Lesson for October 20, 2021

The Book of Galatians

Adoption into the Royal Family of God

Galatians 4:1-7

“Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave, although he is owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father.So, we too, when we were children, were held in bondage under the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons and daughters. Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba! Father!” Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.”

The background for these seven verses is the doctrine of adoption. The word “adoption” means one thing today but back in the time when the New Testament was written it meant something entirely different. Adoption to us today means placing someone outside of the blood ties legally into a family. A child who is not a natural child of the family is placed into the family. That is not what adoption means in the Bible. As long as we have modern day adoption in mind, we will never understand the concept in these verses.

The word for adoption in Greek is a compound word made up of two words: “huios” (a son), and “thesis” (a placing), which means to place someone in the family who is already in the family by recognizing them as an adult son (“huiothesia).” The background is very simple. A boy in a Roman family was no better off than a slave until he became fourteen. Until then he was a child (“teknos”), which meant that he was under guardians and managers. Sometime after the fourteenth birthday of the Roman boy in the time of the New Testament, throughout the Roman Empire, there was a ceremony in the home. The father gathered all of the family together and said that his son was no longer a child (“teknos”) but was now an adult son (“huios”). He then put a special Roman robe on his son which was usually white and trimmed in purple or crimson. It was called “the robe of manhood.” The moment the father placed this robe around the boy’s shoulders, this boy had all of the responsibilities of an adult.

Remember that this is an analogy from Roman life at the time this book was written and does not exclude the ladies. In the Church Age, when we accept Christ as Savior, we (male and female) are “adult sons” immediately. This is the Doctrine of Adoption. By entering into union with Christ, you share His Sonship, and Christ is an adult son. The Law was the guardian and manager of all who were unbelievers for the purpose of teaching and guiding them to Christ so they could become believers (“adult sons”). So, in the Doctrine of Adoption an unbeliever is said to be a child and under the Law. But a believer is not under the law, he is no longer under a guardian or a manager. This happens at the moment of salvation. Positionally, as of the moment of salvation, we receive “the robe of manhood.” We are adult sons and therefore not under the Law. The Galatian believers were trying to get rid of “the robe of manhood” and keep “the child’s robe” on.

So, we too, when we were children, were held in bondage under the elementary principles [of religions and philosophies], of the world. For those who were Jews who had fallen for the false doctrine of the Judaizers, the elementary principles refer to the religion of Judaism, which had distorted the Mosaic Law into a form of legalism. For the Gentiles who had fallen for the false doctrine of the Judaizers, the elementary principles refer to paganism. All religion is based on some type of human merit for salvation. However, salvation has always been by faith alone in Jesus Christ and not by keeping any system of works. So, Paul wanted these believers in Galatia to realize that going back to keeping the Mosaic Law was just like reverting to childhood.

But when the fullness of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons and daughters.The fullness of time means that God chose the perfect moment in history for the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. God the Father waited until every religious system, or every system of legalism had proven itself false and unable to provide a relationship with God for the human race. This means that every religious system which has been developed since the Cross is a repetition of some system that existed in the past. These systems included the religion of Judaism, and none could provide salvation, eternal life, regeneration, forgiveness and cleansing of sin for the human race.

“The fullness of time” meant that the world had become very civilized. The Romans had built some of the finest roads the world has ever known, which set up a revolutionary system of communication for that day. The Romans had reached the peak of their military power, which provided the freedom to evangelize and worship freely. The other great advantage was the common language in the Roman Empire called Koine Greek. So, this was the perfect time for Jesus Christ to be born of a virgin.

So that He might redeem those who were under the Law. The Biblical definition of the word redeem is “to be purchased from the slave-market of sin.” There are three Greek words for redemption: “agorazo” meaning to buy, “exagorazo” meaning to buy out of or remove from sale and “lutroo” meaning to release on receipt of ransom or payment. Christ has redeemed us from from the Mosaic Law. (Galatians 3:13; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:15)

Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba! Father!” Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.” So, the Holy Spirit makes our heirship and our sonship a reality. It is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to place us in union with Jesus Christ, making us Royal Family of God. On this basis we are able to call God our Father. It is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to glorify Christ through believers who He empowers to live the Christian Way of Life. (Romans 8:15-17; John 16:14)

Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God. The point that Paul made is that believers are the heirs of God because they are His children and have an inheritance based on their union with Jesus Christ. Paul’s question to those believers who had believed the Judaizers was: “Why would you want to squander God’s grace and your inheritance that you received by faith and return to legalism by trying to keep the Law of Moses?” It made no more sense to Paul than it does for us today. Why would anyone choose a life under a system of legalism over a life based on God’s grace?

Galatians 4:8-11

“However, at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles [of religions and philosophies], to which you want to be enslaved all over again? You meticulously observe days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.”

This refers to the time when these Galatians were unbelievers. To those which by nature are not gods is a reference to the heathen gods which were worshipped by the Gentiles. They knew nothing about the true God until Paul introduced them to Him. But they had a lot of information about the Greek pagan gods, Jupiter and Zeus. Satan and his demonism were behind all of this idolatry. The purpose of these heathen religions was to blind the minds of the human race with regard to Christ. (I Corinthians 10:20)

But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles [of religions and philosophies], to which you want to be enslaved all over again? These Galatians had accepted Christ as Savior and under Paul’s teaching they had been set free from all of their heathenism. So, they left one trap, polytheism, and they fell into another trap, the religion of Judaism. They just went from one kind of religion to another. Religion and human philosophy are called weak and worthless because they cannot provide salvation or a spiritual life. Only the grace of God can provide salvation and a spiritual life. Reverting to the Law of Moses for salvation or for the spiritual life was legalism. And legalism enslaves a person to the rituals, taboos and philosophies of the organization and its leaders.

You meticulously observe days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.” Some of these believers in Galatia had already begun observing the Mosaic Law by worshipping on the Sabbath. They also were observing the various feasts and holy days of the Law. The feasts in the Old Testament had a very important purpose during the Age of Israel. Many people in the past could not read so they learned doctrine by watching the rituals and observing the feasts and holy days. These feasts and holy days had a legitimate purpose under the Law of Moses which was to point people to Christ. But believers were no longer under the Law because Christ had already fulfilled it.

Paul’s concern that he may have labored in vain was a valid concern. Sliding into reversionism, as these believers were doing, was heartbreaking to Paul who spent much time and energy in teaching the mystery doctrine of the Church Age. They had already wrecked their spiritual lives and if they continued on that path, they may never find their way back to accurate Bible doctrine.