The Incredible Journey of Grace
Text: Gal. 3:23-4:7
Introduction
1. Illustration: A current top selling, box office hit is the movie entitled "The Hobit: An Unexpected Journey." The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands. Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's "precious" ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities... A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.
2. All of us are on a journey too. It is a journey called "The Incredible Journey of Grace."
3. This journey begins with us...
a. Stuck In Prison
b. Redeemed As Children
c. Adopted As Heirs
4. Let's all stand together as we read Gal. 3:23-4:7
Proposition: The grace of Christ takes us from slaves to sin to heirs of the Kingdom.
Transition: The journey begins with us...
I. Stuck In Prison (23-25).
A. Placed Under Guard
1. Paul begins this section by illustrating the situation we find ourselves in before the grace of Christ.
2. He says, "Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed."
a. After using the third person for most of the chapter, Paul reverts to the first person (we).
b. In using we, he first of all identifies himself with the Jewish people, to whom both covenants were given.
c. But in a broader and more comprehensive sense he is also identifying himself with all of mankind, Jew and Gentile (MacArthur, MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Galatians, 92).
d. Faith, as spoken of in the Scriptures, does not refer to some innate human power that, when used to its greatest capacity, gives us merit with God no matter what the actual content or object of that faith.
e. The central point of the gospel is in whom our faith is placed—that is, in Christ. Abraham was justified by his faith and, along with other Old Testament believers, had to trust in God’s grace without knowing much of God’s plan; but their faith was in the coming Savior.
f. Until people could put their faith in that Savior, the law kept them in a kind of protective custody.
g. In a sense, it kept people out of trouble, kept them away from the evil into which their natures might otherwise have led, until faith in Christ would be revealed.
h. That faith then sets people free from the law but leads into the desire to obey God wholeheartedly out of love for him (Barton, Life Application New Testament Commentary, 778).
i. Now we might say that doesn't sound so bad; protective custody is okay.
j. Well it may be protective, but it is still custody, and we are not free to do as we please.
k. We are help prisoner of both sin and the law.
3. Paul then puts it another way. He says, "Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith."
a. A paidagōgos, (tutor) was not a teacher or schoolmaster but rather a slave employed by Greek or Roman families, whose duty was to supervise young boys in behalf of their parents.
b. They took their young charges to and from school, made sure they studied their lessons, and trained them in obedience.
c. They were strict disciplinarians, scolding and whipping as they felt it necessary (MacArthur, 95).
d. The picture of the law serving as a guardian and teacher shows that the law was a temporary measure meant to lead us until Christ came.
e. This leading was meant in the sense of the law watching over us until we could receive our “adulthood,” our full relationship with the Father, through Christ’s coming.
f. What was the ultimate purpose of the law? Paul repeated it in the last phrase, that through faith in Christ, we are made right with God.
g. The law had its usefulness in pointing out the wrong and providing constant reproof. The law, through imprisonment and discipline, taught us (though negatively) that justification with God really is through faith alone.(Barton 779).
4. Now Paul shares the good news when he says, "And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian."
a. Once the child came of age, he or she no longer needed the services of the guardian.
b. Since Christ arrived, offering salvation by faith alone, people no longer need the supervision of the law.
c. The law teaches the need for salvation; God’s grace offers that salvation. However, the Old Testament still applies today.
d. In it God has revealed his nature, his will for humanity, his moral laws, and his guidelines for living.
e. The law still serves as a demanding instructor to those who have not yet believed. But we cannot be saved by keeping that law; now that faith in Christ has come, we must trust in Christ (Barton 779).
B. Prisoners To The Law
1. Illustration: The backwoods preacher found a small boy all alone, playing in the dirt. "Where’s your father?" the preacher asked. The boy said, "He was hanged last week." "Where’s your mother?" "She run off." "Where’s your sister?" "She’s in jail." "Is there anybody else in your family?" "Yup, I’ve got a brother." "Where is he?" "At Harvard University." "Well, at least one member of your family is doing well. What is he studying?" "Nothin’. They’re studying him."
2. The law shows us the reality of our situation.
a. Romans 3:19-20 (NLT)
Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
b. The law shows us that we cannot live up to God's standards.
c. It shows us that we are sinner hopelessly lost without God.
d. It shows us that without out Christ we are doomed to eternal separation from God.
3. Grace shows us the only way out of our situation.
a. Romans 6:14 (NLT)
Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.
b. Because of grace we are set free from the requirements of the law.
c. Because of grace we don't have to live in hopeless despair.
d. Because of grace we don't have to live up to impossible standards.
e. Because of grace the chains are loosened; the bonds are broken; the door is opened; we are free!
Transition: From protective custody we move to...
II. Redeemed As Children (26-29).
A. Children of God Through Faith
1. Here Paul talks about the next step in the journey; becoming a child of God.
2. Hey says, "For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus."
a. The change to you shows Paul’s return to focusing on the Galatian believers. They did not need to be children under the care of the guardian (the law); instead, they were all children of God.
b. They received this status through faith in Christ Jesus. Those who are truly God’s children have been justified by faith in Christ and receive a new relationship with God—that of adopted children.
c. As he did in most of his letters, Paul was moving from the initial section of teaching passages to the application of what he had been developing.
d. Here the first application is unmistakable: Our relationship with each other has its common principle in how we are related to God.
e. We are children of the same family if we have the same heavenly Father.
f. From this point, Paul will first develop applications regarding how we should see ourselves and others. Later in the letter he will discuss how we should treat each other (Barton 779).
3. Then Paul talks about our unity through our connection with Christ. He says, "And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on the character of Christ, like putting on new clothes. 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus."
a. The reference to baptism here does not mean that Paul was replacing the rite of circumcision with baptism.
b. Baptism does not save anyone any more than circumcision does. If Paul was referring to water baptism, he was recognizing the fact that, in the early church, new converts usually were baptized.
c. Baptism demonstrated their faith—people “believed and were baptized”—not the other way around.
d. It also demonstrated identification with the body of believers, the Christian church. Being united with Christ leads to our ongoing experience of being made like Christ.
e. By becoming Christians and being baptized, the Galatian believers were becoming spiritually grown up and ready to take on the privileges and responsibilities of the more mature.
f. The person who is being made like him is a “new” person, with a new lifestyle and new priorities (Barton 779).
4. Paul now gets to the heart of the matter by saying, "And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you."
a. Jews believed that they were automatically God’s people because they were Abraham’s descendants.
b. Paul concluded that Abraham’s spiritual children are not the Jews, nor are they those who have been circumcised.
c. Abraham’s children are those who respond to God in faith as Abraham had done. The only difference is that our response is to Christ as Savior. Because we have responded, we are heirs.
d. In other words, all the promises God gave to Abraham belong to us.
e. By responding to Christ in faith, we have followed in the ancient way of Abraham, one of the early ones justified by faith.
f. He trusted God, and so do we. But to us has been added the opportunity to appreciate what price Christ paid to ensure our share in the promise (Barton 780).
B. Children of God
1. Illustration: "Christ is the natural Son of God who by his passion and death has ensured that all who believe in him will be adopted as his children because of him...The human mind cannot imagine how great a thing to be the Son of God, or how great are the blessings that he brings" (Johannes Brenz, Reformation Commentary On Scripture, vol. 10, 126).
2. By faith in Christ we BECOME the children of God.
a. John 1:12-13 (NLT)
But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
b. By faith we are accepted into God's family.
c. By faith we move from prisoners to children.
d. By faith we are no longer strangers and enemies but we are united with Christ.
Transition: The next stage in the journey of grace is that we become...
III. Adopted As Heirs (4:1-7).
A. God Has Made You His Heir
1. In this section Paul makes the point that we are not only God's children, but also his heirs.
2. He says, "Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance 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.3 And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world."
a. To further illustrate the spiritual immaturity of those who insist on remaining under the law, Paul used an example from Roman law and custom.
b. In ancient times, the “coming of age” of a son carried tremendous significance. This did not occur at a specific age (such as twelve or thirteen), as it did among Jews and Greeks; rather, the “coming of age” was determined by the father.
c. In Rome this event was usually marked on March 17 by a family celebration known as the Liberalia.
d. During this event, the father formally acknowledged his son and heir. The son received a new “grown-up” toga and entered into adult responsibilities.
e. Paul pointed out, however, that while the young children and heirs are still minors (not yet of age), they are not much better off than slaves until they grow up.
f. Although they are the future owners of an estate and a fortune, while they are young, they have no claim to it nor any right to make decisions regarding it.
g. In the eyes of the Roman law, the young heirs were no different than slaves. Paul’s application of the illustration reveals that when we were under the law, we were no better off than slaves (Barton, 780).
3. However, Paul indicates, "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. 6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”
a. Huiothesia (adoption) is a compound of huios (son) and thesis (a placing) and refers to a man's giving the status of sonship to someone who is not his natural child.
b. Because men are not naturally the children of God, they can become His sons only by divine adoption.
c. In the Roman world adoption was an honored custom that gave special dignity and family membership to those who were not born into a family.
d. Often a wealthy, childless man would adopt a young slave, who would trade his slavery for sonship, with all its concomitant privileges (MacArthur, 109).
e. Through his life, Jesus demonstrated his unique eligibility to buy our freedom.
f. Through his death, Jesus paid the price to release us from slavery to sin. When Christ redeemed those who were slaves to the law, he did not redeem the Jews alone.
g. His death set people free from bondage to any law or religious system (see 4:3)—offering, instead, salvation by faith alone.
h. But because the law was God’s clearest revelation of his justice, being born under the law and keeping it perfectly proved that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice. He took upon himself the curse the law required in order to set believers free of that curse (Barton, 781).
i. As God’s adopted children, we can approach him with love and trust. As God’s adopted children, we share with Jesus all rights to God’s resources. As God’s heirs, we can claim what he has provided for us—our full identity as his children (Barton, 781-782).
4. Paul concludes the journey by saying, "Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir."
a. To conclude his argument from this analogy, Paul explained briefly that each Galatian believer was no longer a slave to any law or religious ritual or even to Satan.
b. Instead, each person had entered into God’s family, being adopted as God’s own child.
c. Belonging to God as his child also means that everything he has belongs to the child, for God has promised the inheritance of eternal life and his riches and blessings to all his children.
d. We need no further preparation. No system can fill in or stand in for Christ. Being a child and being an heir are inseparable realities in God’s family (Barton, 782).
e. What an incomprehensible truth: that by giving ourselves to Jesus Christ in faith, God gives us everything His Son possesses (MacArthur, 110).
B. Inheritance
1. Illustration: Never forget the three whats! What from? Believers are redeemed from hell and destruction. What by? By the precious blood of Christ. What to? To an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that will not fade away. -- Charles Haddon Spurgeon
2. As God's children we have the greatest inheritance in the world.
a. Psalm 16:5 (NLT)
LORD, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine.
b. Everything that is God's is also ours.
c. If he owns the cattle on a thousand hills, we own the cattle on a thousand hills.
d. If all of the gold and silver belongs to God, all of the gold and silver in the world belongs to us.
e. There is nothing beyond our reach; nothing we can't do; nothing we can't accomplish, because we are heirs of the Kingdom!
3. Our inheritance is priceless because it cannot be taken from us.
a. 1 Peter 1:4 (NLT)
and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.
b. An earthly inheritance can decay, turn to rust, and blow away.
c. Our inheritance is eternal.
d. Our inheritance is incorruptible.
e. Our inheritance is being held for us and protected by God.
Transition: In the incredible journey of grace we start as prisoners and we end as children of the King.
Conclusion
1. This journey begins with us...
a. Stuck In Prison
b. Redeemed To Children
c. Adopted As Heirs
2. Where are you in the journey?
