Blood relations connect people more than anything else in this world. Living in America at the end of the twentieth century, families have become so disjointed that we have little appreciation for the importance of connection by blood. In our society a man can designate anyone he wishes to receive his estate when he dies. But this was far from the case in Paul's day. Back then, the sons got all. Everything which belonged to the father was given to the son, no questions asked. But a son did not become an heir immediately upon birth. He must first go through a period of submission to a guardian. During that period he was not considered a "son," he was merely a "child." The difference was not just semantic, rather it made the difference between one who had nothing and one who had everything. On that anticipated day when a child became a son by "adoption," the son became the heir to everything which belonged to the father. Adoption for them did not mean that one who was not really of the family became part of the family; it meant that the child by birth had reached the age of sonship and was ready to become the heir.

With this in mind, hear Paul's next words: "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus"(3:26). Whether you are a boy or a girl, a man or a woman, you who have believed in Christ have become sons of God. It is as if you have stepped inside of Christ so that you have been swallowed up by him, and everything which is true of him is now true of you! As Paul says, "you have clothed yourself with Christ." What does that mean? It means you are in him. That's why Jesus said "whoever believes into him [literally] will not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). You were put into Christ and he is now your clothing. Can anything touch you without touching him? Nope. Can anything happen to him without happening to you? Nope again. Whatever is true of him is now true of you.

In Christ all distinctions fall away, because once you are inside of him, he is all there is--he is all, and is in all (Col.3:11). You are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal.3:28). Therefore it does not matter whether you are a woman or a man, or whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, your new category is Christ. That means we are co-heirs with Christ. Is Christ under the Law? Not anymore! Then neither are you.

Paul explains at the beginning of Chapter Four that as long as one is still a child, he does not differ in status from a slave. That is what we once were. But when the time set by the Father comes for the adoption of the son, he becomes the heir of everything. "We once were enslaved to the elementary things of this world." But what does he mean by that? He means that if you want to get something you have to earn it. That is a basic principle on which the world operates. Skill comes with practice. Wisdom comes from experience. Strength comes from exercise. Wealth comes from hard work and conservation. Each of these principles applies to everything of this world. But we have become children of another world. No, more than that: we have become the very sons of God! That is as good as it gets. It doesn't get any better than this!

Christ redeemed us and rescued us from the curse of the Law. We are no longer under the Law, we are now under Grace (Rom.6:14). But he has not simply left us there to live on our own. God has put the Spirit of His only begotten Son in our hearts! Do not think that this means that there is a little pocket of air in our spirits where the Holy Spirit curls up and lives, perhaps making His presence known every once and a while when something important is happening. When He comes to live inside of us, it becomes impossible to distinguish between His Spirit and our spirit. Paul will tell the Corinthians, "He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit"(1 Cor.6:17). His identity becomes our identity. What is the result of all this? We find ourselves looking into the face of God and calling Him "Daddy!"

Who said that? Was it you? Was it the Holy Spirit? At this point, what's the difference? He said it, you said it--you both said it as one. What matters is that you allow the testimony of the Spirit of Christ who dwells in you to boldly admit and proclaim that you have become a son of God. Never again should you allow yourself to be enslaved as if you were still a child. You have left those things forever and you must never go back. That former way of doing things (sweat, striving, and discipline) is no longer your mode of operation. You are a totally new creature now and all old things have passed away. The next time someone tells you that you should be doing more things to serve God, just remember that in the eyes of God you lack nothing, and that you are complete in Christ. If only the Galatians had told this to those men when they came!

The report had come to Paul that the Galatians had begun to keep track of days and seasons so that they could observe all of the Sabbaths and holy days of the Old Covenant. "I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you," Paul laments in verse eleven, wondering if he had lost something irreplaceable. What was it? It was their freedom and innocence from self-effort and legalism. When a little boy runs up to his Daddy, does he worry about etiquette or protocol, or does he jump up in his lap and plant a big sloppy kiss on his face? He does not worry about his appearance or about his performance because he knows that the mere sight of him fills his father's heart with pride and pleasure. A father stifles a giggle when his little boy pronounces something wrong, and he has only compassion when the toddler just learning to walk trips over his own feet. We should always maintain a child-like simplicity in our relationship with God, because he sees clearly what we are and is never shocked by our mistakes. We should not be either.