being under the law, means slavery and bearing a yoke, just as Peter calls the law in Acts 15 (Acts 15:10).

Here Paul uses another expression for the law, namely, “elemental things of the world”. The law belongs to the world. After all, the law was given to a people in the flesh, a natural people, without any questioning of the spiritual condition of that people. The law was never meant to bring man into relationship with God in order to know Him as a Father. The essence of the law is that man should learn to know himself.

Gal 4:4. The fact that the law didn’t bring man to know God as Father in order to possess the inheritance is most strikingly seen at the cross. The nation, to whom the law was given, brought the Giver of the law to the cross. Then “the fullness of the time” had come. The law had fully served its time as an opportunity for the nation to receive all the promises of God. Man is found to be a sinner to the deepest of his being and has forfeited all rights to the fulfillment of the promises. When the time had come that man revealed himself in full depravity, that was the moment that God fully revealed Who He is.

God gave the law through angels (Gal 3:19), but He gave His Son Himself, without involving anyone else. Christ was “born of a woman”, because sin also came into the world through a woman. He was born of a woman, but begotten by the Holy Spirit – therefore without the nature of sin. He always had the form of God (Phil 2:6), but took a body, a body God had prepared for Him (Heb 10:5). That Christ was ‘born of a woman’ proves His true Manhood. It also proves His true pre-existence as God. If it had not been so, what then would have been remarkable about the fact that He was born of a woman?

Gal 4:5. It was also necessary that He was “born under the law”. Only then could He redeem those who were under the law. In His life He glorified the law, for He fulfilled it and bore in His death the curse of it. But by keeping the law faithfully He could never have saved a man. Moreover, His keeping of the law was an accusation against every man who violated the law. He became a substitute for the sinner not by His obedient life, but by bearing in the three hours of darkness the sins of all who believe in Him. And the magnificent result of His work on the cross is that we may stand as sons before God!

It is significant to know that there is a difference between being a child of God and being a son of God. To be a child of God means above all that you have the life of God, that you are a partaker of His nature (2Pet 1:4). The nature and essence of God are light and love. That is what a child of God shows in his life; he’s walking in the light and in love.

Sonship especially has to do with a position, with the value you have for God. He wants fellowship with sons. Sons are predestined for Himself (Eph 1:5). A believer is both a child and a son. It has nothing to do with a process of growing, in which you would outgrow the stage of being a child to become a son.

Gal 4:6. Then Paul connects sonship to the fact that “God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts”. First, God sent His Son; after that He sent the Spirit of His Son. Here you see how the three Persons of the Godhead accomplished the blessings of sonship in God’s plan of salvation. God sent His Son to give us sonship; He sent the Spirit of His Son in our hearts to give us the consciousness and the joy which come with that.

Here the Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of His Son”. This emphasizes that sons of God possess the same Spirit as the Son of God. That which the Spirit of the Son works out in the sons, is the same as what characterizes the Son: the conscious relation to God as Father.

The word “Abba” speaks of confidence; it is the word the child of God uses when he speaks to his Father, just as we might call our father ‘daddy’. The Father is pleased when we come to Him in that way.

Gal 4:7. He who, conscious of being a son, says ’Abba, Father’, can’t be a slave anymore. Such a person knows that everything that belongs to the Father, He shares with His sons. They are the “fellow heirs” with the Son (Eph 3:6). That and that only and nothing else is the place God has destined for those who are His sons.

Now read Galatians 4:1-7 again.

Reflection: Do you already call God “Abba, Father”? What do you think this means to God? Praise Him that as a son you are an heir.