Gal. 4:1-9  "Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; 2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. 8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. 9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?"

"Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; 2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father." The word, "servant," comes from the Greek word, "doulos," meaning "bond servant" or "slave." This carries the thought that a child is just like a servant until the time his father determines he can assume his position as the heir of the house. Until that time, he is under the rule, direction and instruction of the father. He is not free until the father sets him free. He differs nothing from a servant until the time appointed of the father. The comparison of a child to a servant until the time appointed of the father is made for both the children of God under the law and Christ who came under the law to redeem his people.

"Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:" The phrase, "under the elements of the world" is defined for us in the text to mean "under the law" (See verse 5). We as children of God were in bondage under the law until the time appointed of the Father. We were not free from that law until the time God determined that we would be made free from that law. We were servants to the law until the time appointed of the Father. We were bond servants to the law.

"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." The people of God were held in bondage under the law until the time appointed of God. In the fullness of time (at God's appointed time) God sent forth his Son Jesus Christ who was made of a woman and made under the law. Christ laid aside the glory he had with the Father to come to this low ground of sin and sorrow and be made of a woman (virgin birth of Christ; without sin) and to be made under the law. He came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill the law: Matt. 5:17 "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Christ kept the law perfectly and in so doing became the perfect sacrifice for the sins of his people. His people were under the law and Christ came to redeem them that were under the law. Having redeemed them from the bondage of the law, we receive the adoption of sons.

We are by nature the children of Adam and under the curse of the law of sin and death. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law having been made a curse for us as he hung on the tree of the cross. He satisfied Divine justice for us so that we are now judiciously perfect in the eyes of a just and holy God. In order for our bodies to be adopted into the family of God, the price for our sins had to be paid. Christ paid the price for our sins and now we are legally sufficient to be the children of God. The adoption process will be completed and consummated in the resurrection.

"And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." The presence of the Spirit of his Son in our hearts is evidence that we are sons of God. Not only does the Spirit of his Son in our hearts cry Abba, Father, but we also cry Abba, Father: Rom. 8:15 "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." Because the Spirit of his Son is in our hearts crying Abba, Father, we having received the Spirit of adoption also now cry, "Abba, Father." The term "Abba, Father" is a term of close endearment. The only other time it is used in the scripture is when Christ cried out in the garden: Mark 14:36 "And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt." Because of the redemptive work of Christ and because of the spiritual birth given us by the Holy Spirit we now have that close endearing relationship with God as our Father as Christ had with the Father. "Amazing Grace!"

"Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." We are no longer servant (bond slaves) under the law, but now our position before God is that of a son. This also makes us an heir of God through Christ. Truly, God's grace is amazing. We have been taken from being hell deserving creatures and have been made sons of God and joint heirs with Christ. All of this has been given to us by God's amazing grace.

"Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. 9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?" In this statement, Paul brings us back to the condition of the Galatian brethren who had turned back under the elements of the law for their attempts at worship. He points out to them that prior to knowing God they did service unto them which by nature are no gods. Their service was unto the world system and to the false religions of the world and their false gods. Yet God, according to his amazing grace, had sent forth the Spirit of his Son into their hearts and made himself known unto them and they consequently knew Him.

Paul then reproves them for turning back to the weak and beggarly elements of the law, which only brings them into bondage. They had turned from a belief in the amazing grace of God whereby Christ had redeemed them from the curse of the law and had turned back into the very law service that had enslaved them.

Gal. 4:10-18   "Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. 12 Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all. 13 Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first. 14 And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. 15 Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me. 16 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? 17 They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them. 18 But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you."

"Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years." The brethren at Galatia had gone beyond observing circumcision as a requirement for salvation. They had also adopted many of the elements of the law service under the Old Testament economy. In the New Testament church there is no observation of days, or months, or times, or years. The Old Testament had many elements of observing certain days (Passover day, week of unleavened bread, seventh day Sabbath, Year of Jubilee, Day of Atonement, 7th year Sabbath of land, New moons, days of fasting, etc.). Often when a group of people go beyond the gospel of the grace of Christ and adopt the false "grace, but" doctrine they began to take elements of the old law service. Examples of this are tithing, observation of holy days, priestly intercessions, etc.

"I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain." Paul is not saying that he is afraid of their person, but he is afraid that they have turned so far from the truth that his labour for them in the true gospel of the grace of Christ and of the true worship of God had been in vain.

"Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all. Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first. And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me." Paul reminds the Galatian brethren of how they had at the first received the gospel of the grace of Christ and the manifest love in which they had received. They knew of Paul's physical infirmities, yet had received him as though an angel of God or even Christ Jesus had preached unto them the grace of Christ. They had rejoiced and had been willing to given to Paul their own eyes if possible to assist Paul with his infirmity.

Paul reminded them of that great joy they had experienced and the attendant love that it made manifest in them and the blessedness that they had spoken of in their joy of hearing the truth that Christ had saved them from their sins by his grace. But if salvation is under the law, then the blessedness of the grace of Christ would have disappeared and all that they had previously experienced would have been in vain.

"Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?" When people depart from the truth, those who told them the truth and remind them of the truth are often then considered the enemies of those who depart from the truth. Yet, Paul was not their enemy, but a beloved brother who was trying to show them the error and danger of their departure.

"They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them. 18 But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you." The false teachers who taught that you must be circumcised in order to be saved, had invoked a zeal in the Galatian brethren. They had become very zealous of this error. They, no doubt, were zealous proponents of this error, thinking that a person must indeed be circumcised for the grace of God to be effective. The false teachers had excluded them from the truth and in effect from the true church of Jesus Christ.

Zeal is good if it is found in the way of truth and not in error. We need to be zealous for the truth. Zeal for error, however, is not a good thing. Zeal does not make something either true or false. We should be zealous for the truth regardless of whether the preacher is physically present with us or not. We should know if what we are zealous for is the truth or error. If it is error, then we should lay it aside. If it is true, then we should be very zealous for it.