Lesson 16: Submitting to the Right Guardian
Read Galatians 4:1-31 - www.bible.com/bible/59/gal.4
1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything,
2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father.
3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.


In our last lesson we learned about the Law being our guardian, keeping us in prison to fulfill the demands of the Law – which we could never keep perfectly. In this lesson we find that Jesus still wants to be our Guardian, but in a completely different way – which sets us free.

In Verse 5 we read that when we believe in God He adopts us as sons. To understand what happens, we need to know what such adoption meant in the Roman Empire at this time. First, adoption was not so much about who was born of which parents as it was about inheritance and power. Even mature adults could be adopted as a son and therefore inherit the wealth and power of the adoptive father.

Second, adoption was not about age but about authority. A young child, normally under the instruction of a tutor even though he might be the heir to a great estate, could not exercise authority until he had reached a certain age – except he as a child could be adopted by his own father and given all the rights of an adult son.

Jesus, through Paul, takes this concept even a bit further by stating that even women are adopted as sons in God’s kingdom – given full authority and right of inheritance – read again Verse 28 of the last lesson and Verses 5-7 above.

Every believer, no matter what their human background says they are by caste, family, gender, or nationality, has been adopted by God as a “son” who has the rights and authority and inheritance of the Creator of all that exists. What greater honor could we possibly have than being such a “son” of the King of kings?

With these rights come great responsibilities. We must live our lives by the standard of our Father-Guardian, not as prisoners or slaves, but as those who will inherit according to our faithfulness.

 *How does knowing you are adopted by God to an inheritance that is eternal change your life today?