Family Rights

Galatians 4:1-7

What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. --

The child of a Noble in the world will inherit the whole estate on the death of the father, even if he's still an infant or toddler: he will, by law, be the owner. But he will be under a nanny, or a guardian or a trustee and cannot make any decisions for himself, just like a slave cannot decide for himself.

He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. --

The guardians and trustees will be making all the decisions on running the estate, and the child will have no say at all in the matter until he attains the age set by his father, when he will be legally old enough to assume the responsibility.

So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. -- 

This was the Law of Moses, as well as the legal system of the world's governments. We, the human race, were under restrictive limits in how to run our own lives. We were expected to walk in the steps of our fathers' professions, stay in our own economic and cultural sphere, etc.

But when the time had fully come, --

God waited all the centuries after Adam and Abraham; waited until Rome had conquered the whole known world and built roads making every part of the world easily accessible (for the spread of the Gospel); when the philosophies of Men had developed the thinking processes of intelligent minds; had developed the Greek language, the most descriptive and accurate language ever spoken, etc.

God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, --

God's own Son, the Second Person in the Trinity, Who proceeds from the Father from Eternity Past, Who broke into this World by means of a birth as a human baby, born of a woman who supplied His human nature, subjecting Himself to all the natural laws of the Universe and all the political and religious laws of the time. Setting aside His Divine prerogatives and subjecting Himself to all the limitations we are under.

To redeem those under law, --

To rescue us from the bondage and slavery we are all subjected to in this world.

That we might receive the full rights as sons. --

We will one day be released from all the limitations that hold us down from achieving all that we were created for.

Because you are sons, --

We are, right now, sons; not in some future day.

God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, -- 

The Spirit of Jesus, in our hearts right now, today.

The Spirit who calls out, "Abba," "Father." -- 

We call God "Abba," which is the Greek word for the first word an infant will say, "Da-da"; and "Father," which we would say, "Daddy." That's who God is to us when we are "born again" spiritually into His family.

So you are no longer a slave, but a son, --

We've been rescued from the slave-market of sin and received into the family of God as His own child.

And since you are a son, God has also made you an heir. --

We are born into God's own family, and God has also determined that we will inherit His Kingdom (unlike Ishmael, who was born of Abraham by the slave-woman, so had no part at all in Isaac's inheritance as the heir).

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!