The Gospel in Galatians 4

Typically within the New Testomony, the apostles handle to summarize the fantastic thing about the Gospel in only some phrases. After they do, they offer us superb passages for meditation and memorization, they usually present us gasoline for evangelism.

One such passage is Galatians 4:4–5: “When the fullness of time had come, God despatched forth his Son, born of lady, born beneath the legislation, to redeem those that had been beneath the legislation, in order that we’d obtain adoption as sons.” In a single sentence, the apostle Paul reminded the Galatians of the everlasting plan initiated in Christ’s incarnation and ideal life, of the redemption completed on the cross, and of the brand new identification that the Spirit offers to believers.

Every of those facets of the verse is worthy of our consideration.

The Son of God, Born of Girl

“When the fullness of time had come, God despatched forth his Son, born of lady, born beneath the legislation.”

Jesus was despatched into the world from God. He mentioned so Himself within the Higher Room Discourse: “I got here from the Father and have come into the world” (John 16:28, emphasis added). Jesus’ origin is divine. He got here into the world from outdoors of it, the place He had dwelt in everlasting glory with the Father (John 17:5).

This occurred “within the fullness of time”—that’s, on the actual second set by God’s everlasting decree. It was the time decided by the Godhead—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—in accordance with their everlasting covenant of redemption. It was “the best time,” as Paul tells the Roman church (Rom. 5:6). Jesus even started His earthly ministry with the phrases “The time is fulfilled, and the dominion of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15).

Though Charles Wesley poetically mentioned that Jesus “emptied Himself of all however love,” the reality is that He grew to become a person not via subtraction however via addition. The kid within the manger remained God’s everlasting Son regardless of having taken on humanity. He grew to become what He had by no means been (specifically, man) whereas by no means ceasing to be what He had at all times been (specifically, God).

Jesus was despatched into the world from God.

When the Son was “born of lady,” it wasn’t a trick or phantasm. It’s not that Jesus merely seemed to be a person however wasn’t actually a person. He was actually born to an actual mom. He had the identical bodily composition, the identical central nervous system, the identical temptations. Regardless of His divinity and due to His humanity, the ache of the nails in His arms bit Him a minimum of it did the 2 thieves beside Him.

Nor did His divinity imply Jesus was any much less a Jew. He was a son to Jewish mother and father, raised within the Jewish context, born “beneath the legislation.” He didn’t get a go. And but within the matter of legislation retaining, the Son of God succeeded the place everybody earlier than Him and since Him has failed, retaining the legislation in all its calls for.

The Individuals of God Redeemed

“When the fullness of time had come, God despatched forth his Son … to redeem those that had been beneath the legislation.”

God despatched His Son to us to stay as certainly one of us, to be topic and liable to God’s legislation as we’re. Why would the Son of God ever do that? To redeem a folks for His personal possession (Titus 2:14).

Redemption is an financial metaphor indicating an change. In our day, a coupon is redeemed to obtain a financial credit score. In Paul’s day, a slave was redeemed out of slavery when somebody paid the debt of their bondage. When God despatched His Son, He bought us from slavery to sin and idolatry in order that we is perhaps His as a substitute (Gal. 4:7–8).

Paul describes how this change works earlier in Galatians, in 3:13: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the legislation by changing into a curse for us.” Though God’s legislation is sweet, its impact on human beings is to disclose the truth that they’re unable to maintain it and due to this fact are topic to God’s judgment, God’s curse (Gal. 3:10). The legislation was given to disclose sin in us and due to this fact to disclose our complete inadequacy to save lots of ourselves.

Jesus, “born of lady,” is the one man ever to have saved the legislation completely. However, He held on the cross and suffered God’s curse. He did this on our behalf, buying our freedom via His struggling in order that we is perhaps redeemed from our bondage to sin and exempt from paying the wages of sin—i.e., dying. “You had been purchased with a worth” (1 Cor. 6:20), Paul tells us elsewhere. God has mercifully paid the worth of our slavery with the lifetime of His Son. Such free grace got here at nice price.

The Youngsters of God Adopted

“When the fullness of time had come, God despatched forth his Son … in order that we’d obtain adoption as sons.” (Gal. 4:4–5)

However God, by sending His Son, didn’t merely redeem us; He additionally adopted us. Christ got here in order that we’d develop into God’s kids. Though Jesus is a Son by nature, He willingly took the type of a servant in order that we who’re by nature the slaves of sin may develop into the sons of God by adoption.

And having despatched His Son to die for us, He now “has despatched the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Gal. 4:6). One of many indications that His Spirit lives in us is that in our hearts, we repeatedly cry out to God as Father.

God has mercifully paid the worth of our slavery with the lifetime of His Son. Such free grace got here at nice price.

When a baby is adopted, the authorized standing precedes the subjective expertise. Legally, they’ve a brand new identify. They’ve a brand new household. They’ve new privileges. They’ve new expectations. These modifications happen in a second in time—and but our understanding of our adoption might take time to settle in. We are able to know that we now have been redeemed and adopted as a result of the Spirit of God involves stay in our lives and to drive dwelling the change that has come across us.

“So you might be now not a slave,” Paul tells us, “however a son” (Gal. 4:7). We’ve got the privilege of going to God and primarily saying, “Hey, Dad, I would like Your assist with this. I can’t address this by myself. Thank You for loving me a lot as to ship Jesus to bear the curse that I deserve.” To name God our Father will not be some superior course in Christian spirituality. It’s the basis of our new identification in Christ—a childlike dependence on and love for a gracious heavenly Father.

God loves us a lot that He despatched His everlasting Son to redeem us from the curse of the legislation by changing into a curse for us, in order that we who imagine is perhaps His little children eternally. That is the excellent news of Galatians 4!

This text was tailored from the sermon “Sons, Not Slaves” by Alistair Begg.