An Adopted Child

Galatians 4:4-7

There have been many stories written over the years about poor orphan children, the difficult trials they have, and then being chosen and adopted into a kind, loving home.  While orphans, they were unloved and unwanted, life kicking them around. Now they are accepted and loved. Imagine the joy for that child. In this segment of Scriptures from Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he speaks of those who have accepted Jesus now being adopted into God’s family.  How is that possible? Let’s take a look at how that happens.

There are some cults which teach that Jesus was only a man, and not divine.  Others that teach Jesus was never a human in the flesh, but was a divine spirit.  As Paul teaches in our passage here, Jesus was both fully God and fully human, as He was born of a woman (vs. 4).   Jesus had to be fully God for His sacrifice to be of the infinite worth needed to atone for sin. He also had to be fully man so that He could take upon Himself the penalty of sin as the substitute for man.

Jesus was also Jewish, born under the Old Testament Law (vs. 4-5), and He was the only person who fully kept that Law.  Even though He was human, Jesus never sinned, and thus His sinlessness was the perfect sacrifice for sin. His death bought our freedom from being enslaved to sin.  Jesus came to take our place. That is what redemption is. He gave His life so that we could receive forgiveness of sins. Jesus’s perfect righteousness is transferred to all who believe, and now we can be adopted into God’s family.  Before we were children of darkness and slaves to sin. When we accept Jesus as our Savior we are adopted into God’s heavenly family forever (vs. 6-7). We are adopted out of the family of the devil, and into the family of God. We become God’s true sons and daughters.  We are His heirs.

Roman law ensured that adopted children were guaranteed all of the legal rights to their new father’s property and inheritance.  They were not second class children. They were legally equal to biological blood-born children. As God’s adopted children we share with Jesus all rights to God’s resources.  As God’s heirs, we can claim all that He has.

Paul used the word “abba” to refer to God as our heavenly father.  That is the Aramaic word for “father”. It is an even closer, warmer term, more like “daddy” or “papa”.  God wants us to have a close, intimate relationship with Himself. He has given us the Holy Spirit to indwell us.  The Holy Spirit shows us what it’s like to be God’s children, to show us His great love.

Why did God take so long, so many centuries after Abraham, after Moses, David, and the prophets, to send Jesus?  One reason was that God waited until the world was ready to receive His Son, when the “fullness of time” came (vs. 4), when the message of the Gospel could be carried around the world.  A couple hundred years before Jesus, Alexander the Great conquered most of the known world then, and he made the Greek language a common language spoken and understood by most people. Before then, many languages and dialects were spoken all over, and only a few well-educated scribes would have spoken and read more than a couple.  The Roman empire at the time of Jesus’s birth built the first highways across the known world, making travel so much easier, connecting countries, and providing safe travel. A common language, along with ease and safety in travel, made possible the spread of the Gospel throughout the world. God’s timing was right.

God has a time for everything.  It is always the right time. Never too early, never too late.  As God’s adopted children, members of His family, we need to always be aware, alert, and ready for God’s time in our life.