The Adoption as Sons Given the Spirit

Transcript

GR 2098
10/08/2017
The Adoption as Sons Given the Spirit
Galatians 4:6-7
Gil Rugh

We are going to Galatians chapter 4 in your Bibles. Galatians is a very pertinent book. Sometimes it seems like the issues being dealt with in a book like Galatians are something of past history dealing with Jews who have professed faith in Christ but have not really understood the Gospel and the finality of the work of Christ. So they come and begin to promote teaching of ‘Keep the Mosaic Law’ in addition to trusting in Christ and they were carrying that message into Gentile regions like Galatia. And it is a problem that plagues Paul wherever he went. It comes up again and again in his letters as he had gone into Gentile parts of the world to preach the Gospel. Then you have these Judaizers following after him and saying Paul brought you part of the message but you are not completely saved and the work of God cannot be completed in you unless you also keep the Law. And there is confusion. In reality the confusion over the Mosaic Law continues down to today.

We talk about reformed theology, covenantal theology, Calvinism – expressions all referring to the same system and basically they see the Mosaic Law as still being in effect and having a place. Not being in the Judaizing camp of saying you have to be circumcised and keep the Law to be saved but the use of the Law and the place of the Law gets confusing. In fact, they accuse us of being antinomian, lawless, because we do not see the Mosaic Law as being operative and required.

Paul is working through this and it is a kind of book that takes close attention. God never did intend His Word to be something that we would grab onto as we are busy and catch a little bit of it from time to time.

I was asked a question this week. I was at the Deaf Conference. “What about these Old Testament people who didn’t have their own copy and yet God is holding them accountable to do what He said and they had to pay close attention.” They go and hear the priest open the Word. They didn’t have a copy to take home and then re-read but they had to be following the guidelines that God had given, the instruction that He had given. God expects and requires His people to pay attention. That is true as we study the Word and it is true in a book like Galatians.

What Paul has been doing is demonstrating that the Law had a specific purpose for a specific time for a specific people. And “the people” is the nation Israel. That people who comprise the nation, the nation Israel, the Jews. It was to Israel. The Law was never given to another nation.

The priesthood, there were no priests for other nations. The priesthood to offer the sacrifice and so on had to be physical descendants of Moses’ brother, Aaron. No provision for Assyrian priests, Babylonian priests or any other worship system in another nation. The Law was for Israel.

It was given 500 years after God established His covenantal relationship with the nation Israel, the nation Israel being comprised of the physical descendants of Abraham. That covenant repeated several times, sealed by God in Genesis chapter 15. And the promises associated with it. It is crucial. Paul has referred to the covenant in chapter 3 and is foundational to what he is talking about. 500 years later God added the Mosaic Law so it is not part of the original covenant. It cannot alter or change anything in that covenant. We have looked repeatedly in chapter 3, verse 14 “It is in Christ Jesus the blessings of Abraham might come to the Gentiles” because as he said up in verse 8 of chapter 3, included in the Abrahamic covenant were the provisions for salvation blessings to come to Gentiles. “In you all the nations of the earth will be blessed.” And that was God making provision for the salvation of Gentile people through the physical descendants of Abraham who would be not only the Messiah of Israel but the Savior of the world.

And then he said in verse 15, that covenant can’t be changed, the Abrahamic Covenant. So the Mosaic covenant is added later, the Mosaic Law, 500 years later Abraham being about 2,000 B.C. and we have just rounded it off. The Mosaic covenant given around 1500 B.C. to keep the numbers easy to remember. So 500 years later, God’s intention in giving it to the nation Israel was to guide the nation and govern them in such a way in all aspect, morally, civilly, religiously to keep them on track, to hedge them in so they would be prepared for the Messiah Savior when He came. When He came the Mosaic Law and its purpose was over. That is what he went on through chapter 3 to make clear that once the Messiah comes the Law had served its purpose.

Verse 24: “The Law has become our tutor to Christ but now that faith has come,” the fullness of the revelation of Christ “we are no longer under a tutor.” Paul is talking as a Jew and about the Jews because these Gentiles in the churches in the Galatian region never were under the Mosaic Law. Most of them would not have known very much about the Mosaic Law except perhaps for some of the strange practices of some Jews that were scattered out there. They weren’t raised studying the Mosaic Law like Jewish children were, for example.

So the role of the Law was completed with the coming of Christ. That doesn’t mean we can’t benefit from the study of the Law. We benefit from all Scripture which is God breathed and “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness so that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly furnished for every good work” but as far as it being enforced, no; so true of much of Old Testament history.

So how do we have salvation? You never did have it by keeping the Law. The Law never could save anyone. It was not given as a way of salvation. It was given to govern the life of a nation. It was like the constitution for the nation. The people in that were to be saved by faith in the promises God gave and then live out their faith in obedience.

So verse 26 of chapter 3: “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” And this includes Jews, Gentiles, slaves, masters, male, female. There is only one way of salvation, one Savior provided. All people are saved in the same way.

So in making a point in driving this home, making clear to the Jews they are not saved by the Law. Remember, the Jews thought themselves privileged. They were privileged but not the way they had applied it. Having the Law did not save them. Believing in the God who gave the law and then demonstrating that faith in their obedience to Him, salvation came through faith.

So you come into chapter 4. What Paul has done is compare the Law. It was like the master of the children. The owner of the home would have delegated a slave who was responsible for in effect governing the child as he grew up. Make sure he got to his lessons. Make sure he behaved himself the way he should. Make sure he didn’t get into things he shouldn’t. He controlled the conduct of this young son. That is what the Law was. That is the comparison.

Chapter 4 opened up: “As long as the heir is a child he doesn’t differ from a slave as the owner of everything.” In other words that young child had to do what he was told and that slave in the house had authority over that child even though that child was the one who was going to inherit it and someday would be the ruler of all the slaves. It’s the picture being portrayed.

Verse 2: “He’s under guardians, managers until the date set by the father.” So you see the picture. When he reached the age of maturity now those restraints and the authorities over him no longer are there. He is now expected to be able to function as a mature adult and he has the responsibility and privileges that go with his position. “So while we were children” (these are passages we have already looked at but just review) “also we while we were children.” Again he is talking about as Jews, “We were held in bondage under the elemental things.” Because if he can make clear to the Jews and the Gentiles see clearly the Jewish position it makes clear.

Why would you be going under the Law? They’re telling you Gentiles to go under the Law. The Jews never did experience salvation by keeping the Law. And it served this purpose for them. It was and “they were children held in bondage under the elemental things,” those basic things. They were just basic. What did the sacrifices do? They didn’t save anyone but they were pictures, if you will, like you do for children. All the things that Israel was doing to fulfill the Law was what? Portraying to them. It was an immature state and you know sometimes we battle this. We want to go back to immaturity. We can’t go back there. It served its purpose.

Now you are adult. You know how it is. Sometimes when you are an adult you would just like to be able to act like a kid again, be free from the responsibility you had, have someone tell you what to do, what not to do, make all the provisions for you. You can’t go back. That is what he is saying here.

So if he makes this clear regarding the condition of the Jews – helps the Gentiles realize, “Why would I want to go under the Law?” It served a purpose for Israel for a time but that is over but “when the fullness of time came God sent forth His Son.” The fullness of time when now it was time for the step into maturity, the fullness of revelation and the object of saving faith, the finished work of the Messiah.

“The fullness of time God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law so that He might redeem those who are under the Law that we might receive the adoption as sons.” You see the point. He is talking still in the “we,” the Jews. Christ had to come for the salvation of Israel so you are back up to where He was verse 28 of chapter 3. “There is neither Jew nor Greek.” We are all saved through faith in Christ and even the faith that believing Jews had under the Law was God’s provision that He would make for them in Christ. They didn’t have the fullness of understanding as chapter 3, verse 25 said, “Now that faith has come.” They are believing God. I mean they didn’t have the fullness of understanding.

You believe God saved you and you trust Him to save you and you bring this animal. What makes you think an animal can take your place? I just trust God. He says He will save me if I believe in Him. I evidence my faith by doing what He says but now the fullness has come. You understand, here is the sacrifice that saves, that enabled God to save Abraham when he believed God because the provision God would make with His Son would cover the sins of Abraham and everyone who believed in Him up until that time and since that time.

“God sent forth His Son. He was born under the Law. He had to come to redeem those who are under the Law.” Now why if Christ had to come to redeem the Jews who were under the Law now Christ has come obviously the Jews weren’t redeemed by the Law. The Law was just to help prepare them for when Christ would come. Why would you Gentiles now want to submit to the Law? You believe the Redeemer who came and any Jew who is redeemed has to believe in the provision God has made in Christ.

So verse 5: “So that He might redeem those who are under the Law that we might receive the adoption as sons.” That is being placed in your maturity. Now you have the privileges of “sonship.” You have arrived at a maturity that did not exist before.

Remember when we had the elemental things we had a lot of the picture things, a lot of the forms. Now we don’t have that and sometimes we are drawn back to that and we have religious systems, Protestants and Catholics, they want to what? Have all the forms, all the ritual, the priests, just like the Old Testament had.

As I have shared with, you even in their catechism they make clear they have structured that on the Old Testament priesthood. They want to go back to the elemental things, the basic things, the picture things. And oh, the cathedrals, the feeling, and wave the incense, so spiritual. No, we have the reality and it is faith in the finished work of Christ. It is not based on and tied to other things.

So we have received the adoption as sons so now he is going to carry that out. This adoption as sons means to be placed as a son. It is used five times in the New Testament. Just read. There is one passage we are going to elaborate on a little further on but turn over to Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 1, verse 5 “He predestined us to adoption as sons” through Jesus Christ to Himself. That is what we are talking about, the adoption as sons and that comes to all of us through Christ Jesus. We move to the time of maturity. We have a fullness and clarity with the coming of Christ that was not there before and the provision of the final sacrifice for sins is there as it was not before.

This took place before the foundation of the world, verse 4 of Ephesians 1: “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. He predestined us to adoption as sons through Christ Himself.” This is part of the sovereign plan and work of God that we would enjoy this. So we enjoy a privileged position in that sense that was not that available to Old Testament saints with the coming of Christ has brought and he is going to elaborate on that.

Back up to the book of Romans and you can just stop in Romans 8 and we will be back here if you want to leave a marker or a piece of paper here but note verse 14 and verse 15: “All who are being led by the Spirit of God these are sons of God.” And that is where he is going to bring the Spirit in in a moment in Galatians. “For you have not received the spirit of slavery leading to fear again.”

And the giving of the Holy Spirit that he is going to talk about in Galatians is not to take us back under the Law. The context in Romans we will come back to but he has had to deal with the Law here as well because the Judaizing influence has come to Rome also and he has to clarify the confusion that is brought there.

Constantly want to bring the Law back in as though we ought to be incorporating the Law. “You have not received the spirit of slavery.” Remember how he talked about it in Galatians 3 and the child while he is a minor is no better than a slave. He is under the authority and rules leading to fear “But you have received the spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out Abba Father.” We will come back here in a moment because that is the very expression Galatians 4 uses, Abba Father so we will talk about that.

Look down in verse 23 of Romans 8. “And not only this but we ourselves having the first fruits of the Spirit even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting eagerly for our adoption as Sons.” There it is viewed as future because we have come to the age of maturity but there is something even yet ahead of us that brings our “sonship” to its fullness and completion. That will be the glorification of the body and we will be back here with that as well.

Over in Romans chapter 9 verse 4 he talks about verse 3: “I wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh who are Israelites.” Paul has such a deep love for Israel. He said, “I would really take their place if I could rescue them.” Christ has done that. Obviously it is done. “Who are Israelites, to whom belongs” (note this) “the adoption as sons.” And here we are reminded, this goes back to the Old Testament. Israel as a nation. Now this is not personal here. This is corporate. The nation Israel was chosen by God to be His son so the adoption as sons was one of the special privileges of Israel as a nation. Now that didn’t mean every person in the nation could be saved but the nation is the only nation on the earth that He chose.

You may want to jump back to Exodus chapter 4, verse 22. Moses instructed to say to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, Israel is My son, My firstborn. So I said to you, ‘Let my son go that he may serve Me.’” This is where He said, “You won’t treat My Son right, you won’t do what I tell you to do with Him – I will kill your firstborn.” And that is where you are going to have the death of the firstborn. So you see the nation. Hosea 11, verse 1 we don’t need to go there also refers to Israel as God’s Son.

So that special privilege of honor and blessing belongs to the nation Israel. No other nation has that unique relationship to God as a nation and that still holds today even though they are under judgment. God has set them aside in judgment as we are seeing in the book of Revelation. We will see as we move along in the coming chapters. He is going to reestablish that and make them the focal point again of His work in the world.

Jump back to Galatians chapter 4. So here is where “that we might receive the adoption as sons.” You will see the passage is talking particularly about us and our privileged position. Then he says, “Because you are sons God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” “Therefore you are no longer a slaved, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.”

Paul is unfolding here what it means and so these Galatians realize these Judaizing teachers, they are not telling us the truth. We have the fullness and greatness of blessing that these Jews can only have in the same way we do by placing their faith in Christ because chapter 3, verse 26 “We are all sons of God through faith in Christ.” And verse 28, “This is the only way to become one in Christ.”

So chapter 4, verse 6: “Because you are sons” and you are sons because faith in Christ, chapter 3, verse 26. So we haven’t left that emphasis that he has been using.

You will note, “Because you are sons.” Now he has been talking “we” and “are.” He talked in verse 5, “He might redeem those who were under the Law that we might receive the adoption as sons” because that was his condition as a Jew and fellow Jews. We needed Christ to come so that through faith in Him we might be placed as sons.

Now because you are sons, he is addressing the Galatians as believers he brought the Gospel to them, “You are sons,” and that word ‘you’ in Greek, they have a plural and a singular form. We just have the word ‘you’ so if I talk to you I can be addressing the whole congregation and then if one of you come up and talk to me I may say “and you” but I am still using the same you so the context determines. In Greek you have a different form so you know when it is plural or when it is singular. So it is plural here. That is important here because of what will come up later. “Because you are sons,” you Galatians and any Jews who might be there.

So Paul doesn’t include himself here because he has already done that but he is now trying to make clear to the Galatians, “You are sons.” Now we Jews who were under the Law had to believe in Christ when He came to experience forgiveness and the fullness of the blessings that He brings that elevate us now from the childhood state to the mature state. Now you Galatians, you Gentiles, you’re sons and because you are “God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts” because He is joined with them now.

You have the same blessing we have and so you are a son of God and we Jews who were under the Law are sons of God by faith in Christ not by keeping the Law. So “God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts.” And it is the same point in chapter 3, verse 28. It is not any different for Jew or Gentile, male or female, slave or free. So the point – you have all that you need and all God has provided in Christ. “He sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts crying, “Abba! Father!” How did the Spirit come to dwell within those Galatians? The same way He came to dwell in Paul’s heart and other believing Jews, “by faith,” verse 26 of chapter 3. So we have to keep hold of the argument in its development here.

I read particularly reformed people here and they want to talk about “the Law is still in force” and that is not true. How can Paul argue it any clearer? Why would you want to try to keep the Law in force? It is not good for sanctification either. It is no good to say, “Well we don’t believe you have to keep the Law to be saved but you have to keep it. Paul said, back to chapter 3, verse 2: “The only thing I want to find out from you, you Galatians, you Gentiles, did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law or by hearing with faith?” Well obviously they received the Spirit when they believed the Gospel that Paul preached, the first missionary journey. We were back there in Acts. “Not by works of the Law.” “Are you so foolish having begun by the Spirit are you now perfected by the flesh.” Now do you think you have to go on to get a complete salvation and the work of sanctification by keeping the law? No. So “God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son” (chapter 4, verse 6) “into our hearts crying, “Abba! Father!” “God sent forth the Spirit of His Son.”

You know all three members of the godhead are mentioned in this verse. God, the Father sent God the Spirit who is called the Spirit of His Son into our hearts. You have the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in this condensed way all involved in our salvation. What else could you want? What else could be necessary? This is God accomplishing the work of salvation and amazingly making us His Sons. So “He sent forth the Spirit of His Son.”

The Holy Spirit is referred in similar ways several times in the New Testament. We will not go to each of these references but Acts chapter 16, verse 7 calls the Holy Spirit, “The Spirit of Jesus.” In Romans chapter 8, verse 9, “The Spirit of Christ.” 2 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 17, “The Spirit of the Lord.” Philippians chapter 1, verse 19, “The Spirit of Jesus Christ.” The Spirit connected to Christ. Also the Father because the Father sends forth the Spirit of His Son and the Father, Son and Holy Spirit connected together in this work.

That is what he referred to back in chapter 3, verse 2: “The only thing I want to find out from you, ‘Did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law or by hearing with faith?’” They recognize they received the Holy Spirit when they believed the Gospel. That is how they received the Spirit. “God sent forth His Son.”

Down in verse 14 it all happened in other “That Christ Jesus the blessings of Abraham might come to the Gentiles.” They talked about that. That was provided for in the Abrahamic Covenant according to verse 8. But now verse 14: “So that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” That is how we get the Holy Spirit, by believing in Jesus Christ. It comes with the package, if I can say it that way, of salvation. They have been justified by faith and all that is provided.

So up in chapter 3, verse 6: “Even so Abraham believed God. It was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and all provided. So verse 9: “Those who were of faith were blessed with Abraham the believer.” Remember he carrying us back to what was promised in the Abrahamic Covenant. The Law was an add-on for a purpose, for a time. I want to go back to the Law, go back to the foundational covenant. We are included in that as Gentiles. That doesn’t mean we have replaced the Jews because you can’t change the covenant, verse 15. There are specific promises to the physical descendants of Abraham who were believers but by God’s grace He included us Gentiles in what He provided there as well.

“He has sent forth the Spirit of His Son” (chapter 4, verse 6) “into our hearts,” into the very center of our being. The heart used in Scripture in that way as you are aware. Not talking about the physical heart but it is tied to the center of our being. What we are in our spirit, in our soul. He has taken up residence. Think about that. “God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts,” into that most inner, intimate relationship with us. It is remarkable.

Come back to John chapter 14, John chapter 14, verse 16: “I will ask the Father,” Jesus preparing the disciples. Obviously this is the night following the meal He had with the disciples in chapter 13 and will follow up with going to Gethsemane, the betrayal and the crucifixion. “I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper” (another Comforter, paraclete. Another, another like Me. Another of the same kind.) Christ has been with them personally but with His departure He will send from the Father. “I will ask the Father. He will give you.” Remember what we are reading in Galatians 4: “The Father sent the Spirit of His Son into their hearts,” that He may be with you forever, the Spirit of truth. The world doesn’t receive Him, doesn’t know Him. You know Him, the end of verse 17: “Because He abides with you and will be in you.”

So this is important. We are not talking about an absence of the Spirit of God in prior history. We have noted the Spirit of God is there at the beginning in Genesis 1. The Spirit of God “hovered over the waters of the deep.” He is there but He is going to come in a new and unique way to permanently indwell those who belong to Christ. He is with you but will be in you. You see there is going to be an intimacy here established that didn’t even exist for these close disciples of Christ, Peter, James, John and the others. They had the Holy Spirit with them but He now was going to be sent to indwell them and He would indwell all those who become believers in Christ.

We have moved to a new level in God’s provision. It doesn’t mean that Abraham wasn’t completely saved nor Old Testament saints but they hadn’t been brought to the level of maturity that we have been because of the coming of Christ into an intimacy. Moses met with God face to face. What an honor. I don’t want to in any way minimize that but you have the Spirit of God dwelling in you. It gets no more intimate and close than that.

Verse 23 while you are in John – “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If any one loves me, will keep My Word, My Father will love him. We will come to him and make our abode with him.” God is going to now dwell within each individual person. Verse 26: “The Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name He will teach you all things, bring to your remembrance what I have said.” So don’t be afraid and that is why we can have a Word that is trustworthy.

How did the disciples write the Scripture? How did the followers like Matthew and John – did they remember everything accurately? And scholars come up with the idea well there must have been some material, maybe the document Q that they make up that existed and they could draw information from. There is the answer – the Holy Spirit will give you supernatural recall for these disciples so they could record the things accurately and just what He wants. There is no natural explanation for it.

I forget half of what I was told this morning and I know you don’t remember the whole sermon. I don’t remember the whole sermon. We forget easily. So how could they do that? Well, the “Holy Spirit will teach you. He will bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” It is supernatural. This is a supernatural book. We were just talking about the additional revelation given. So the coming of the Spirit is key.

Come over to the end of chapter 15, verse 26: “When the Helper comes,” (the paraclete) “whom I will send to you from the Father.” And you will note, you see the Father and the Son involved. Now here He says, “I will send Him to you from the Father.” Perhaps in the context He finishes the work, returns to heaven, then the Father sends the Spirit in that sense by returning to heaven, then the Father can send the Spirit, “The Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father.” So the source is from the Father and “He will testify about Me and you will testify about Me.”

Verse 7 of chapter 16: “I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away. If I do not go away the Helper will not come to you.” You see the coming of the Holy Spirit to bring to fruition and completion the work that Christ accomplished. So that beginning in Acts 2, those who placed their faith in Christ experienced that transforming power that involves the Holy Spirit coming and indwelling within. “That is better,” Christ says “than walking the earth with Him.” This is going to be, I would say, an improvement but it is going to be a step, a huge step beyond in the intimacy with God, in the salvation relationship that He establishes. It is to your advantage that I go because when I ascend to heaven then the Father can send the Spirit and dwell in us. We can think, “wouldn’t it have been a privilege to walk the earth with Christ?” It would indeed have been but we don’t fully appreciate the privilege given to us that the Spirit of God dwells in you. And He doesn’t come and go. This is His residence, each one of us and He will carry on a ministry of convicting the world.

And verse 13: “When the Spirit of truth comes He will guide you into all the truth.” That is why God’s Word is truth because even though He used human instruments the Holy Spirit is the source of the information recorded here and He guided those men. He is the Spirit of truth.

Some of this discussion goes on – well we have dual authorship of the Bible. We have single authorship, God using human instruments. We don’t have dual human authorship. The Spirit of truth, He is the One who moved Old Testament writers. Old Testament prophets wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit so that work continued on into the writing of the New Testament.

Alright, come back to Galatians, so much richness of God’s truth here. He sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts. Understand what he is talking about when they talk about going back to the Law. That was an inferior state. That was a state of less privilege, less intimacy and you can’t go back there anyway. And we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Word ‘Father’ but there is Greek Word and ‘Abba” is the Aramaic. It is a form of intimacy.

A number of commentators sometimes get things carried too far and some have said well this was like a little child calling his father, “Daddy.” A number of commentators note – one just said, “We over sentimentalize this word when we refer to it as mere baby talk and translate it into English as Daddy. As a word of address ‘Abba’ is not associated with infancy as it is with intimacy.” It showed something of the closeness of the relationship.

Come back to Mark, the Gospel of Mark, chapter 14 and here as Christ prepares in Gethsemane for the events of the crucifixion He says in verse 35: “He went a little beyond them and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible the hour might pass from Him and He was saying, ‘Abba! Father!’” You see the intimacy of their relationship and as the pressure and weight come, the intimacy of the relationship that is going to be impacted by going to the cross and you see Christ using that intimacy and we have that same intimacy. We are not deity and His ‘Sonship’ is unique to be sure but we get to call God “Abba! Father!” in a relationship of intimacy.

Sometimes Christians paddle around like we are half of the world and half of the children of God and we are all confused and we are worried and we are frustrated and we don’t know and… stop! We have a relationship of intimacy with the living God, the Spirit of God dwells in us.

On your way back, stop at Romans 8. Not going to get quite as far along as I thought maybe but we get as far along as we get and we pick up next time. Romans in chapter 8 and note verse 15 that we looked at earlier. “You have not received the spirit of slavery leading to fear again. You have received the Spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’” Note, we received the Spirit who is involved now in our being placed in the relationship of full ‘sonship.’

You realize the Old Testament saints came to God through an earthly high priest going through a set procedure. We just come straight into His presence, come with boldness to the throne of grace. “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.” Amazing! So we have that internal confirmation, now as in the context of the Word of God. We are not just to say, “Oh I believe I am a child of God.” Well first I believe the truth of the Word of God, take it in and the Spirit confirms and testifies to us and you know what it means? If we are God’s children, we are heirs also, heirs of God, fellow heirs with Christ. This is where we are going in Galatians 4. If we are sons then we are an heir through God.

How do you even get your arms around this? Heirs of God, fellow heirs with Christ and if we suffer with Him, we will be glorified with Him. Paul could say, “I don’t think the sufferings of this present life can be compared.” It seems like, oh, it costs so much. Oh, I sacrifice so much. Oh, being a believer has been a costly thing for me. It has been nothing and Paul who is going to give his life can say, “It is nothing.” Paul, and you can read in 1 Corinthians 11 some of the things he went through with beatings and all kinds of sufferings, and he says, “How do you compare that?” “With all that I am inheriting as an heir of God.” And when we get to the close of the book of Revelation we will get a little more insight into some of what God has prepared for us but we can’t even conceive.

You know Paul talks about the glory that will come to us in our glorified body. He says, “You know, that is like comparing the seed you put in the ground and you get the beautiful flower” in Corinthians 15. The transformation, the glory that God has prepared for us, all that we inherit and will enter into as co-heirs with Christ because He is the unique Son of God, has provided ‘sonship’ for us so that we could inherit all that God… and it is overwhelming.

So down in verse 23 while we are here: “Not only this but we are ourselves having the firstfruits of the Spirit. Even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.” There is a further phase in our ‘sonship.’ We have received the Spirit. We have God dwelling within us, enabling us, strengthening us, all of that but there is more. There is the final phase of our ‘sonship,’ the glorification of these bodies. That is what he is talking about here and all creation because it is God’s plan and our anticipation. We will get to this at the end of the book of Revelation. We will eventually dwell in a new heavens and a new earth and the glory of the very presence of God; there is no way to compare it to anything.

So all creation is seen as anticipating and that because the curse will be lifted from the creation and it will have a beauty and we see the beauty of creation. It will have a beauty, now unmarred and unaffected by sin and that will be the dwelling place. So the picture is all creation is waiting for the final step in our ‘sonship,’ the glorification of the body and what God has provided there.

We are God’s fellow heirs and you will note Romans 8 while we are here. It is the same kind of context we have in the book of Galatians. Remember we said Galatians is like a mini outline of the book of Romans because, what does he do? Back in chapter 7 after talking about in preceding chapters about what Christ has done in providing redemption, chapter 7, verse 1: “Do you not know brethren for I am writing to those who know the law, that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives?” Verse 4: “My brethren, you were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ.” You have Jews and of course Rome would have had a larger contingent of Jews and some of those had become believers and there is confusion over the Law again. He has to tell them the Law is done. It is like a spouse who died. You don’t live with that spouse anymore. Your obligations to that spouse are over. That is the picture there.

Verse 6: “We have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit.” He is talking to Jews because the Gentiles there didn’t know the Law. They weren’t under the Law. They didn’t grow up with the Law but these Jews that he said over in chapter 9 that “I would be willing to bear the curse of hell myself if I could bring salvation to the nation.”

So you have chapter 7 on the Law and then you come into chapter 8 and “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus that is not the Mosaic Law. This is the law God set down that those who believe in Christ receive life and the Spirit of life. “He set you free from the spirit of sin and death.” The Mosaic Law was just a law of sin and death. All it could do was condemn because the people couldn’t keep it and that is what he goes on. So that is the context as you come down into passages we have looked at. It is intended.

Why did God preserve all of us? Because the issues come down to us today - people thinking “well the Law is still in force.” We try to break it out and take parts of the Law and keep that in force.” The Law is not a way of salvation, never was. It is not the way of sanctification. We have the Spirit of God. We want to be careful that we don’t begin to drag ourselves back into those external things, those forms and rituals. It is the truth we have in Christ, the presence of the Spirit.

We ought not to be dragging ourselves around; fearful of what is taking place, worried about what will happen. Here the world has lots of things to worry about. I don’t have anything to worry about. I have a God who says “Cast all your cares on Me. I care for you.” Call the Abba, Father. Bring your needs to Me. I am your Father. I have provided the Spirit to dwell in you. It doesn’t get any closer than that. I am not in this alone. I am not left out here alone. He is there with me. “Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in you,” I Corinthians 6 says and we want to live in light of that great truth.

Let’s pray together. Thank You Lord for the riches of Your Word. Lord we are challenged as we study it. We want to apply ourselves, be diligent students of the Word so that we handle it accurately so we are pleasing to You. Thank You for the presence of the Spirit who Lord is our teacher as we study Your Word. He is the One who gives clarity to us in our thinking, who enables us to understand these wonderful marvelous truths and Lord we want to take to heart even what we have been studying and some of the historical settings are different, some of the specific issues are different and yet Lord how important it is for us to realize the fullness of blessing that has come to us in Christ and that we have Your Spirit sent to dwell within each one of us. We have that personal intimate relationship with You, the blessing and privilege to call You, “Abba! Father!” to know that all the future blessings have been promised to us in Christ. We will inherit them someday and whatever cost there is in being faithful to You, whatever suffering there may be is not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed to us someday perhaps relatively soon. We pray that we would be faithful to You in our service this week we pray in Christ’s name, amen.