Have you ever felt like an outsider in your own family? Or perhaps you have carried the weight of trying to earn a place where you belong. Many people live with a deep sense of not measuring up, striving to prove their worth to God or to others. The gospel offers a radical alternative: God does not merely tolerate us or hire us as servants. Through Christ, He adopts us as His own beloved children.
In Galatians 4:4-7, Paul paints one of the most beautiful pictures of salvation in all Scripture. “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’ Therefore, you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
Timing matters here. “When the fullness of the time had come” points to the perfect moment in history. God orchestrated every detail: Roman roads for travel, Greek language for communication, and the moral vacuum that made people hungry for truth. Into that moment, God sent His Son.
Jesus was born of a woman, fully human, and born under the law, fully subject to its demands. He lived the perfect life we could not live and fulfilled the law completely. His purpose was redemption: to buy back those enslaved under the law’s curse and demands. The goal was not just forgiveness. It was an adoption. We receive the status of sons, full members of God’s family.
In the ancient world, adoption carried deep meaning. A Roman citizen could adopt a son, granting him full legal rights, inheritance, and family privileges, often even above natural-born children if they proved unworthy. God adopts us in an even greater way. We were not worthy, yet He chose us in Christ and gives us every spiritual blessing.
Paul contrasts two identities: slave and son. Before Christ, we were slaves to sin, to the law, to fear of judgment. Slaves obey out of compulsion and have no inheritance. Sons belong. They have intimacy, security, and a future.
The proof of this sonship is the Holy Spirit. “God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’” Abba is the Aramaic word for “Daddy” or “Papa,” an intimate term children used for their fathers. The Spirit within us enables this childlike confidence. Romans 8:15-16 confirms it: “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
This is not something we manufacture through effort. The Spirit testifies to our new identity. When doubts arise, when we fail, when accusations come, the Spirit reminds us: You are God’s child. You belong.
Because we are sons, we are heirs. Galatians 4:7 ends with this promise: “if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” Our inheritance includes eternal life, the new creation, the presence of God forever, and every promise fulfilled in Christ. It is not earned by performance. It is secured by our adoption.
This truth counters the false teaching in Galatia. The Judaizers wanted believers to return to slavery under the law, adding requirements to faith. Paul says no. Christ redeemed us from that slavery so we could live as sons. Going back to rules as a means of acceptance is like an adopted child refusing the father’s love and insisting on earning room and board.
Today, we face similar pressures. Performance-based faith tells us God will love us more if we pray longer, serve harder, or sin less. Cultural voices tell us our worth depends on achievements or approval. The gospel declares otherwise. Your identity is fixed in Christ. You are a child of God, not because of what you do, but because of what He has done.
This sonship changes everything. It replaces fear with confidence. Hebrews 4:16 invites us: “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” We approach not as strangers begging for scraps, but as dearly loved children coming to our Father.
It also fuels love for others. Knowing we are fully accepted frees us to accept others without judgment. We serve not to earn favor, but because we are secure in our Father’s love.
If you are in Christ, pause and let this sink in. You are no longer a slave. You are a son, a daughter. The Spirit within you calls God “Abba.” You are an heir of unimaginable riches.
If you have not yet trusted Christ, hear the invitation. God sent His Son to redeem you and adopt you into His family. Believe in Jesus, and receive this gift of sonship today.