Jesus Was Born Under The Law To Make You Free (Galatians 4)
Frederick Douglass was one of the most influential Civil Rights figures in American history. This is undoubtably the case. Why?
Douglass was a slave that had escaped to freedom. And he was educated enough to be able to disseminate his arguments and what happened to him in his life.
Douglass was a powerful figure because he understood how awful his bondage was, how wonderful his freedom was, and why no one should be in bondage.
It should be the same for Christians. Christians should understand their own sinfulness and bondage to sin, their penalty under the Law, and their freedom in Christ.
Christians should understand this so well that they detest the bondage to sin and the Law that they once had. They should see the salvation accomplished for them by the Savior who came under the Law to free them from the Law.
This knowledge should free us from the feeling of guilt over our past life. It should free us from the feeling that we need to earn right standing with God. It should make us fierce evangelist, sharing the gospel with people in bondage to sin. This should transform us.
Jesus was born under the Law to free you from the Law and its demands. And that is transformative.
Jesus Was Born Under The Law To Make You A Son, Not A Slave (Galatians 4:1-9)
At this time, a Roman household would have heirs and slaves in the house. But what happened when both parents died? Was the heir to the family estate in the same position as the slaves of the estate? Is the child a slave? (Galatians 4:1-2)
Obviously not. But how was the child treated? He was treated very much like one, for he does not own the estate. He had guardians that oversaw his every action until the date that was set by his father. The guardian watched his every move until the day that he could be free and take his inheritance.
Now, Paul states that we ourselves were children. We were enslaved to “elementary principles” of this world (Galatians 4:3). Elementary principles would be those things that were in existence before Christ came. They would be the things, not necessarily evil, that existed before that time. I say this because the Law is going to be lumped into this “elementary principles” group in Galatians 4:9).
The Law was good. It was God-given, so we should not look at the Law as being evil. But they were less than Christ. And they were not the goal, for the Law was to point us to Christ.
Pagan idolatry is lumped in here as well (Galatians 4:9). And how can pagan idolatry be lumped in with faithful Hebrew worship? One was good. One was evil. One was God-given. One was demonic deception. Pagan idolatry was always opposed to God. And the Law was to point to Jesus. Now that the Law has done what it was always supposed to do, attempting to keep the Law in order to be saved is a rejection of Christ.
Then when the fullness of time had come, remember we are talking about the heir being under guardians, God sent His Son. When the time was right, God sent His Son who was born under the Law. And the purpose of this was to free those that are under the Law.
We were born under the Law and had incurred its penalty. We rebelled against God and earned His justice and wrath. And God sent His Son, born of the Virgin Mary. He was without the stain of sin. And Jesus was born under the Law. He also was to fulfill the Law’s demands. We failed, but He did not. He completely fulfilled the Law’s demands. And then He died in our place. He took upon Himself the punishment for sin. He lived for us and died for us. And He did it so that we could be freed from the Law and receive our adoption as sons.
We were under the Law for a time period. And when the fullness of time came, Christ came. He gave to us our full rights as heirs in the Kingdom. And God gave to us the Holy Spirit. And deep within ourself we feel the cry “Abba Father”! We have been adopted by the Lord, brought into His family, through the finished work of Christ.
Abba is the Aramaic term for “father”. It was used regularly in prayer. It denotes God’s fatherhood and sacredness. “Father” is the Greek word (πατήρ), it means father in Greek. We get our word “paternal” from this word. Through the Holy Spirit’s work in our life, we now understand that we are God’s children. And this is done through faith in Christ, not works of the Law.
All of this shows us that we are not slaves, we are sons (Galatians 4:7). We are heirs.
Now, the Galatians had a different starting point from Paul. They were once enslaved to pagan idols. These were not gods at all (Galatians 4:8). And they were set free from this bondage and brought near to God. They were once separated from God, but now they now have the right to call God “father”.
They are now “known by God”. They are now in His family. They can call Him Father. Why on Earth would they return to “elementary principles” and go back into slavery?
The Law was good, in its place.
Pagan idolatry was never good.
Following the Law out of place is put on even ground with the pagan idolatry, just as ludicrous as a person wanting to reject their inheritance and go back to being under a guardian.
The Law had a purpose. It was to point us to Jesus Christ. It was to reveal our sinfulness and rebellion against God. It was to show us that we could not keep God’s standard.
Then came Jesus. He was born under the Law. He fulfilled the Law. He did everything that the Law required. And die as the punishment for sin.
As Paul pointed out here, we are all born under the Law. We are born with this expectation hanging over our head. We are to follow God’s Law and follow it perfectly, but we have all failed to do so.
What then is our remedy?
Jesus was born under the Law, God the Son took on human flesh and fulfilled the Law. But He did not just do this so that He could die perfect. He did it so that He could die the perfect, spotless lamb, and earn positive righteousness for us.
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV)
“And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,” (Romans4:5 ESV)
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—” (Philippians 3:8-9 ESV)
There is an exchange that takes place between Christ and the sinner that trusts in Him. When we believe. God the Son came under the Law, to accomplish all righteousness for us so that this could be credited to us. We are credited with righteousness. And He took upon Himself, our sins.
Clement, who was the disciple of Peter and possibly a colaborer with Paul. A few hundred years later the Roman Church declared him to be the second Pope. He didn’t see himself as the Pope, others didn’t in his time either, but that is beside the point. He was a prominent figure in the Early Church. And he proclaims that very justification that we, Protestants, proclaim.
“O, the surpassing kindness and love of God! He did not hate us, or reject us, or bear a grudge against us. Instead, he was patient and for bearing; in his mercy he took upon himself our sins. He himself gave up his own Son as a ransom for us—the holy one for the lawless, the guilt less for the guilty, “the just for the unjust” (1 Pet. 3:18), the incorruptible for the corruptible, the immortal for the mortal. For what else but his righteousness could have covered our sins? In whom was it possible for us, the lawless and ungodly, to be justified, except in the Son of God alone? O the sweet exchange! O the incomprehensible work of God! O the unexpected blessings, that the sinfulness of many should be hidden in one righteous man, while the righteousness of one should justify many sinners!” (Clement, Letter to Diognetus)
Jesus was born under the Law, to accomplish righteousness for you on the basis of the Law and then give that righteousness to your account. Jesus was also born under the Law, to become the perfect and spotless Lamb that would pay the punishment for your sins.
To where do we turn for forgiveness.
Who can give us forgiveness?
Who can give us righteousness?
In Christ alone. It is Christ alone. Christ alone gives me right standing with God. Christ alone delivers to me this great and glorious salvation.
When I am tempted to think that I can do it myself, when I think that I can make atonement for my own sins, I should look to Jesus who took upon Himself my sin and shame. I should look to Jesus who gave to me a righteousness that I could not earn for myself.
When I am tempted to trust in my own works and my own working, this should call me back to reality.
When I hear that I would be better off if I were to participate in certain rights or rituals, what do I say. I look to Christ. Christ has accomplished my redemption. Christ has accomplished this glorious salvation. Christ has redeemed me through His perfect life, death, and resurrection.
“When Satan tempts me to despair, and tells me of the guilt within” where do we look.
“upward I look and see Him there who made an end to all my sin.”
It’s not to myself. It’s not to my own working. It’s not to anything that I could be doing in the moment. It is to Jesus Christ who lived and died for me.
Do You Desire To Be Under The Law Or Under Christ (Galatians 4:10-21)
Paul now turns to the personal. Remember, the Judaizers attacked Paul when they attempted to discredit the gospel. As is often the case, they discredited the messenger.
He starts by talking about what they are doing. They were now observing the days, months, and seasons in the Jewish worship calendar (Galatians 4:10). And it seems that they were doing it to earn God’s favor. And Paul was troubled.
This brought terrible pain to Paul who labored to bring them the gospel (Galatians 4:11). He wants them to become like he is and like they were. He was a devout Jew. He participated in these rights in an attempt to earn God’s favor. The Gentiles did not do that. They trusted in Christ for God’s favor. He had labored long for them and he wants them to abandon their legalism.
His relationship with the churches of Galatia were so good, so loving, so warm. He had a bodily ailment, yet they received him as an angel (Galatians 4:13-15). But now, because he was telling the truth, they were treating him with scorn (Galatians 4:15-16). Paul was the good friend that told them the truth. And the Judaizers were flattering them to lead them back into bondage.
All of this led to tremendous anguish for Paul (Galatians 4:18-19). He wants to see them grow to maturity in Christ. He desires with all of His heart to see them be mature in Christ, to see Christ “formed” in them. But it will not happen if they abandon Christ and place their selves under the Law once more.
This whole thing has Paul perplexed. And I must say that I can begin to understand it. I would be devastated if this church was turned away from the gospel. It would obliterate me. When I see someone has turned from the faith, it hurts me. It brings tremendous sadness. But it leads Paul to narrow this down to the real issue.
Do you want to be under the Law?
When you start to think that you earn God’s favor, you really should ask yourself this question. “Do I want to be under the Law? I have been saved by God’s grace alone, do I want to be under the Law.”
I think of this often when people talk about how wonderful they think the Jewish Rites were. But, do I really want to be under the Law?
But I often do the same thing in my own thinking.
I will sin. We all do it. But sometimes, because I am inclined to try and do it myself, I will think that I can do certain things to make myself better. Or, I will think, look at all the good things I’ve been doing lately. It’s okay.
But that is not where our hearts should go. And it is not where my mind should immediately go.
I should not run to my own works. I should always run to Christ. I should always see in Him, the source of my righteousness before God.
Christian, You Are Children Of The Free Woman, Not The Bondwoman (Galatians 4:22-31)
Now, Paul illustrates this discussion with Abraham and his two most famous children: Isaac and Ishmael. One was born of the slave woman in a natural way, by a scheme and work that Sarah came up with. He was born “according to the flesh” (Galatians 4:23). The other was born of Sarah, miraculously, “through promise” (Galatians 4:23).
Paul says that these two women can be said to be two covenants. Hagar, the slave woman, is Mt. Sinai. This is where the Ten Commandments were given along with the rest of the Law. Sinai is in Arabia, outside of the land of promise. And she is like “the present Jerusalem”, enslaved (Galatians 4:25).
It is very significant here that Paul now quoted Isaiah 54:1.
“For it is written, “Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband.”” (Galatians 4:27 ESV)
In Isaiah, the barren one is Israel. And there is coming a day in which the barren one would have more children than the desolate one. And Paul is applying this to their present situation. It is the Church that is the fulfillment of this passage, not the Jews.
We can see this working out through time and history. The Church has expanded all over the globe since Paul uttered these words. It is more evident today than it was back then. But even then the gospel was expanding in power and might.
The Church is “the Jerusalem above” that is “free” (Galatians 4:25). The Jewish system is enslaved (Galatians 4:25). It is under the Law. It is in bondage and under the guardian. The Church is comprised of the children of the promise (Galatians 4:28).
One more comparison is made. The child of promise, Isaac, was treated poorly by the child according to the flesh. And the same was true in their time (Galatians 4:29). Throughout the Book of Acts, the Jewish people persecuted Christians. And that didn’t end. It is found in the Book of Revelation as well.
And if we are completely honest, though people don’t readily admit it, it still goes on today. Occasionally videos are posted about the fact that Jewish people often spit on Christians or more often on the ground at their feet. The children of the bondwoman still despise the children of the free woman. The animosity is still there.
And what are we to do with this? Well, it is a warning.
God’s pronouncement in Genesis to Abraham was to cast out the slave woman and the son, “for the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman (Galatians 4:30). This stands as a warning to the Christians of Galatia. They’d better not turn their backs on Christ and follow the Law. If they do, then they will be cast out.
We are children of the free woman. We are children of the Promise and not the Law. We are not in bondage, we are free in Christ.
We are all born under the Law. We are all born in bondage. And we are all expected to keep the Law perfectly.
But Christ came to free us. He came to save us. God the Son took on human flesh and was born under the Law, so that He could free us from the Law and its expectations.
The illustration of Abraham and his children is one that should make us think about our redemption.
I am tempted over and over to think that I can make something of myself before God. Or I am tempted by Satan to think that I must. But this is little more than Satan tempting me to be in bondage once again.
That is not who we are. That is not what we are.
We are sons. We are heirs. We are the freed in Christ.
You were in bondage to sin. You were in bondage to death. And Christ saved you.
God the Son came, born under the Law, to give us freedom from sin, death, and the requirements of the Law.
And here is the application I’d like to make for a lost person that may be listening to this today. You are in bondage to sin. You are under the Law. And there is no way out, except one. You will die in your sins, lest you turn to Christ. You will die under the penalty of the Law, lest you turn to the Savior.
You cannot, nor need not try to do anything to make yourself presentable for God. Jesus did that. He lived for you and died for you. He accomplished every bit of it. You are unworthy, but because of Jesus’s infinite worth you can be saved. Trust in Him.
R. Dwain Minor