Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20080713.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Galatians: Defending The Truthfulness Of Paul's Teaching On God's Grace
Part IX: Illustrating The Rich Position Believers Enjoy In Christ By Salvation By Grace
(Galatians 4:1-11)
  1. Introduction
    1. One of the great needs believers today have is that of comprehending the security and high station they enjoy in Christ! Many have struggled not only with doubts about their salvation security, but with feelings of guilt or inadequacy for not meeting the expectations or regulations of other religious people!
    2. Galatians 4:1-11 meets this need, revealing the security and high station every believer POSITIONALLY has the instant he trusts in Christ for salvation, and what it implies for his walk:
  2. Illustrating The Rich Position Believers Enjoy In Christ By Salvation By Grace, Galatians 4:1-11.
    1. The Epistle to the Galatians was written to counter the view that one's salvation is incomplete if he only believed in Christ and has not yet been circumcised in accord with the Mosaic Law, Gal. 1:8-9; 5:2; 6:12.
    2. To enhance his argument on this subject, Paul used a legal illustration to show that, by faith alone, the believer enjoys the highest in security and loftiness of station in his POSITION in Christ, Gal. 4:1-7:
      1. In Galatians 4:1-2, Paul illustrated the lowly, powerless stance of the unsaved person (as follows):
        1. The heir of an estate who Paul refers to as a "child" (NIV, KJV, ESV, Galatians 4:1) was an "infant, young child" [nepios], cf. Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, p. 601.
        2. This was an immature child who, though heir by birth, was "kept in subservience like a slave in that he enjoyed no freedom and could make no decisions" relative to the estate, Ibid.; Galatians 4:2.
      2. This immature little child status of the estate heir pictures what one experiences before he comes to faith in Christ, Galatians 4:3: he is in bondage to the religious dictates of the Mosaic Law as an unsaved Hebrew, or he is bound by other religious regulations of pagan or other religious entities, Ibid.
      3. However, at faith in the Gospel, this status markedly positionally changes to where the believer is advanced into full mature sonship status that is very secure and lofty in God's estimation, Gal. 4:4-7:
        1. [A remarkable affirmation of the virgin birth of Christ is offered in Galatians 4:4 where God is seen as having sent His son as "made of a woman" versus being made of a woman "and a man," Ibid.!]
        2. God sent His Son in the fulness of the prophetic timeline, made of a woman, made subject to the Mosaic Law to redeem those who were under the Law, that they by faith in Him might receive "the adoption of sons," literally, the huiothesian, Gal. 4:4-5; U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966 ed., p. 656.
        3. This "huiothesian" means "All the enjoyments and privileges of a mature son . . . belong to those who have entered into the benefits of Christ's redemptive work," Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T.
        4. Proof that we who are in Christ are thus positionally securely established, honored adult huioi sons is the fact that God has given us the indwelling Holy Spirit in our hearts to cry, "Abba," or "Father," an endearing term for a father that translates closely to our "Daddy" today, Galatians 4:6; Ibid.!
        5. Being no longer of a servant status like the nepios, but a huios due to faith in Christ, we are heirs of God through Christ, meaning we inherit what belongs to God and Christ in the Lord! (Gal. 4:6-7)
    3. Thus, Paul asserted it was far below his readers' secure, lofty stance before God to submit themselves to the rules of the Mosaic Law to gain God's acceptance or salvation as the Judaizers taught, Gal. 4:8-11:
      1. Paul argued that after a believer trusts in Christ and is known of God as a positionally mature, huios son and heir of God, for him to submit to man-made regulations in the world to gain God's approval as some man would define such an approval was illogical and thus unacceptable, Galatians 4:8-9.
      2. Thus, he marveled his readers were even observing days, months, times and years of the Law, 4:10-11.
Lesson: In Christ, the believer is POSITIONALLY made a MATURE SON and HEIR of ALL that belongs to GOD, his Father; it is thus unthinkable for him to act as an immature child in submitting to the rules or rulers in household slaves who have no Biblical base for their alleged authority over them!

Application: May we as believers who are totally secure in our salvation and lofty station in Christ submit ONLY to the God of Scripture, and to His regulations for us in His Word versus to the rules or rulers of religious legalism or religious legalistic groups who have no Biblical jurisdiction over us!