Galatians 4:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father.

NIV: The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father.

NASB: but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father.

CSB: Instead, he is under guardians and trustees until the time set by his father.

NLT: They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set.

KJV: But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.

NKJV: but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father.

Paul loves to teach through illustration and analogy. He began a useful comparison in the previous verse, describing the son of a wealthy Greek man of that era. Such a child may be the future owner of everything around him, and yet have no more freedom than a slave, while he is still a child. Prior to the agreed-upon time, the heir's rights are not much different from those of a servant.

Now Paul continues, explaining that this son lives under the authority of guardians and managers. While the managers oversee the estate and make decisions about property and investments, the guardians discipline the boy. His tutors guide and protect him until a specific date is reached. This date is when the boy's father has decided to allow him to inherit his portion of the family estate. Until that day arrives, the boy will continue to live as a slave, with limited freedom over his own life.

Paul will describe in the following verses how the experience of this child is similar to Israel's history, living under the law of Moses. In a separate, but related sense, this might apply, as well, to the Gentile believers' previous history under the pagan philosophies of their own culture.

Galatians 4:1–7 paints the picture of the heir of a wealthy son, who remains without freedom himself until he actually receives his inheritance. This corresponds to the customs of the time, when even wealthy children lived under the control of teachers and guardians. Paul insists that the crucial day has already come for all who trust in Christ. We are no longer under the supervision of the law of Moses. Christ has bought us out of slavery and into God's family. In Him, Christians are adopted as full children—we are God's heirs. We are given the Holy Spirit, making it possible to call Him our ''Abba,'' meaning ''Father.''

In this chapter, Paul uses three new methods to teach his Galatian readers an important lesson. It is futile to follow the law of Moses in order to be made right before God, since justification comes only by faith in Christ. First, Paul shows that the arrival of Christ made it possible for all people to become God's children through faith in Him. Next, Paul makes a more personal appeal, asking what has changed to cause the Galatians to turn on Paul's teaching of the gospel. Finally, Paul builds an allegory from Scripture, illustrating the difference between being born into slavery and being born into the promise by faith in Christ.

Galatians 3 ends with Paul stating, once more, that those who are in Christ are Abraham's offspring, just as He is, making us heirs along with Him. Galatians 4 continues that idea, showing how Christ's arrival signaled the moment all people could receive the inheritance with Him and be adopted as God's children. Paul makes his appeal personal, asking why the Galatians moved from blessing him to rejecting the message of Christ. The chapter ends with Paul's allegory about the difference between being born into slavery under the law and being born into freedom by the power of the Spirit through faith in Christ. Chapter 5 will continue by expanding on the freedom we have in Christ.

Galatians is sometimes called “a short Romans” for its similar themes of justification and sanctification through faith. A group of Christians known as “Judaizers” were preaching a gospel of legalism, rather than grace. Paul’s main purpose in writing the letter to the Galatians was to reiterate the true nature of the gospel: we are justified (made righteous) and sanctified (made more Christlike) through our faith in Jesus Christ alone. This letter was probably written shortly before the church elders in Jerusalem issued their official refutation of the Judaizers, commonly called the Jerusalem Council.