Galatians 4:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

NIV: Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father.'

NASB: Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, 'Abba! Father!'

CSB: And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba, Father! "

NLT: And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, 'Abba, Father.'

KJV: And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

NKJV: And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

Paul continues to describe the amazing truth that those who come to Christ by faith are freed from slavery to the law, as well as to our own sinfulness, and are also adopted by God as His own children. Now Paul points to the Holy Spirit as the confirmation of this adoption.

God sends His Spirit to live in the hearts of every one of his adopted sons and daughters. The Holy Spirit is referred to here by Paul as the Spirit of His Son. He moves into our hearts and gives us the right, along with Jesus, to call out to God as a young child calls out to their "daddy." Abba means "father" in the Aramaic language. Because it's easy for young children to say, like the English term dada, it's what most young children would call their father. Without our own sinfulness and the law standing between us and God, we can live with God as little children do with a trusted father.

This verse helps to show how each member of the Trinity is involved in our salvation. God the Father sent the Son to save us, then sent the Spirit to live in our hearts.

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.

Accessed 5/1/2024 9:28:16 PM