Part of the Family
Galatians 3:27-4:7
Galatians 3:27-28 (NLT)
And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have been made like him. [28] There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians—you are one in Christ Jesus.
Together as One
- Baptized into Christ
- Unites us with Christ
- Spiritually transformed into His likeness
- No distinctions
- Race
- Color
- Sex
- One in Christ
- Bound together
Galatians 3:29 (NLT)
And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and now all the promises God gave to him belong to you.
Beneficiaries of the Promise
- The covenant with Abraham
- Made by God
- Once thought to be only for the people of Israel
- Designated beneficiary
- Christ has designated you with His blood
- You are an heir to the promise
Galatians 4:1-2 (NLT)
Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves great wealth for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had. [2] They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set.
The Example of Guardianship
- The heir
- Rightful owner of the inheritance
- Has no control until the specified time
- The guardians make the decisions and set the
boundaries
Galatians 4:3-5 (NLT)
And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were slaves to the spiritual powers of this world. [4] But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. [5] God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.
The Right Time
- When the time was right
- God’s perfect timing
- Not according to man’s schedules and timeframes
- Jesus set us free
- Born of a woman under the law
- Making Him subject to the law
- Fulfilled the law
- Allowing Him to purchase our salvation
- Making us the adopted children of God
Galatians 4:6-7 (NLT)
And because you Gentiles have become his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and now you can call God your dear Father. [7] Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, everything he has belongs to you.
A New Family
- Adopted
- The Holy Spirit indwells
- Identifying us as His children
- We now have the full rights of family
- We are heirs of all the Father has
- Not second class children
**Powerpoint available on request
