Galatians 4:3-5 – December 16, 2020
Our scripture for today is Galatians 4:3-5. If you haven’t read that yet, hit the pause and then when you are ready, hit play and I’ll try to explain.
Now that you have read the scripture for today, you are probably thinking, what did that mean? Well, let me give it a try.
Three phrases that we can talk about are:
(v.3) [We] were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world.
(v.4) God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law.
(v.5) That He might redeem those who were under the Law.
The main point that Paul is talking about here is that Faith in Christ is all that we need to be “justified”—or to be made right with God. Enough said, right? Christ is all we need. If that’s the case, why do so many people look everywhere but Christ in order to be made right with God?
In the Greek family life, a child in a wealthy family lives like a slave, with a close eye by a guardian, until the day that he is old enough to receive his part of the family inheritance. Paul is saying that we also live under this same condition. And the Jewish people say “What are you talking about, Paul!” The Jews are heirs to the promises of Abraham by birth, Just as we Christians are heirs by faith in Christ. But Paul says that both of us lived as slaves to this sinful world and even eternal death until Christ arrived. On our own, we cannot escape being a slave to this sinful world. The law provided guidance, protection, and discipline for Israel, but it could not set anyone free from this slavery of sin.
The Good News is, when the time was just right, God sent his Son, Jesus Christ to be the savior of the World. We no longer are slaves to this world. We have freedom to live like we are living for eternity, because you’ve accepted that free grace that God provided for us through Jesus Christ. We don’t worship a Baby even though lately that what we’ve been talking about, we worship the One who can save us from this evil world. Now that’s freedom that I can be excited about.