“Full Rights as Sons”

(part 1)

“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father.”
Galatians 3:26-4:2

A slave in ancient times had no rights or claims to his master’s inheritance. The inheritance was reserved for the sons. Likewise, when we were steeped in sin (slaves to sin), we had no claim or rights to the promises of God. However, when we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we became sons and heirs.

Paul recognized that the believers in Galatia were not exercising their “full rights as sons.” They were heirs, but they were like children. They owned the whole estate, but were not benefiting, because they lacked the maturity to operate in it.

A child, that is heir to an estate, is likened to a slave, in that he cannot operate without the aid and consent of a guardian or trustee. He is bound by his own immaturity. In light of this, Paul is encouraging the Galatians to move beyond just thinking like heirs and to see themselves as sons. An heir has rights to what is promised, but it is only available to them at a “time set by the father.” A son, however, in ancient times, had access and rights to the promises at any time. Remember the story of the prodigal son. He went to his father and said “Father, give me my share of the estate.” His father didn’t argue with him, he simply divided the estate between them. The young man was more than just an heir…he was a son!

Nevertheless, we cannot attain, to the place of “full rights” as sons as long as we are still acting like children. Paul makes a clear connection between the need for spiritual maturity and receiving full rights as sons. He told the Corinthian Church in 1 Corinthians 3:1-2:

“Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly- mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly?”

Notice how he equates being worldly and being mere infants in Christ. As a “mere infant” we are just as constrained by others as a slave is to his master. As “mere infants” we are constrained by the teaching, leading and direction of others. We can be easily “blown around” by every wind of doctrine:

“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become MATURE, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.”
Ephesians 4:11-14

Again, Paul is calling the church to “maturity”…so that we may attain to the full rights as sons.





Pastor Scott Burr http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com