The Promise And Its Fulfilment Series

Gal 3:27-4:7 The Promise and Its Fulfilment

3:23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

4:1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, 2but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. 4But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Our faith in Christ changes our standing with God and also our status.

• Paul paints us this beautiful status we have in Christ in this passage.

• We are transformed from being slaves to sin to becoming sons of God, from being children (immature) to becoming the sons and heirs of God.

• In the past, we lived under the Law which served as our guardian, instructing us on what we ought to do, but we were not able to keep it.

That was “before faith came” (3:23) - before we could place our faith in Christ.

• 3:23 “Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.”

• We were held captive and imprisoned under sin UNTIL Jesus Christ came and when FAITH in Christ became possible.

So the Law played the role of a GUARDIAN and this was so until Christ came.

• 3:25-26 “25But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”

• Christ changed all that. His finished work on the cross freed us from the penalty and bondage to sin. We are justified by faith in Christ.

• We moved from living under the guardianship of the Law to living under Christ.

• 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

What has changed? Our STANDING with God has changed – we are made RIGHTEOUS.

• And our STATUS has changed because we are now RECONCILED with God.

Paul describes it in THREE ways in this text – the three “YOU ARE…”

(1) You are all SONS of God, through faith (3:26) – children of God

(2) You are all ONE in Christ Jesus (3:28b) – equal before God

(3) You are Abraham’s OFFSPRING (3:29) – heirs of the promise

(1) WE ARE SONS OF GOD – we are now children of God through faith in Christ.

• We see the BEFORE and AFTER that Paul paints here. Before we are like “children” under the guardianship of the Law.

• But now in Christ, we have “grown up” to be SONS of God.

• 4:3 says as children then, we “were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world” – we were like slaves imprisoned in sin and the sinful ways of this world.

• But now as children of God, we are freed to live like Christ.

And as sons of God, we who “were baptised into Christ have put on Christ.” (3:27)

• We become like Him, we can live like Him. We can behave like Him.

• This is a great honour and privilege, granted to us because of Christ.

• So why do we want to return to being a child and be enslaved again? Why return to something inferior?

• If we have put on Christ (and the righteousness and the freedom that came with Him), then why do we want to discard this and put on the OLD garment again?

This new status we have is made possible through Christ and it is extraordinary.

• 3:28 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.