YOUR INHERITANCE

Galatians 4

An old gospel song we don’t sing much any more goes, “Free from the law, O happy condition; Jesus has died, and there is remission.” The idea for that verse could have come from this chapter. Paul begins again with the idea of the heir growing up from “slavery” to adulthood and control of his life. Just as a child remains under age until the day his father has set, so were we underage until Christ. In those days, it was like we were slaves to the spiritual forces of sin.

[YouTube has several versions of the song. I like best the children’s choir. Song title is Once for All.]

Verses 4-5 is an important verse for discovering the nature of Christ. In our society, we reach adulthood at 18 or 21, depending on the purpose. We can legally vote at 18, but only be able to drink alcohol legally at 21. A wealthy man may write his will for his offspring to inherit, but only receive direct control of his money or business when they become 25 or whatever. Likewise, God had set the time for His Son to enter the world, and when that time arrived, God sent His Son. Some have speculated that the time was right because of the Pax Romana (Peace of Rome) that allowed safe travel across a world sharing the common language of Greek. At such a time, the new faith could spread much more easily into one area after another. But Paul would have said the time was right because God had chosen it!

The Son was born of a woman. This tells us Jesus was human. In other NT letters, the major opponents are Greek heretics, who said Jesus only appeared to be human. He was actually just a god masquerading as a human, so he didn’t really die, and has always been a spirit. Some of these may also have been in Galatia, so Paul mentions this heresy as well. Jesus not only appeared to be a man, He was a man! And because He was born of a woman, He was also born “under the law,” that is, He came into the world under the old covenants with Abraham and Moses. He would leave the world under the new covenant He established through the Crucifixion and Resurrection.

He also came to redeem or deliver those under the law, so they would become eligible to be heirs, and therefore sons. The word here translated as “adoption to sonship” is a legal term referring to the full legal standing of an adopted male heir in Roman culture. (From a note in my copy of the NIV.)

And since we ARE sons, God sends His Spirit in us. Stop a minute or an hour and think about that! God Himself lives in us! Jesus lives in us! They do this through His Spirit. Do you realize the wisdom available to you? The guidance? The power? There’s a chorus today that repeats, “I am a child of God…” Probably, like most songs we toss off the words and enjoy the melody. But it’s an awesome truth.

A seminary prof, who was an archaeologist, told us of disembarking from a plane in Tel Aviv and seeing a little boy running with outstretched arms to the man in front of him, repeatedly crying, “Abba, Abba, Abba!” Daddy, Daddy, Daddy! The word is not merely son, or adopted son, but we are beloved children of God.

LAW AND PAGANS

Until now, Paul has exclusively focused on counteracting the legalists, who were trying to seduce the new Christians in Galatia back into a Jewish version of Christianity. He still has those in mind, as we shall see, but now he enlarges the perspective to include those who were saved out of bondage to pagan idols. After experiencing Christ, why would they want to go back to the false gods?

His accusation of observing days and seasons indicate he considers the Law as almost like another god. And he shows his honest frustration with them. If they go legalistic on him, he will feel like he had wasted his time. Have you ever been on either side of that? Causing someone to feel they were wasting their time in teaching you or becoming frustrated when someone you were discipling would not act like one?

He then called on them to become like him! He did that in several letters, one time saying to follow him or imitate him as he followed Christ. That would sound like pride on first glance, but not on the second. Paul had been strictly trained to observe the law, so his life would have a moral quality to be imitated by Greeks who had grown in a pagan culture. Furthermore, he had cast his lot with them, joining their community for a while.

>How comfortable would you be in telling a new Christian to follow your example as you tried to follow Christ? Frankly, it scares the life out of me. Yet I know that others do watch and judge me. From time to time someone comments enough that I know they are still watching. They’re watching you too. I pray we may all be good examples of the Christian life to others.

Verses 13-15 – We don’t have the backstory on this, but it looks like Paul was passing through on his way somewhere else when he got sick and settled there. Elsewhere, Paul speaks of a “thorn in the flesh” that God would not remove. Rather the Lord told him, “My grace is sufficient for you.” Of course, that thorn has produced wild amounts of speculation. Perhaps the most likely was some sort of eye problem, perhaps initiated or aggravated by the light on the Damascus Road. Here in verse 15, he mentions they would have “torn out your eyes and given them to me.” At the end of some of his letters, he comments that he is personally signing them, at least once with large letters. Does that add up to eye problems?

Maybe, but there are two more possibilities at least. One is headaches, a type of which is carried by a mosquito in that part of the world. Still another early writing from one of the so-called “Church Fathers” describes Paul as a hunchback. Other possibilities might have come from all those trials listed in 2 Corinthians 11, such as lingering problems from beatings or prison.

Anyway, Paul reminds them of how wonderful they had been to him in those days. He is the same Paul who led them to Christ and helped them establish the church. He hopes they have not gone over to the other side where his enemies await.

In verse 17 he becomes very blunt. Those people – the Judaizers – are zealous to win them over, but for no good. They want you to switch your allegiance from me and my companions to befriend them. It’s good to be zealous, excited and evangelistic, but only if your head is on straight and you’re not preaching fake news when I’m not with you.

The Judaizers are still with us! They are the legalists who obsess over everyone doing the right behavior. They are constantly among us telling us not to do this, not to do that, and by all means stay away from this extra thing. They never seem to call us to the joy of fellowship, love and friendliness. Religion to them is grim, and life is serious. Well, sure it is. Ask all those we pass every day in pain. But the legalists do not seem to stop by the side of the road to aid the stricken traveler. They’d rather strike down the traveler for being in forbidden territory.

You are an heir! A child of the Creator, brother or sister to His Son, and filled with His Spirit. You are called to a life of love and joy and a lot of other things we’ll look at in the next chapter.