An Heir of God Through Christ

“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.  Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”  Galatians 4:4-7

Believers in Christ have much greater privileges than the Jews did under the law.  The believers in Galatia were being influenced by the Judaizers, those who said that a Jew who believed in Christ must still live under the law to be right before God.  However, the law has no bearing on salvation and justification other than showing man his sinful state, proving without a doubt that there was no advantage for a believer to live under the law.

To further illustrate how living under the law was no longer necessary, Paul used the analogy of a child who would eventually inherit his father’s estate.  A small child, because of his or her inability to care for himself or herself, is really no different than a servant who is employed to serve under the supervision of the homeowner.  Under this employment, the servant is not free to do as he or she pleases but work according to the rules of the homeowner.  The child, too, must abide by his parents’ rules.  He also may be subject to tutors and governors as he grows in order to learn how to take care of himself later on.  When he is still young, he doesn’t understand or appreciate all that he undergoes to reach maturity.

In comparison, those under the law were like living as an underage child, subject to all the restrictions and commandments of the law.  The Jews didn’t understand every “jot and tittle” (Matthew 5:18) that they were obliged to follow just like the child didn’t understand all of his parents’ rules.  Both the parents’ rules and the law were accounted as bondage because privileges in the case of a child and the protection and peace with God for those living under the law hinged on obedience.  How many times in ancient Israel did God warn His people about disobedience and idolatry?  Probably hundreds of times.

However, one day when God decided it was time to fulfill His promise to Abraham, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to become the One who would fulfill His promise of a Savior.  Born to a woman, not a “birthing person”, named Mary, Jesus, as a human, was subject to the law as a Jewish Man.  His mission was to provide the way whereby men and women would no longer be subject to the law, but rather become God’s children through adoption.  This form of adoption is known as redemption, a buying back of people separated from God by their sin.  In effect, all those under bondage to the law which kept them in bondage to their sin could now be made free, pardoned, and cleansed from sin, and brought into an intimate and loving relationship with God from whom they had been held at a distance.

The Jews, because of sin, did not have a close relationship with their Creator.  The law gave them a knowledge of God and what was required of them to be in good standing before Him, but they did not have the means to really know Him as Adam and Eve did before they succumbed to the devil’s lie, disobeyed God, and became estranged from Him.  All sin must be punished.  But, because of God’s love and mercy, He sent Jesus Christ to make the once-and-for-all sacrifice to satisfy God’s justice.  All who repent and turn from their sin and receive Christ as Lord and Savior have been forgiven and will not be condemned (Romans 8:1).  Those who reject Christ will receive punishment for their sins for all eternity.  No matter how much folks want to argue, there is no ambiguity concerning salvation or the way by which it can be received.  I suppose we could equate living under the law with today’s idea that people can do good works to satisfy God, but good works are no more effective to save from sin than the law was in ancient Israel.

When a couple adopts a baby or an older child, that individual is just as legally their child as if he or she had been physically born to the couple.  The adopted child is loved by the parents (as one who was adopted, I know this to be true) even though he or she was biologically born to a woman whom he or she likely will never know.  There is no DNA or inherited traits found in the child from the adopted parents, but that has no bearing on the relationship between the parents and child.  As an adopted daughter, my mother always told me that I was special because I was chosen.  All those who are born again are also special because they have been chosen by God to “be holy and without blame before Him in love” (Ephesians 1:4).

When, through repentance and faith in Christ brings one into God’s family, the Holy Spirit is placed within that person as a seal of acceptance to assure the believer that he or she truly belongs to God (Ephesians 1:13-14).  When a child is adopted, that child is issued a new birth certificate with the adoptive parents’ names listed because the child has become their child.  The Holy Spirit within the believer gives the believer the right to call God, “Abba”, or “Daddy” because God truly is the believer’s heavenly Father.  Thus, no longer is the repentant sinner an outsider, a non-family member nor estranged from his or her Creator, but rather a true son or daughter of the most high God, a brother or sister of Christ, and an heir of God through Christ.