Children of God Through Faith

A letter to Galatia. Some teachers in Galatia were telling the believers that they had to keep the law of Moses to belong to God. Paul wrote to show them the truth. God’s good law. The law came from God, and it is good. Paul was Jewish. When he says “we” here, he means himself and his own people. Kept under guard. “But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed” (3:23). The law watched over God’s people like a guard until the right time. Our tutor. “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (3:24). In Paul’s day a tutor was a trusted servant who walked a boy to school and watched over him. To be justified means to be made right with God. Pointing to Jesus. The law showed people what is right, and it showed them their sin. It could not take sin away, but it led them to the One who could. No longer under a tutor. “But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor” (3:25). A boy who had grown up no longer needed the tutor. What this means for you. Obeying God is good. But you become His child by trusting Jesus, not by being good enough.

The trouble in Galatia. Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia because some teachers were telling Gentile believers that they must keep the law of Moses to belong fully to God. Paul answers by showing what the law was for. “We” (3:23). “But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.” Paul, a Jew, speaks of his own people’s history. The law was God’s gift to Israel. The problem was never the law; it was the human heart. Phroureo. “Kept under guard” is phroureo (say: froo-REH-oh), a word for soldiers guarding a city. The law held Israel under watch, protected and confined, until the promised faith arrived. The tutor (3:24). “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” In a Greek or Roman home the tutor was a trusted household servant who walked a boy to school, guarded him and corrected his manners. He was not the father and not the heir, and his job ended when the boy grew up. To bring us to Christ. The law taught what God requires and showed how far every person falls short. It could point to the cure, but it could not give it. Justified by faith. To be justified is to be declared right with God. Paul says it happens by faith in Christ, never by a record of law-keeping. No longer under a tutor (3:25). “But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” God’s moral commands still show His good will, but the law is no longer the way anyone becomes or stays a child of God. Application. It is easy to think, I belong to God because I do the right things. Paul says you belong to God because you trust His Son. Obedience grows out of belonging; it never buys it.

Paul wrote a letter to the churches in Galatia. Some teachers said people must keep the law to belong to God. God gave the law, and it is good. But keeping rules cannot make anyone God’s child. Paul said, “The law was our master until Christ came.” The law was like a helper who watched over a child. It showed God’s people their sin. And it pointed them to Jesus. Now Jesus has come! We are made right with God by trusting Him.

God gave His good law. But rules cannot make us God’s children. The law pointed people to Jesus.

God’s children. “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (3:26). Faith is the only way into God’s family, and the way is open to everyone. Sons and heirs. In Paul’s day, the son received the family’s land and riches. When Paul says “sons,” he means full heirs. Girls and boys alike are God’s full heirs in Christ. Put on Christ. “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (3:27). Belonging to Jesus is like being dressed in His goodness. Baptism. Baptism shows on the outside that a person belongs to Jesus. It does not save anyone; faith in Jesus saves. All one. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (3:28). A slave was a servant who belonged to someone else. In Christ, everyone comes to God the same way and is loved the same. Abraham’s seed. “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (3:29). Everyone who belongs to Christ shares God’s promise to Abraham. What this means for you. No one in God’s family is second-class. If you trust Jesus, you are dressed in Christ and welcomed as God’s own.

All sons (3:26). “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” The word “all” matters. Paul is writing to Gentile believers who had never kept the law of Moses, and he calls every one of them God’s sons. Full heirs. In Paul’s world the son was the heir who received the family estate. “Sons” therefore means full heirs, and in Christ that is true of daughters and sons alike. Put on Christ (3:27). “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” To put on is a clothing word. Christ Himself becomes the believer’s covering, and God receives the believer in the righteousness of His Son. Baptism. Baptism is the outward sign of belonging to Christ, a believer’s first public step. It does not save; faith in Christ saves, and baptism follows faith. Three dividing lines (3:28). “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Paul names the deepest divisions of his world. A slave then was a servant owned by a household. One in Christ. These differences did not vanish from daily life, but none of them changes a person’s standing with God. Everyone enters God’s family by the same door, faith, and receives the same welcome. Heirs of the promise (3:29). “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Belonging to Christ joins a believer to the promise God made to Abraham. Application. Belonging to God is not a ranking. No believer is more of a child of God than another, so there is no room for pride and no reason for anyone to feel second-best.

Paul said, “You are all children of God.” That happens “through faith in Christ Jesus.” We become God’s children by trusting Jesus. Paul also said believers are “clothed with Christ.” It is like putting on a brand-new coat. Jesus’ goodness covers us. Paul said they were baptized into Christ. Baptism shows that a person belongs to Jesus. But baptism does not save anyone; trusting Jesus does. Paul said, “There is no difference between Jew and Greek.” A slave was a servant who belonged to someone. In Christ, slaves and free people are the same. Boys and girls are the same in Christ too. Every child of God is loved just as much.

You are God’s child by trusting Jesus. Jesus’ goodness covers you like a new coat. God loves boys and girls the same.

A child heir. “Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all” (4:1). A little boy may one day own his father’s farm, but while he is small he must obey others, like a servant. Guardians. He “is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father” (4:2). The father chose the day when his son would take charge. Like children. “Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world” (4:3). Before Jesus came, people could not free themselves from sin. The right time. “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (4:4). “Born of a woman” means Jesus became a real baby; Luke 2 tells the story. He grew up keeping God’s law perfectly. The first promise. Many Christians see “born of a woman” as God keeping His very first promise, that a child of the woman would defeat the serpent (Genesis 3:15). To redeem. He came “to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (4:5). To redeem is to pay to set someone free. Adopted. Adoption is a beautiful picture of God’s love: He chooses His children and makes them fully His own. A child who is adopted is never second-best. Cared for and safe. God gives children parents and other grown-ups to care for them, the way the heir had guardians. If anyone ever hurts you or asks you to keep a secret, tell a parent or another grown-up you trust. What this means for you. Jesus came at just the right time to set you free and bring you into God’s family.

The child heir (4:1-2). “Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father.” The heir owns everything on paper, but until he comes of age he lives under rules, like a servant. Epitropos. “Guardians” is epitropos (say: eh-PIT-roh-pos), a person appointed to manage a child’s life and affairs until he was old enough. The father, not the guardian, set the day of freedom. Under the elements (4:3). “Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world.” The elements are the basic, first-step rules of religion and life in this world. Without Christ, people are held under them and cannot free themselves. The fullness of the time (4:4). “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law.” As the father in Paul’s picture set the day, God the Father set the day for His Son to come. Born of a woman, born under the law. The eternal Son became a real human baby, and He lived as a Jewish boy under the law of Moses, keeping it perfectly. Luke 2 tells the story of His birth. A first promise. Many Christians see “born of a woman” as the fulfillment of God’s first promise, that the woman’s offspring would crush the serpent (Genesis 3:15). Exagorazo (4:5). He came “to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” “Redeem” is exagorazo (say: ex-ah-gor-AHD-zoh), to buy out of the marketplace, to pay so that someone goes free. Jesus paid that price with His own life. Adoption. Adoption gives a child a new family, a new name and a full share in the inheritance. It is a beautiful picture of God’s love. An adopted child is fully a son or daughter, never second-best. Safety. God gives children parents and caregivers, as the heir had guardians. A grown-up who harms a child is doing wrong. If anyone hurts you or asks you to keep a secret, tell a parent or a trusted adult. Application. You did not earn your place in God’s family. It rests on the price Christ paid, not on how impressive you are.

Paul told about a child who would own his father’s land. While he is little, he is not in charge. Grown-ups are chosen to take care of him. Paul said, “We were once like children.” We could not free ourselves from sin. Paul said, “But when the right time came, God sent his Son.” Jesus was born as a real baby to a mother. Many Christians see this as God keeping His very first promise. He made it in the Garden of Eden. Jesus came to buy freedom for us. He came to make us God’s own children. Adoption is a beautiful picture of God’s love. A child who is adopted is fully part of the family. God gives children grown-ups to care for them. If anyone hurts you, tell a grown-up you trust.

A little child has grown-ups who care for him. At the right time, God sent Jesus as a baby. If anyone hurts you, tell a grown-up you trust.

The Spirit of His Son. “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts” (4:6). God the Father sent His Son for us, and He sends His Spirit into us. The Holy Spirit lives in every believer. Abba, Father. The Spirit is “crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’” (4:6). Abba is a warm family word for father, the word Jesus Himself used when He prayed. Because the Spirit lives in you, you can talk to God as a child talks to a loving father. Not afraid. A servant might be afraid to speak to the master. A child runs to her father. God wants His children to come to Him with every worry and every joy. No longer a slave. “Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son” (4:7). A slave worked for the family but did not belong to it. A son belongs. An heir. “And if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (4:7). An heir is someone who will receive what the father has promised. God promises His children life with Him forever. Through Christ. We are heirs only “through Christ.” We do not earn our place; Jesus won it for us. Stop earning. Paul wanted the believers in Galatia to stop trying to earn God’s love. They already had it. What this means for you. When you pray, you are not a stranger asking for a favor. If you trust Jesus, you are a child talking to your Father.

Because you are sons (4:6). “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts.” The Father sent the Son into the world (4:4); now He sends the Spirit of the Son into the believer. Father, Son and Spirit are all at work in making us God’s children. Abba. The Spirit cries out, “Abba, Father!” Abba is the Aramaic family word for father, the word Jesus used when He prayed to His Father. Believers from every background now pray it together. Assurance. The Spirit’s cry in the believer’s heart is God’s own witness that we belong to Him. Assurance rests on what God has done, not on how we feel on a given day. No longer a slave (4:7). “Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son.” Slaves served the household; sons belonged to it. The Galatians were being pushed back into a servant’s way of relating to God, earning approval by performance. Heir of God. “And if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” An heir receives what the father has promised. Believers will receive eternal life with God and every good thing He has promised. Through Christ. The inheritance is “through Christ.” It is His by right and ours by grace. Sure, not anxious. God’s child never has to wake up wondering whether he still belongs to God’s family. Application. Pray as a son or daughter, not as a hired worker. Come to your Father freely, and let obedience grow out of love, not out of fear of losing your place.

Paul said, “And you are God’s children.” God sent the Holy Spirit into the hearts of His children. The Spirit cries out, “Father, dear Father.” God wants you to talk to Him like that. You can tell Him anything, any time. Paul said, “So now you are not a slave.” A slave worked for a family but did not belong to it. Paul said, “You are God’s child.” A child belongs to the family. God will give His children everything He promised. We do not earn it; God gives it. Trust Jesus, and you belong to God.

God gives His Spirit to His children. You can call God your Father. You are God’s child, not a slave!

Children of God Through Faith

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