Deprecated: Function wp_make_content_images_responsive is deprecated since version 5.5.0! Use wp_filter_content_tags() instead. in /home1/rlamars/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6078

4:18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

It feels good to be admired and praised by someone.  But be honest, have you ever wondered what they really say about you when you’re not around?  This is essentially what Paul is saying in Galatians 4:18.

Every person desire affirmation.  It is one thing to be affirmed for our character, but it is another to be affirmed for our conviction.  Paul had taken a strong stand for the Gospel, even though it meant forsaking his former life and being subject to persecution.   In 4:18 Paul is addressing his desire to be affirmed for the Gospel, and not simply because he is a nice guy.  This is not a matter of self esteem.  This is an issue of maintaining integrity for the Gospel.

Paul desires the church of Galatia to be passionate for the Gospel while he is absent, as much as when he is present.  This is every teacher’s desire.  When pupils apply what they have learned after they leave, then true success can be measured by transformation.

As a modern day application, it is easy to sit in church and praise God.  That is important.  What is equally important is our faithfulness to live out the Gospel in the workplace and in our homes.  It is outside the walls of the church that the Gospel can penetrate culture.

True, everyone desires affirmation.  The ultimate affirmation for a teacher is when the subject matter is applied outside of class. We have the power of the Gospel in our hearts.  May we allow it to change our heart and not just our minds, so that we can apply the truth to a dying world.

Deprecated: Function wp_make_content_images_responsive is deprecated since version 5.5.0! Use wp_filter_content_tags() instead. in /home1/rlamars/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6078

4:15 What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me.  The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Have you lost your joy?  This is a question that many of us have asked, or wondered, about ourselves or loved ones.  What once brought us happiness, can now bring us anger, or dissatisfaction.  This change seemed to have taken place in the Gentile community.  Paul asks them this familiar question in 4:15.  He knew of their loving, giving, and joyful spirit in the past.  To the extent that they were willing to even give deeply of themselves for his benefit.  But now, because of the influence of Judaizers, and poor theology, the Gentiles have lost their joy.

It is important to recognize that one’s joy is not necessarily lost due to conflict or crisis.  It is more connected to the strength of one’s theology.  If in those moments of crisis, one can firmly grasp hold of the Gospel, they are able to maintain peace and joy, even in trial.  If our security within the Gospel is not solid, then our joy can be lost.  There is a strong connection between the two that must be remembered.

With that being said, our joy can be restored with a developed understanding of the Gospel, and a strong conviction to hold tightly to it.  May God restore joy to those who have lost it by revealing Himself through His Word.

Deprecated: Function wp_make_content_images_responsive is deprecated since version 5.5.0! Use wp_filter_content_tags() instead. in /home1/rlamars/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6078

4:11  I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Have you ever been frustrated in your work?  Have you ever wanted to give it all up?  Have you ever sat down at your desk and started writing your resignation letter, only to throw it in the trash can?  Have you ever felt like all of the energy you’ve spent was a waste?  If so, then you may have some idea of how the Apostle Paul felt in Galatians 4:11.

Paul had invested enormous energy and time into the people of Galatia.  His work and ministry has seen fruit produced, as they responded to Christ.  His frustration is evident as he watches this church begin to slip back into their old tendencies.  As the Jewish traditions begin to be adopted by the Gentile church, Paul expresses deep frustration and fear.

This verse gives us a glimpse into the heart and emotion of Paul.  His passion for God’s mission consumed his life.  As one involved in ministering to students for nearly twenty years, I can relate.  In ministry, those moments will come when we feel frustrated and ineffective.  We must remember that our battle is spiritual.  We must trust the Holy Spirit to change lives.  We must be faithful to preach the Gospel!

Deprecated: Function wp_make_content_images_responsive is deprecated since version 5.5.0! Use wp_filter_content_tags() instead. in /home1/rlamars/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6078

4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

As my family waits to welcome a newly adopted cousin from China, I can’t help the fact that adoption is on my mind.  It seems like more of my friends are considering adoption now, than ever before.  According to the U.S. State Department, U.S. families adopted more than 9,000 children in 2011.  Last year, Americans adopted the highest number of children from China  followed by Ethiopia, Russia, South Korea, and Ukraine.  The beauty of adoption is that it clearly depicts the love of God for us.  A beautiful moment occurs when an adopted child finally mouths the words, “mommy”, to the adopted parent.  In that moment, the child has acknowledged the love of the parent and accepted their love as mom, or dad.

In Galatians 4:6, Paul continues his theological discourse on sonship, salvation, and adoption.  Beginning with, “and because you are sons” is a declarative statement of position.  Our position in Christ and sonship of God also has relationship with the Holy Spirit.  Understanding the Trinity is at work in justification and sanctification, in 4:6 we see recognition of the Spirit to develop the emotional dependency of a child to the Father.

Galatians 4:6 is strikingly similar to Romans 8:15-26, where we read of sonship, the Spirit, adoption, and “Abba Father”. “Abba” is much more than its often translated meaning of “daddy”.  Although that symbolysm of dependency is valuable, there is deeper meaning.

“The word Abba appears in certain legal texts of the Mishna as a designation used by grown children in claiming the inheritance of their deceased father. As a word of address Abba is not so much associated with infancy as it is with intimacy.”  George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, p. 307). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Living in intimacy with the Godhead, as His sons and daughters, should bring confidence.  As adopted children, we must learn to see ourselves as He see us.  In that moment of identity realization, we can boldy approach His throne!

Deprecated: Function wp_make_content_images_responsive is deprecated since version 5.5.0! Use wp_filter_content_tags() instead. in /home1/rlamars/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6078

4:5  to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Why? That is so often a question asked by toddlers in their quest to understand their world.  In reality it is a very appopriate questions for adults to ask.  Discovering why something occurred, or why someone acted in the way they did, provides clarity in the midst of uncertainty.  In Galatians 4:5, Paul answers a major why questions in relation to God’s motivation to send His Son, Jesus, to the world.  The preceeding verse discussed the timing of God’s decision, and 4:5 discusses the motivation.

Redemption and adoption are two deeply theological statements.  Both of these are used in 4:5 to describe God’s motive.  When Christ came as a mind, He came to earth fully under the Law.  In order for Christ to redeem us from the Law, it was necessary for Him to live under the Law.  Given that Galatians is written to a Jewish and Gentile audience, it is understood that Christ’s redemption was intended for both the Jew and the Gentile.  2 Corinthians 5:21 reminds us that Christ became sin for us.  Christ’s redemption from the curse and captivity of sin, makes possible a new life through adoption.

As adopted sons and daughters of God, we have full rights as heirs.  2 Samuel 7:14, Ephesians 1:5, Romans 8:23 and 9:4-5 give us further clarity into the signficance of our adoption.  Given that adoption was a common, legal system in a Greek influenced culture, the readers would have understood the significance of being adopted.  In this culture, adoption involved being chosen and instated as a full heir, even if the adoptee was an adult.

Being a child of God has deep significance and great meaning.   To realize that God chose to send His Son to earth so that we could be redeemed as His children is humbling and thrilling.  Don’t be afraid to ask why, and be confident in His answer.

Deprecated: Function wp_make_content_images_responsive is deprecated since version 5.5.0! Use wp_filter_content_tags() instead. in /home1/rlamars/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6078

4:4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Realizing that God is the master of order and omnisicience, try to imagine the stirring of anticipation in Heaven when we told His Son that the time had come for Him to go to earth.  The energy among the angels must have been overwhelming with praise and joy.  Theologians have attempted to determine the trigger that caused God to choose the time that He did to send Jesus.  Was it the development of a common language on earth to facilitate the spread of the Gospel?  Was it the Pax Romana, which was a period in history known for peace and stability?  The reality is that we will never know.  God exists outside of time, yet He sent His Son to live within human time at just the right time.  Calvin said, “the time which had been ordained by the providence of God was seasonable and fit.… Therefore the right time for the Son of God to be revealed to the world was for God alone to judge and determine.” George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, p. 301). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

When according to God’s view of time He saw it fit, He sent His Son to earth!  The essence of the Gospel can never be told without including this critical element!  Motivated by love and in fulfillment of a covenant promise, God sent His Son.  Beyond John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 8:6, Colossians 1:15-17, Romans 8:3, and Philippians 2:5-9 help us better grasp the significance of Christ, being fully God, coming to earth to be fully man, without giving up His deity.  The incarnation of Christ was a pivotal moment to pave the way for redemption.

It is important for Paul in Galatians 4:4 to move beyond just the Gospel significant statement of God sending His Son to earth for the sake of redemption.  As Paul’s argument has been centered around the Law, it is  that God sent His Son, “born of a woman”.  Essentially, Paul is stating that Jesus came under the Law.  Jesus being born of a women, specifically of a virgin, ties Him to humanity.  His life was fully susceptible to the fears of all mankind.  He experienced pain and heartache, just as we do.  This allows Christ to continually empathize for us, as He serves as our Mediator to the Father.

Paul’s likely objetive in this verse was to communicate the essecne of the Gospel, while empahsizing the fully humanity of Christ on earth.  As Paul will continue in the following verses, Christ’s experience of the Law paved the way for His abolishment and fulfillment of the Law.  That reality is something for us to celebrate here on earth, now!