The Law was an interim stage with a termination point. Therefore, Christians are no longer under it, and instead, are “in Christ.”
Enslavement under the “elemental”
forces of the old era ceased with the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who
came “in the fullness of time” to redeem those who were “under the
law.”
- “And I say, so long time as the heir is a babe, he differs nothing from a servant, though lord of all, but is under tutors and stewards till the time appointed of the father, so also we, when we were babes, under the elemental things of the world were in servitude, and when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, who came to be of a woman, who came to be under the law, that those under the law he might redeem, that the adoption of sons we may receive; and because you are sons, God sent forth the spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, 'Abba, Father!' so that you are no more a servant, but a son, and if a son, also an heir of God through Christ” – (Galatians 4:1-7).
ELEMENTAL THINGS
In the preceding passage, the Greek term
rendered “elemental” translates the noun, stoicheion, which
refers to the basic components that comprise a larger whole. Its sense is
something akin to “elemental, first principle, rudimentary” - (Strong’s
- #G4747).
In Greek literature, stoicheion refers
to the elemental principles of art, science, and discipline. From this came the
idea of “elementary principles.” It may refer to a single letter, a part of a
word, or a phrase. It conveys the idea of something rudimentary and simple.
To adopt circumcision now that Jesus has come
is to regress to something that is rudimentary and incomplete. It is comparable
to an adult who, though he possesses his full inheritance, chooses to return to
the minority status under the custodianship of a pedagogue.
CALENDARS AND CIRCUMCISION
By “elemental principles,” Paul has in
view the regulations of the Mosaic Law. This is borne out by his usage of stoicheion in
verses 9-10 when he describes Jewish calendrical observances:
- “But now that ye have come to know God…how turn you back again to the weak and beggarly elemental principles (stoicheion), unto which you desire to be in bondage over again? You observe days, and months, and seasons, and years.”
For a Gentile to submit to the regulations of
the Torah is tantamount to returning to the elemental
teachings of the pagan society from which God delivered him through faith in
His Son.
Likewise, Jesus freed Jewish believers from being under the “curse of the Law.” Its requirements were needed during Israel's minority, but not after the promised “seed” arrived.
Since the Law placed anyone who did not do
all the things that it required under the “curse,” inevitably, returning to the
obligations of the Law means coming under its “curse” once more.
Therefore, non-Jewish Christians should not submit to the rituals that Jewish disciples
are no longer required to keep.
REDEMPTION AND ADOPTION
“God sent forth his Son, having come to be
from woman, having come to be under the law.” Jesus was born a Jew under the
covenant obligations of the Torah until the “fullness of time”
arrived. Once again, Paul sets temporal boundaries on the jurisdiction
of the Law. It was to continue only until the “seed” came.
Jesus came to redeem those “who were under
the Law so that they could receive the adoption of sons.” This clause refers
to Jews in particular, and especially Jewish Christians. Their need for redemption
implies that being “under the Law” was tantamount to bondage. Paul’s
previous statement is conceptually parallel:
- “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, CURSED IS EVERY ONE THAT HANGS ON A TREE: that upon the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” - (Galatians 3:13-14).
The result of Christ’s redemptive act is “adoption.”
Believers are not “children” of God by birth, but by adoption. All human beings
are His creation, but not all are His children. Jews, likewise, became “sons”
and heirs by adoption - (Romans 8:15-23, 9:4, Ephesians 1:5).
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| [Photo by Sunguk Kim on Unsplash] |
Because Gentile Christians became His sons, He sent the “Spirit of his Son into your hearts.” This statement rounds off the argument that began at the start of chapter 3 when Paul reminded the Galatians that they received the Spirit while they were in an uncircumcised state - (Galatians 3:1-4).
GIFT OF THE SPIRIT
Throughout his larger argument, Paul has been
addressing a specific set of “works,” the "works of the Law,"
and not good works or human effort in general. The phrasing, “spirit of his
Son,” refers to the work by the Holy Spirit that molds the believer’s life
into the image of Jesus. What greater proof of the acceptance of Gentiles into
God’s covenant community can they possess than the gift of the Spirit?
The Apostle concludes his entire argument with
the statement, “So that you are no longer a slave but a son; and if a son,
then an heir through God.”
Thus, all who are “in Christ” are “heirs”
of the covenant with Abraham. And since they are “heirs” of the promise apart
from the “works of the Law,” why seek what the Law could never deliver
by obligating oneself to all its provisions? And doing so ultimately places one
under its “curse.”
Throughout Paul’s argument, the temporal
aspect is prominent. The Law as “custodian” was always an
interim stage between the original promise and the arrival of the “seed
of Abraham,” and thus, it had a predetermined termination point.
Consequently, believers are no longer “under the Law,” but instead, they
are “in Christ.”
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