“But when the right time came, God sent his Son into the world. A woman gave birth to him, and he came under the control of the laws given to Moses. God sent him to pay for the freedom of those who were controlled by these laws so that we would be adopted as his children. Because you are God’s children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into us to call out, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer slaves but God’s children. Since you are God’s children, God has also made you heirs” (Galatians 4:4-7).
Slaves are not free. They have to do whatever their owner says. They have no rights. They are trapped. Jesus said, “Whoever lives a sinful life is a slave to sin” (John 8:34).
God loves you so much that he was not okay with you being sin’s slave for your whole life. So when the exact right time came, God put his rescue plan into place. He chose to send his Son to buy your freedom. By completing his mission, Jesus signed your adoption papers. You are no longer a slave. You are God’s child. You are Jesus’ brother. You are Jesus’ sister. You get every single good thing that comes from being part of the family.
Sometimes, though, rich kids who know they have an inheritance coming forget to live in gratitude and actually live like spoiled brats. (You’ve seen those kids on TV, haven’t you?) As God’s heir, you actually live like a servant. You are now free to go around looking for more people to serve, telling them how Jesus has made them family too.
