David Bahn – Reflections

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, ² but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. ³ In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. ⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

⁸ Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. ⁹ But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? ¹⁰ You observe days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹ I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

I don’t really know how to draw a modern-day parallel to the standing of a minor compared to a slave in Paul’s day. There are some limitations imposed on a minor. Everything from contracts, to voting, to alcohol and tobacco, driving, marriage, and legal accountability is limited for minors. These limitations are in place to ensure safety, development, and preparation for adulthood, though they may sometimes feel restrictive to the individuals they are designed to protect.

Our limitations before Christ are even more severe than a minor’s. How can we possibly stand before the King of the Universe and hope to gain access to his riches in our sinful, fallen, and broken condition? This goes beyond the matter of individual sins. These misdeeds, sins, failures, and wrongs testify to a deeper brokenness. We are not sinners because we sin. We sin because we are sinners.

But we must not try to use that as an excuse for sinning. Knowing that we are sinners reminds us of our need for Christ, but it does not diminish our responsibility to strive toward godly living. We do not use our sinful nature as a justification for sinful behavior, because that would abuse God’s grace. As Paul says in Titus 2:11-12, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.”

Christ has come to redeem us from the curse and power of the law, not to enslave us to a life of giving into sinful desires and profligacy. We have been redeemed. And as Paul says in Romans 6, “We’ve died to sin, how shall we live in it any longer?”

There are times when I am reminded of past sins – things for which I am deeply ashamed and for which, if there is no grace and hope, I would be forever lost and condemned. But at the right time, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem us who would forever perish if it were not for his grace and forgiveness.

Growing up into Christ is not only a matter of becoming more spiritually mature. It is also a matter of becoming more deeply thankful for his redemption, forgiveness, grace, and love.