There was once a successful businessman who was known for his shrewdness and business acumen. One day, the businessman heard a knock on the door - it was a small boy who had nothing but a small bag of belongings. The small boy explained that he was recently orphaned and that his parents were previously servants in the businessman’s household. He told the businessman that he had nowhere else to go, and asked to be taken on as a servant. Touched by his plight, the successful businessman instead took the young boy in as his own. Years went by, and the businessman eventually married and had his own children.
Despite the love and security that he felt in his adoptive father’s home, there lingered a seed of doubt in the adopted son’s mind - would I be regarded equally as his biological children, and would I be regarded as an heir?
The adopted son brought his concerns to the businessman. The businessman listened intently to the son’s concerns, and clasped his son’s hands. “My dear son,” he gently said. “Let me assure you that you are my true heir. I have chosen you to be my son, and your inheritance will be a testament to the bond that we share”.
The above anecdote serves as a parallel to the passage we read in Gal 4:7, which states “Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”. Paul tells us that we are no longer considered as servants, but have received full adoption as sons of God, and are now heirs of God through Christ.
In the passage of Galatians 4, we can see how we have (1) been redeemed from the curse of the law; (2) become rightful children of God as heirs and (3) are rallied to be righteous as God’s children.
Redeemed from the curse of the law
Paul tells us in Gal 4:4-5 that Christians are redeemed from the curse of the law. This redemption is foundational to the Christian faith, symbolizing liberation from the condemnation and bondage imposed by the Old Law. Jesus fulfilled the Old Law, and by dying on the cross, He took upon the curse that we were supposed to bear (Gal 3:13). Through Christ's sacrificial death and resurrection, we are now set free from the impossible burden of perfect obedience that is demanded by the law. Instead, Christians have the hope of salvation and reconciliation with God through faith in Jesus Christ.
Rightful children as heirs
Having been freed from the curse of the Old Law, God has freely given us the opportunity to become rightful children and heirs to His spiritual blessings. This adoption is made possible through Jesus (Gal 4:6-7). As a result of our adoption, we have been rescued from the powers of darkness and translated into the church, the kingdom of God (Col 1:13). In this kingdom, as children of God, we are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ (Rom 8:17). This means we are an equal partaker in the spiritual blessings that are available in this present life, as well as the life to come.
Rally to be righteous
Knowing that we have been redeemed under the curse of the old law, and have been transported into the new kingdom of God, Paul rallies the readers of Galatians to remain righteous. In the time of writing the epistle to the churches at Galatia, there were members of the church who were being enticed by false teachings and being drawn away to a different gospel which advocated that the works of the old law were necessary for salvation (Gal 1:6-7). Instead, Paul encourages his readers not to turn back to the practices of their previous lives but to embrace the life of righteousness that God demands from us as His children (Gal 4:9). In the absence of observing physical fulfilments of the Old Law, how would we know if we are leading a righteous life? Paul answers this question in Gal 5:22-23, through the bearing of the fruit of the Spirit. Paul mentions in Gal 6:7 that it is impossible to bear the fruit of the spirit if we do not first ensure that we sow to the Spirit by embracing the word of God in our lives.
As Christians, we have been fully adopted as God’s children, and as such, we have been redeemed from the curse of the law. We are now rightful heirs of the spiritual blessings of God and we are called to be righteous in the eyes of God by bearing the fruit of the Spirit. Let us continue to live our lives with full confidence that we are no longer strangers to the promises of God, but are heirs to God’s promises, both in this life and the life that is to come.