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. They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set. 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. But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 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. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.
Galatians 4:1-7 NLT
Rules aren’t bad, but they don’t make us good. The Galatians had received the Holy Spirit by faith. Paul wrote this letter to prevent them from trying to get the fruit of the Spirit through the human effort of following the law. The new covenant has come, with the Spirit of God living inside of believers. The Galatians were trying to go back to the old covenant, symbolized by circumcision. They were trying to be right with God through their own effort, which wasn’t even the way to be righteous in the old covenant!
We can see the Trinity in these verses. The Father sent His Son to buy our freedom. The Son chose to be crucified under the law. Christ rose again and sent His Spirit into our hearts. The Spirit reminds us of the love of the Son, who made us children of the Father, so we can cry out “Abba!” (Abba means “Dad.”) You are an heir – called, adopted, chosen, and loved.
Why is it important to speak to God as a close, loving Dad? Are you trying to be right with the Lord by loving and following Jesus or by following the rules?
