Gospelology (Part 11)
Slaves and Sons
Galatians 4:1-7 ESV
I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Understanding Adoption
If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being Godʼs child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all....Our understanding of Christianity cannot be better than our grasp of adoption. To be right with God the judge is a great thing, but to be loved by God the Father is greater. - JI Packer
Waiting for Adoption (1-3)
1. Our Guarded State (Children Under The Law) 2. Our Helpless State (Slaves to Elementary Principles)
Justifying Grace (4-5)
1. God sent his Son 2. God sent his Son to be born (He had to be like us) 3. God sent his Son to be born under the law to free us from the law
Adopting Grace (5b-7)
1. How deep the Father's love for us a. God sent his Son to make us His Sons b. Not a forgiven sinner but a loved son c. God gave us His spirit so we know we're sons 2. Unnecessary heir and an unnecessary adoption a. Mahaney: In the ancient world a father's inheritance was passed along to his son. If a father had no son, he had no heir. Necessitated by this dilemma, a son-less father would search for a suitable son to adopt. This adopted son would become the fatherʼs heir.Now think about this: God had a Son. And not only did the Father have an heir, He had a perfect Heir, a beloved and well-pleasing Heir (see Matthew 3:17, 17:5; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22, 9:35; 2 Peter 1:17).Reflect on this: God had a Son—a perfect Heir. Which means that under the shadow of the ancient custom: Your adoption was unnecessary. My adoption was unnecessary. What Does This Tells Us About The Father? About The Son? b. What assurance does this give? What adoration does this produce? 3. From Sons to Son, through God a. Adoption is deeply personal (From corporate to personal) b. Adoption is immensely powerful (A change of status) c. Adoption is very practical (A new family to live in, shoulders to cry and ride upon, a Father to provide everything we ever need) d. Adoption is divinely planned (Plans, sends, Christ comes, Spirit dwells)
2 categories of rights or privileges
1. Intimacy of relationship • There is assurance and security in his love for us. Just as a child does not worry about getting “fired” for disobeying the rules, just as a child knows that, if anything, a fatherʼs heart goes out more to a troubled child, not less, so we know that Godʼs affection for us is deep and not based on our performance. • There is access to God in prayer. Christ has won for us the nearness of God. We can speak to him intimately, and we can experience access to his presence and heart in prayer. 2. Authority of possession • There is a confidence and boldness. We donʼt walk in fear of anyone or anything, for our father owns the place! God will honor us as he honors his only begotten Son. Thus we live with “heads held high.” Christians also have a new authority over sin and the devil, as we will see worked out in later passages. Our sonship removes the fear that is at the root of much of our disobedience. • Thereʼs a guarantee of sharing Godʼs glory. “The doctrine of our adoption tells us that the sum and substance of our promised inheritance is a share in the glory of Christ. We shall be made like our elder brother at every point, and sin and mortality, the double corruption of Godʼs good work in the moral and spiritual spheres respectively, will be things of the past. ʻCo-heirs with Christ... that we may also share in his gloryʼ (Rom. 8:170. ʻNow we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him.ʼ (I Jn.3:2).” -JI Packer
"Cry out Abba Father"
• First, Paul tells us that the Spirit leads us to “call out” (often translated “cry out”) “Abba.” The Greek word krazdon is a very strong word that means a rending, loud cry. It refers to deep and profound passion and feeling. • Second, the “calls out” refers to our prayer life. Just as a child does not prepare speeches to his or her parents, so Christians experiencing this work of the Spirit find a great spontaneity and reality in prayer. Praying is no longer mechanical or formal, but filled with warmth, passion, freedom, maybe even surprising eloquence. • Third, the “calls out” connotes a sense of Godʼs real presence. Just as a child calls out automatically to the nearby daddy when thereʼs a problem or a question, so Christians experiencing this work of the Spirit feel a nearness, a remarkable reality to God. • Fourth, “Abba” means a confidence of love, and assurance of welcome. Just as a child does not doubt the security and openness of daddyʼs strong arms, so Christians experiencing this work have an overwhelming boldness and certainty that God loves them endlessly.
Summary
In summary, the work of the Son is done externally to us, and is something we can have without feeling. But the work of the Spirit is done internally to us, and consists in being completely moved — intellectually, emotionally, volitionally — by the love of the Father. The fullness of the Spirit cannot then, really be “claimed.” It is an experience.
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