But when fulness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, (5) to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive adoption as sons. (6) And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out “Abba, Father!” (8) Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

The letter to the Galatians was written by the apostle Paul. The Galatians had fallen back from a spiritual system to a material system; from faith in the promise to the law – from freedom to constraint. Freedom is treated directly in the first seven verses of chapter 4. At a time predetermined by God His Son was sent forth; Born of woman and born under the Law – true God and true man – born into a state where all was subject to the law and He was destined to put an end to the Law. He was born to redeem, at the price of His death, both Jew and Gentile from condemnation under the Law and also from bondage and constraint which it’s severe discipline involved that we might receive adoption as sons/daughters. As children of God we have access to God – it is not us who speaks but the Spirit in us by virtue of our adoption. By this redemption, adoption and gift of the Spirit the old state of servitude and minority is past. The Christian is admitted as an heir within – not by any merits of his/her own but by the redemption and adoption by God.

Christ did not come into the world for the purpose of teaching the law but His coming was the abolition of the Law, of sin and death. That God adopted us is due to the merit of Jesus Christ, Son of God, who redeemed us. Early on the visible outpourings of the Spirit were necessary as were miracles but spiritual renewal may not be conspicuous today but be seen by our better judgment and unashamed confession of Christ. The Gospel commands us to look away from our own good works to the promises of God in Christ for our salvation. We are not heirs by accomplishment but by virtue of new birth, in faith in Christ. We are mere recipients. Man cannot know God by his own efforts. God of His grace revealed Himself to man.