Sons and Daughters of God
Galatians 3:23-4:7
Stephen Becker, M.Div.
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church--Elk Grove
Last month we celebrated Mother’s Day and last Sunday was Father’s Day. These are days we set aside to honor our moms and dads, the parents who loved us and raised us, or in the case of the kids here today, those who are now loving us and raising us. Now, notice that when I was talking about the role of parents, I did NOT mention or say, those who gave us life because perhaps there are some here tonight are like me—adopted. Many of you have had the opportunity over the months to meet my biological parents. My birth-mom Judi lives in Washington State and my birth-father Jim lives in Minnesota. Now I love my biological parents and am thankful that, whatever the situation was at the time, I am alive and I am here standing in front of you today because of them. They are my biological parents, but they are not my Mom and Dad. My biological parents brought into this world. My Mom and Dad are the ones who led me and guided me prepared me for my life. So what makes a Mom and Dad? Well, they are the ones who fed me, diapered me, taught me right from wrong, made sure I was educated, made sure I had good solid values……they are the ones who transformed me from a newborn that doesn’t know much into the man I am today. Although I might physically look like my biological parents because of the way the genes work, I act and fit into my adoptive family because I am now part of them; I’ve grown up with them, bonded with them and have become a part of them. Where I came into this world a complete stranger to the Beckers, today I am part of them and they are, in turn, part of me; we are family.
In our reading today Paul also tells us that although we were once strangers to God, we are also now sons and daughters of God and that says and means a whole lot. You see friends, without Jesus, we are outside of God’s family. Without Jesus, it is our sin, our inability to be right before God that separates us from Him. But with our faith in Jesus, we become sons and daughters of the Most High God. We are literally adopted into God’s family through faith. Our reading opens with Paul explaining, here beginning with Galatians 3:24, “So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under supervision of the law. The Law that Paul is talking about here is the Law of Moses, including the Ten Commandments and all of the ceremonial and foods laws that the Jews observed at the time of Christ. In fact there are some Jews today who still followed that same Law. Now the Law is from God and is a good thing. But the problem is that without Jesus—with the Law only—nobody can find salvation from their sins because there is no single person who ever lived or lives today, with the exception of Jesus, who could completely keep God’s Law. And 99 and 44/100’s percent isn’t good enough when it comes to the Law. With God’s Law, it’s “all or nothing.” So that’s why Paul explains that “the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.” See what Paul is explaining here is that God’s Law, which is perfect, is impossible for us because of sin. The Law helps us to realize that we are sinners and it shows us our short-comings; it helps us to realize that we are literally orphans because our sin keeps us separate from God. God designed the Law to literally terrify our conscience and make us aware that on our own, we are all alone and that we have no where to go, other than into Jesus’ waiting arms. And so “the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ,” and in our faith in Jesus, He forgives our sins; He justifies us. We are “justified by faith,” as Paul says. “Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law…” Now that faith has come, now that Jesus is our Lord, we are no longer orphans, but rather we’re part of God’s family. Or as Paul says in Ephesians 1:5, “In love, he predestined us to be ADOPTED as sons thorough Jesus Christ.”
So what exactly does it mean to be adopted into God’s family? What does it mean when Paul pronounces in verse 26 of our reading that, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ”? My friends, it means you are 100% part of God’s family. It means 100% that God wants to be with you, so much in fact that the Holy Spirit makes His dwelling in your heart. It means that this Law that drove you to Christ no longer needs to supervise what you do in your life because God the Holy Spirit will now personally do it, from within you, living within you. It means your whole life has changed because you are now real, true members of God’s family. Like I said a few minutes ago, because I have been adopted into my Mom and Dad’s family, I am a real, true member of the Becker Family. I learned and live their family values. My Mom’s sister is my is my REAL aunt; dad’s brother is my REAL uncle. I wasn’t born into this family, but I am really and truly and honestly part of it because I have been adopted into it. And through our faith, we are really and truly and honestly part of God’s family because He adopted us into it. Paul says that once we are sons and daughters of God through Christ, we clothe ourselves with Christ. What does that mean? Well, just as I have picked up habits and mannerism and values from my Mom and Dad, I also pick up the habits, mannerisms and values of Jesus Christ. Because I was adopted into— and grew up in—a house of German immigrants, I know and like German food, German music and German traditions. Because I have been adopted into God’s house, I know and like His values and traditions. Loving my neighbor as I love myself is as natural to me as a member of God’s family as eating Jaegerschnitzel mit Rottkohl und Pommes is as a member of the German Becker household.
Paul puts forth a very bold statement in verse 28 when he says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians somewhere around 48-57 AD, so at best it was written 1,950 years ago. Civil rights, especially of non Romans, wasn’t a very popular thing in the Roman Empire. Yet Paul boldly proclaims that when we are adopted into God’s family, there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female.” What he meant then was that non-Jews who come to faith in Jesus Christ as Messiah and Savior are adopted into God’s family, and so being adopted in God’s family means they become part of Israel, God’s chosen people. Whether one was born as a pagan in Samaria or as a Jew in Jerusalem, if you have Jesus as Lord of your life, then “you are all ONE in Christ Jesus.” Today Paul’s message of one-ness in Christ is equally as applicable. See, whether we are born to wealthy parents in the United States, or to peasants in China, through our faith in Jesus, we are ONE in Him. God loves that faithful peasant in China just as He loves the faithful wealthy person in America. In Christ, we are indeed all one. To God, all people who have Jesus as Lord are adopted into His family, whether they be white or black or any race, rich, poor, or anywhere in-between, nobility or peasantry…it doesn’t matter because “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Paul also says that there is neither “male nor female” when it comes to faith and righteousness before God. Is God saying that men and woman are equal? Indeed, God gives men and women different roles in life. I mean, thank God women are strong ones who give birth to children because certainly if it was left up to us men, the human race would have died out a long time ago. No, what God is saying is that we have parity—equal standing before Him as forgiven children of God. “You are ALL sons of God thorough faith in Christ Jesus…there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all ONE in Christ Jesus.”
Chapter 4, verses 1 through 5: “What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. So also when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive full rights as sons.” These five verses might seem a bit confusing on the surface, but what is explaining here is that Israel had a long history of being like a “spoiled brat.” The Jewish people Israel knew they were God’s chosen people. They knew that they had a special place with God. Israel rejected and sometimes even killed God’s prophets. From the start, God’s people refused to listen to Him. Think of Jonah; he refused to listen. Think to Moses, he was slow to listen, and even when he did Israel refused to obey him. Think of Jesus, here is the greatest example of obeying God in righteousness and even so the Jews rejected and kill Him. The Jews were like children, needing a guardian. That guardian was the Law, but it was time for God’s children to grow up and be adopted into His family. And so Jesus came. “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive full rights as sons.” The real story of King Edward VI is a great example of what had been going on for Israel. Edward the IV was the son of King Henry VIII. He was born in 1537, and nine years later when his dad King Henry the VIII died, Edward became king of England at the age of nine. Being so young, a “Council of Regency” was established and would govern until Edward became old enough and wise enough to do so on his own. Well, unfortunately Edward didn’t live beyond the age of 16 and so he never fully came into his inheritance. Israel was a lot like the Boy King Edward. They were God’s chosen special chosen people just as Edward was the REAL king of England. But because of their immaturity, God gave them the law to council them; it was there to keep them out of trouble until the time came for them to receive the promise. And that promise of course, given in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve first partook of that forbidden fruit, was the promise of a Savior. And through faith in that Savior, we come into our inheritance. Unlike poor King Edward who died before he had a chance to be king, we believers in Jesus have life right now because of Him. Through faith in Jesus, we are REAL sons and daughters of God, right now.
Paul tells us that since we are real sons and daughters of God, then God is our real Father. Just as my dad, the dad who adopted me, is in every way, shape and form my real dad, so through faith, God is my real Father. Verses 6 and 7: “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.” See friends, when Jesus hung on the cross dying, he cried out, “Abba,” which means Father. Through faith in Jesus, God is also our Father, and as sons and daughters of the Most High, we inherit eternal life. Like Jesus, we too will be resurrected and live with God forever. The inheritance Paul is describing is a kind that cannot be purchased with money and can only be purchased with Jesus’ blood.
Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of a promise, and through our faith in Christ, God adopts us into His family. If we trust in His saving work, Paul says that the Spirit of God’s Son lives within us, filling us with joy, allowing us to cry out “Abba Father,” and to become sons and heirs to the promise. And as sons and daughters of God we share not only a common Heritage, but also a common inheritance… not just a common past but a future as sons and daughters of the Most High. Amen. Let’s pray…
Now may the true faith…
