Culver Community Church

Pastor Chris Sweeney

Sermon Notes

September 15, 2019

Galatians 4:1-7 – Adoption to Sonship

{vs 1-2}  As if to say – “this is what I’m talking about”, Paul gives us the example of an underage heir (the same situation we looked at last time in chapter 3:23.)  A little child in a family may be the rightful heir to everything in the estate - he (she) may in one sense own it all, as a child of the family (or be coming into ownership of it all when control is passed down).  However, as long as he is a child, he is no different from a slave.  In fact, we saw that the custodian (guardian, tutor or nursemaid) who had been given charge over him (usually a slave) is the child’s master!  That is how the child is taught to be a good member of the family and community - the child is commanded, reprimanded, instructed, taught, and maybe even threatened!  In this way, the child is made to conform, to be disciplined and taught to obey just like a slave!  There's no difference, because the child is under guardians and managers until he is recognized as an adult, until the date set by the father. 

I hope you caught that!  The father sets a time when the heir inherits or becomes mature!  In today’s society, children often look up at adults or parents and complain ‘that’s not fair!’  They argue that they should be treated as adults from early ages but that is not how it’s always been, nor is it how life, reality works!  We know that a child (little or young person) must be trained up and taught to act in a civilized way, otherwise we would have twenty or thirty year-old infants – greedy, self-centered and completely undisciplined!  Our inability to do this well as parents and as a society is responsible for many of the woes in this world.  That being said, even the perfect Parent had His only two children break the one rule that He gave them – they just had to go and listen to Satan and eat from that tree!

In Jewish society, a young man was taught about all things, especially the things of God (the Law) for his first eleven years.  At the age of twelve, the father would take him to the temple or synagogue and he would become a Bar Mitzvah or “Son of the Law”.  That ceremony (the ancient one, not today’s party and gift exchange) declared that the boy has now became responsible for his own actions and his own sins.  The father would pray “Blessed be Thou, oh Lord, who has taken from me the responsibility of this boy.” And in turn, the boy prayed “Oh my God and God of my fathers, on this solemn and sacred day which marks my passage from boyhood to manhood, I humbly raise my eyes unto Thee and declare with sincerity and truth that henceforth I will keep Thy commandments and undertake and bear the responsibility of my actions towards Thee.  Amen.”  Sadly, today we seem to want to focus on the rights and privileges of being an adult without paying any attention to the responsibilities that it brings!  (Much like the college student who enjoys being out on their own, but still enjoys the support of their parents checkbook, kitchen and laundry machines!)  In Jewish society, the twelve year-old would remain in the house as an independent family member but would not receive their full rights or inheritance until a much later date (usually about twenty-five).

In Roman society, a child was not truly an heir or even a member of the household until the father recognized him or her!  The age at which this was done was not set, but chosen by the father (usually between fourteen and seventeen).  The father could speed up or delay this recognition based upon the child’s maturity – can you imagine waiting until your father said ‘you’re ready’, to be seen as an adult?  Some fathers are never ready to let go, to see their babies as real functioning adults!  The ceremony was held once a year during a festival called liberalia.  Everyone who had a child that was ready went to the forum with the child and their toys.  They publicly gave up the toys (childish things) and were introduced to society as an adult (much like a cotillion or quinceañera) and they were given the toga or robes of an adult.  This was the date of adoption – not a child taken from one family into another but the recognition of a young man as the Son of his father.  This adoption is the legal acknowledgement of sonship (or as daughter).  He would be given a signet ring and any agreement the boy entered into would be binding upon the family! (Sort of like giving a teenager an unlimited credit card!)  This is why the father would carefully consider whether the child was ready to be recognized!

When the father says, alright, you're no longer a child, you are now a son – that is when He is delivered from the bondage that he once experienced like a slave experiences, where his life was totally controlled by somebody else.  In a moment, the ‘child’ goes from servant, with promise of more to full-fledged, card-carrying member of the family – with all the rights and privileges that affords!  Ok, now all of this background is so that we can understand Paul’s illustration.  Paul uses these customs (mostly Roman but also Jewish) so that we can understand.

{vs 3} ‘So also‘ - let me compare this earthly situation to my real point – to the spiritual reality.  Paul speaks for the Jewish people, the Gentiles and himself here – ‘we’.  We were the child, underage and no better than servants or slaves to the basic principles of this world.  The term in Greek used for elemental forces means basic things all in a line, like soldiers but it came to represent the alphabet (we would say ABC’s.)  Remember – what is the basic thing we are entrusted to, that is our slave master - - - it is the Law!  Although heirs to the promise(s), the physical children of Abraham had not received them!  Hebrews chapter eleven tells us that they died in faith, awaiting the fulfillment!

{vs 4-7} The timing is important, let’s realize that ‘God has been playing a long game here’.  He has planned out the course of History (His-story) so that everything works together according to His will.  We see that because in the fullness of time – when the world was ready, when Rome had been used to produce peace (the Pax Romana), paved roads, etc. - - - when the known world spoke common languages (Greek, Latin) and when God’s revelation had been delivered through the centuries (God had been slowly revealing more and more of His plan since the fall in Genesis 3) – that’s the set time!  During the Old Testament, while ‘we’ were in slavery – it may have seemed like God was slow or late - - - but God sent His only begotten Son at just the right time!  God even gave the date (483 years) in Daniel 9!  Those Jews who believed God were the children of God, awaiting the inheritance – but not yet the adopted Sons of God.  When the time was just right –the time set by the Father (just like in our illustration) – when God determined that it was time to bring those who believed into the adoption of sonship - - - at that time He sent His only begotten Son! 

Jesus is the only true Son (only begotten Son) – the eternal Son who was the Word, and was with God and is God in all eternity (past, present and future)!  Jesus shares (always has and always will) – He shares the very nature and person of God in the Godhead.  God did not create (or birth) a son and Jesus did not become the Son – no, God sent His Son!  The delivery method God used was a physically birth by a woman (as predicted) making the Son fully human, a man born like us, under bondage to the Law (part of Paul’s ‘we’) – even though He had no sin in Himself.  God wanted to bring these believing children into the fold and have them officially recognized – adopted as His sons, so He sent Jesus on an amazing errand to go and fetch them!  This errand (the largest ever!) included leaving the glories of Heaven, setting aside His privilege, paying the price for our redemption and becoming the Way for all who believe to follow Him back to Heaven.

You see, as believers we are adopted in two ways.  We have been born again, as Jesus describes to Nicodemus in John 3 – taken from our old family (enslaved to Satan and sin – thanks Adam and Eve) and have been reborn into the family of God.  “Yet to all who did receive 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.” (John 1:12-13 NIV)

However, we are also adopted in terms of being recognized as Sons.  This involves receiving even more than what Adam had before the Fall!  Adam was a created son but we are adopted in the legal sense.  That is far more than a simple restoration of what was lost – the Adoption to/of Sonship takes us to a whole new level!  Adam and Eve were entrusted with the Earth (and failed) but as Sons, we are heirs of everything God possesses (all of creation and yes, even Himself, His character, power, authority, etc.)  This is how we are to understand our adoption - we have been placed into His true Son, and therefore are equal heirs with Him.  We are loved by the Father because Jesus is loved.  We inherit all that Christ inherits because we are in Christ – what He has, we have.  God graciously places justified, regenerated, sanctified believers into His own family by placing us into union with His beloved Son, so that in Him we become sons of God.

As we close this section, look one more time at verse six – “Because you are His sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father.”  Not only are we in Christ, but God has also placed Christ (His Spirit – the Holy Spirit) in us!  See the full Trinity at work – God, the Father sent the Son and the Spirit (which is the Spirit of the Son) – all so that we may be restored and adopted back to God.  The Holy Spirit is the proof and the seal of authenticity – the family signet ring that validates us as God’s legal son or daughter.  This Spirit draws us to God – crying out for communion with Him.  He keeps us in God’s hands (keeps us from being snatched out or messing it up ourselves!)  He also changes us, producing the Fruit of the Spirit and enables us to live as Jesus would live (WWJD). 

As sons/daughters we have the right and the ability (by the Spirit) to call out to God as Father, but not just formal ‘Heavenly Father who art and wilt and ever will be…’  We can all out to God as Abba, Father!  Abba is the Aramaic for ‘Dada’ – the personal, loving term a small child uses of their loving father!  It is so sad that many of us settle for ‘Father God’ – when we can be on close, intimate terms with our Abba, Father – our loving Daddy!  He is that perfect provider, loving protector and He longs to be intimately related to each of us -

His divine power has given us everything we need for a Godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the Divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. - 2 Peter 1:3-4 NIV