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Galatians Lesson 5 (2010)

NO LONGER A SLAVE, BUT A SON

“Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave,
but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.”

The truth of the gospel Paul wanted to defend in his letter to the Galatians is salvation by faith alone, not salvation by legalism. In the previous passage, Galatians chapter 3, Apostle Paul showed the relationship between the promise of God and the law of God. Paul highlighted the fact that the promise was given to Abraham 430 years before the law was given through Moses. Paul made it clear that although he was against legalism, he was not against the law itself. God’s intention in giving the law was good. In fact, God intended for all of us to have a spiritual journey, by first passing through the law in order to enter into the land of promise. In today’s passage, Galatians 4:1-11, Paul repeats the same point that he makes in earlier chapters. Simply, once we have faith in Christ, we should not go back to any form of legalism. He does this by contrasting a man’s condition under the law (1-3) with his condition in Christ (4-7). We are no longer miserable slaves but blessed children of God. So let’s think about the blessedness of a child of God who trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ and see why it is foolish to return to slavery.

In the previous passage, Apostle Paul had compared the law to a personal tutor who was put in charge to lead us to Christ. (3:24) Now, in 4:1-3, Apostle Paul is comparing the law to a guardian or a trustee appointed to care for a young child and his property. Look at verses 1-2. “What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father.” When Michael Jackson suddenly died last year, one of the controversies was about who would look after his three children, who were 12, 11 and 7 years old at the time. As of now, Michael Jackson’s mother, Katherine, has been granted temporary custody of all three children, in accordance with what was written in Michael’s will. One of the main roles of custodians is to protect property rights of children until whatever age the father has set. According to Jewish law, at the age of twelve a child becomes an adult. Under Roman law, a person is considered to be an adult between the ages of 14 and 17. Adulthood is defined by one’s culture and legal system. Regardless of his age, a child under custody cannot exercise his full rights and has no freedom. His legal custodian will direct and discipline him. In fact, in this sense, the child is no different from a slave, although he is the legal son. Apostle Paul continues to say in verse 3 that this is the way it is with all of us.

Look at verse 3. “So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world.” Here, Apostle Paul uses the term “the basic principles of the world.” In fact, he uses the term “the elemental things of the world – ta stoicheia tou kosmou” four times in his writings (Galatians 3:3, 9; Colossians 2:8 and 20). The word “stoicheia – [elemental things]” means things placed side by side in a row, like the letters of the alphabet or the ABC’s that we learn in school. What are the basic principles of the world Paul was talking about? He could mean “basic moral principles.” Some scholars view “basic principles of the world” as basic philosophical or religious teachings. I think Paul includes the law of Moses in the wider category of the basic principles of the world. The problem with the basic principles of the world, including the law of God, is that no matter how strict or noble they may appear to be, they don’t have the power to save men from the bondage of sin and death.
When God gave the law through Moses to His chosen people, he knew the limitations of the law. God didn’t intend to make the law for people’s justification by their perfect obedience to it. His intention was to reveal their sin and to lead them to faith in His promise of salvation through Christ. But God’s intention had been twisted by numerous people, including religious leaders, who revealed people’s sin and drove them to despair and condemnation, like the Pharisee’s in Paul’s time. When we read Romans chapter 9, we see that Israel was given many privileges as God’s chosen people, like the adoption as sons, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Law, the temple service, the promises, and the patriarchs of faith, etc. They had been given everything that was embodied in the Old Testament. People who assumed positions as spiritual leaders, especially the priests, the teachers of the law, and the Pharisees and Sadducees, were supposed to be faithful custodians of God’s truth and bear good fruit among the people of Israel and all nations. But they were not faithful custodians of God’s truth. They twisted God’s intention and led people astray. In fact, Jesus severely rebuked the teachers of the law and the Pharisees in his time by saying, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.” (Matthew 23:15) Jesus even branded them as thieves and robbers in John 10:8. Apostle Paul, himself, used to lead people astray and enslave the people of Israel through legalism. The Gentiles were also in slavery under the basic principles of the world, in the forms of religion and philosophy.
But what did God do to end this slavery? Read verse 4-7. “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.” Man had been in slavery, both under the custody of the basic principles of this world and the supervision of the law, for a long period of time in history. Nobody knew God’s set date for the expiration of this custody. But when the time set by God had fully come, God sent His Son Jesus Christ.
What did God do through his son Jesus Christ? Look at verses 4b and 5 again. “… God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” Through his death and resurrection, Christ, the Messiah, redeemed those who were under the custody of the law. As a result, we who are in Christ are no longer under the custody of the law. We are set free from slavery. Not only that, we also received full rights as God’s children as John 1:12 and 13 read, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
What are the full rights of God’s children? It’s beyond what we really deserve. In the parable of the lost son in Luke 15:11-32, we see that the father in the parable rejoiced when his second son came back home even though his son squandered everything he took with him. The son said to the father, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” (Lk 15:22-24) In the parable, the father not only forgave his son but also restored to him full rights as his son. When the father’s older son found out, he became furious about what his father did for his younger brother. Why was he upset? It was because of his legalism and self-righteousness.

Some of you may think that you are not blessed because of your human condition. Still others may think that they are blessed because of their human condition. But unless you are a child of God, you are not really blessed. Being a child of God is not a small blessing at all. The fact is that we are all adopted to be children of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Every year many adopted children in foreign countries come to live with their new parents in the United States. And when they grow up, no matter what their background is, they get to receive full rights as sons and daughters to their new parents. Recently a seven year old Russian boy was sent back to Russia after six months. His new mom said, “I no longer wish to parent this child. He is dangerous.” We don’t know whether what she said about the boy was true or not. But we know for sure that the boy must have been deeply hurt by what had been done to him. Spiritually speaking, we are all adopted children of God our Father through our Lord Jesus Christ. And God our Father who adopted us is different from the lady who sent the boy back to Russia. God didn’t adopt us because we were cute or perfect. He adopted us in spite of our serious shortcomings and weaknesses because of his love and mercy. And we are given full rights as sons and daughters in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3-6 reads, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”

We, as Christians, must know and enjoy these full rights as God’s children. An IRS agent visited a poor Christian man to estimate the amount of taxes he would have to pay. “Sir, what property do you own?” the tax collector asked. “How did you know that I am very wealthy,” replied the poor Christian man. “Very good, sir! List your possessions, please,” the tax collector instructed. The poor Christian man, with a big smile, replied, “Sure! I have everlasting life, a huge mansion in heaven, unspeakable joy and peace in my heart, the unchanging love of God, a beautiful and spiritual wife, healthy, growing and obedient children, many loving and supportive friends and coworkers, a puppy, and I am still expecting to receive the crown of life. So I think I should pay a lot of taxes, right?” The tax collector closed his book and said, “Well, truly you are a rich man, but your property is not taxable.” Christians are very rich people with great spiritual wealth because they are heirs of God. But in reality, many Christians do not feel that they are truly rich – with full rights as God’s children – because of their spiritual blindness. Living in a materialistic world, we feel that we are not blessed enough unless we are materially affluent or successful in the world. As a result, we tend to ignore God’s spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms, which will benefit so many people and last forever.

God not only sent His Son Jesus Christ to redeem us but he also sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. Look at verses 6-7. “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.” Through the redemption of Christ, we are adopted to become God’s children. And now God sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts. As proof of his indwelling, we call, “Abba, Father!” In fact, according to Romans 8:15 and 16, it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God. So even though we make mistakes and fall into temptation, we don’t run away from God our Father, fearing his severe punishment or curse. Instead, we still come to Him. Trusting in His unchanging love, we confess our sins and are washed by the blood of Christ Jesus again and again. We have the wonderful provision of God’s grace through our Lord Jesus Christ. We don’t lose our son-ship. Since we are sons and daughters of God, we are also rightful heirs – coheirs with Christ. (Romans 8:16-17) The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the deposit of what is to come in the future, the redemption of our body at the time of Jesus’ second coming. We live in a cursed world under all kinds of broken systems. But we will inherit the new heaven and new earth along with eternal life. The Spirit is always moving, freely flowing, renewing, reviving and transforming us. And when we live by the Spirit, we are not stuck in our old rules and regulations. We are always new. In fact, when we live a life in Christ, we are living as new creations because of the Spirit in us.

In verses 8-11, Apostle Paul challenges Galatian Christians, pointing out their folly in shifting away from a blessed life in Christ into a cursed life in legalism again. Look at verses 8-11. “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God – or rather are known by god – how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.” Obviously, they were turning away from the true gospel faith and back to legalism – to the basic principles of the world, the weak and miserable principles – because of the infiltration of the false teachings of those who were called the “circumcision group”, possibly former Pharisees.

As a matter of fact, if someone turns back from faith in Christ to legalism, he or she is not going to be healthy spiritually. From time to time, I see a group of decently dressed people going from house to house on my block. They believe that by gaining many converts to their religion, they are securing their seats in heaven. Many people tend to believe that there are many ways to heaven. That sounds very appealing. But there is only one way to heaven and that is through our Lord Jesus Christ, who came to redeem us from the law and the bondage of sin and death in order to restore our full rights as God’s children. In fact, legalism is based on the conviction that good people will go to heaven. But the problem is that there is no one who is good enough to go to heaven, not even Abraham, Moses, David, Mohammed, Gandhi or Buddha. Only those who believe in Christ will be welcomed there.

We must remember that we are God’s children only because of God’s mercy and his faithful love for us. Our good behavior or religious achievements will not add anything to our salvation. In Christ, we are no longer slaves, but sons. I am who I am only by the grace of God. And the blessings we receive as God’s children are what make us go day to day in spite of the many challenges we face in this world. Apostle Paul was in chains because of the gospel he preached. He had many chances to defend his case in front of kings and rulers by giving his personal testimony. But what is really surprising is that even though Apostle Paul was in chains and was aware that he would be executed at any time, he didn’t fall into self-pity. He wasn’t intimidated by people or his circumstances, even when he was in front of powerful kings and rulers of the world. He didn’t beg for their mercy. He wasn’t bitter toward anybody, either, not even toward the Jews who accused him. He was full of God’s grace, confidence, and courage. At the end of his defense before King Agrippa, Apostle Paul said, “I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.” (Acts 26:29) How could Paul say that? It’s not because he was arrogant. It’s because he was no longer a slave to the basic principles of the world or to the power of sin and death. He was a free man, a true child of God who enjoyed the full blessings of heaven. Some of us may feel sorry that we haven’t received enough blessings in return for our sacrificial service to God. Are you bitter or angry for any reason? Are you blaming somebody for your misery? It’s because you are still under the rule of the weak and miserable principles of this world, and not in the gospel. Even though you might have accepted Christ, you are not remaining or truly enjoying your full rights as God’s child.

John Newton (1725-1807) was a former slave-trader who later became a clergy man and wrote many hymns, including “Amazing Grace.” John Newton was criticized because he kept his slave-trading job for a while after his conversion. But what he knew was one thing, that is, “I was blind but now I see.” He knew that he was a wretched sinner and that God had mercy on him. Whenever he thought of the grace and mercy of God, which saved him from his wretchedness, he was moved to tears. He wrote the beautiful hymn, “Amazing Grace.” And in order to imprint on his heart what God had done for him, he wrote in bold letters that were fastened across the wall of his study room the words of Deuteronomy 15:15, which reads, “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your god redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today.” Before we met Christ, we were slaves to the basic principles of the world and to the power of sin and death. But we are no longer slaves. We are God’s children through Jesus’ redeeming sacrifice on the cross. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit helps us to have intimate fellowship with God our Father. By Him we can call God, “Abba, Father!” We should not go back to any form of legalism- the elementary principles of the world. We should remain in Christ by remembering God’s grace and enjoying the full rights we have as God’s children, the peace, freedom, joy, love, kindness, faithfulness, goodness and self-control, which cannot be taken away from us. We are no longer slaves but sons.