Sorry for the break over the past two weeks, everything else took over, but I'm back to Gal 4.
We can divide up the chapter:
1-7
8-11
12-20
21-31
This opening paragraph then follows immediately from the end of chapter 3.
In Paul's culture a son who would inherit had a lowly status before he came into his inheritance, just like being a slave. The common practice was to appoint guardians, or managers of the estate, until the son came into his inheritance.
Paul draws the comparison between the condition of a son and 'we', all those who have now become disciples of Jesus. We have all been in the condition of slaves, yes, slaves to the world, to our flesh, to our desires.
Paul has come to see that the time of the coming of the Lord Jesus; his death, resurrection and ascension is the time set by God the Father for his children to enter into their inheritance.
Redeemed, v. 5, is a commercial term - purchased for God. Adoption as sons continues the family and inheritance metaphor, both of these terms describing in part what it means for us to enter into the liberty of the children of God.
One of the blessings of our becoming children of God is the gift and receipt of the Spirit of God within us. God gives his Spirit to all his children - the gift of the Spirit is not a higher blessing but in inseperable from our life as disciples of the Lord Jesus. It is only by the working of God's Spirit within us that anyone can call out to God, as Jesus the Son taught us, 'Father'.
I think this paragraph is one of the very few where 'son' cannot always be rendered as gender neutral. In Paul's culture only the son would inherit, but in the gospel all become 'sons' in the sense that all inherit the blessings of God without in any sense all becoming male.
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1 comment:
‘God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts’(Galatians 4:6).
The Spirit is not a reward we earn by being good people. The Spirit is God’s gift (Titus 3:5). Paul connects the gift of the Spirit with Christ’s death for us and our faith in Christ(Galatians 3:13-14). We do not come to God with our religion in one hand and our morality in the other, insisting that we deserve to be blessed by Him. We look away from ourselves to Christ – ‘Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy Cross I cling’(Church Hymnary, 83). All pride in ourselves must be brought to Christ’s Cross as we humbly pray, ‘Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me, break me, melt me, mould me, fill me’(Mission Praise, 613). God has given His Spirit to us. Let’s give ourselves to Him – to ‘be filled with the Spirit’(Ephesians 5:18).
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