These small group studies of Galatians 4 contain outlines, cross-references, Bible study discussion questions, and applications. Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.
Galatians 4 Bible Study Guide – Sons and Heirs of God
Outline
I. Adopted as sons (1-7)
II. Do not turn back to become slaves again (8-11)
I. Adopted as sons (1-7)
Discussion Questions
• What is Paul’s main point in this passage?
• How does it relate to what Paul has been teaching in the first three chapters?
• How is an heir like a slave when he is still a child?
• In this illustration, who would the guardians and managers be?
• What are the elementary principles of the world that enslave people in verse 3?
• What can you learn about God from the phrase “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His son”?
• How did Jesus’ coming change His followers’ status?
• What happens when a person becomes a son of God (verse 6)?
• What is a believer’s relationship to God described as?
• What should a good son do?
• How are we heirs? What are we heirs to? What should an heir do?
Cross-References
Romans 8:17 – And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
1 Peter 1:4 – To an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.
Titus 3:7 – So that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Galatians 5:1 – For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Romans 8:15 – The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.
Romans 6:22 – But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. The heir is no different from a slave until he comes of age – In the last passage, we learned that every person in Christ is equal, Jew or Gentile. The Jews believed that they were heirs of God by birthright. But Paul made it clear that only those in Christ were legitimate heirs. Furthermore, every person in Christ, slave or free, Jew or Gentile, is Abraham’s offspring and heir of the promise.
Here, Paul makes it clear that being an heir doesn’t really mean anything until a person “comes of age” by personally trusting in Christ. A child who is an heir of a vast estate is placed under the care of guardians and managers (and also a tutor, Galatians 3:24). These supervisors have complete control over the child. He must obey them in everything. They tell the child heir when to get up, when to eat, what homework to do, and when to go to bed. He needs to ask for permission to do anything. For all intents and purposes, he is like a slave!
This subordinate role to the guardians will last until the date set by his father, the date of coming of age when the heir receives his title and estate. Only then is he set free from the control of these guardians. Only once the date set by the father has passed will he not function as a slave anymore.
2. In the same way we were enslaved to the elementary principles of this world – Here, Paul brings his point home. Believers, like the slave heirs in his example, were enslaved until they came of age by receiving Christ.
They are slaves of the elementary principles of the world, which is man-made religions. In Bible school, I did a brief survey of over fifty religions worldwide. Every single one of them (except for the gospel of Jesus) teaches a works-based salvation of some kind. Why are the religions all the same? They are the same because they come from the mind of man.
Wherever you go in the world, people follow the same basic logic. That logic is simple. You have to do something good to compensate for the wrong you have done. Many believe that there is something like a giant scale. Your bad goes on one side, and your good on another. If the good outweighs the bad, then you can make it heaven, or whatever variation of that your own religion believes.
This is the elementary principle of the world. Jews who tried to attain salvation by following the works of the law obeyed it. Gentiles, who by their own nature tried to diligently keep their rules-based religion, followed it.
Make no mistake. This exact deception is still widely believed today. I often ask people a question like this, “If you were to die today and face God and He asked you why He should let you into heaven, what would you say?” A large percentage of Western people would answer in some variation of, “I am a good person.” They believe that their goodness, religion, and adherence to a set of rules will save them. It will not.
Works-based religion offers only slavery. It offers a burden that no person can carry, and a standard no person can achieve.
Man-made religion cannot save. It cannot take away your sin. You cannot compensate for the wrong you have done (James 2:10). God is 100% holy, but you can never be no matter how hard you try. Therefore, man-made religion offers a two-fold slavery. First, you are still a slave of sin. Second, you are a slave to the system of rules, which you can never wholly follow.
3. When the fullness of time had come – God has His perfect timing. From the very beginning, God’s plan of redemption was to send His Son into the world to save sinners by dying and rising again from the dead. It wasn’t a plan B. However, His plan was progressive. Throughout the Old Testament, He was preparing people for Jesus to come.
The Old Testament demonstrates people’s total depravity and complete incapability to reach God’s standards. It reveals that a perfect sacrifice is necessary if we are to be saved. And in the Old Testament, God prophesies that He will do this so that we can know it is of Him when it happens.
Then when the religious and political climate was exactly right, God sent His Son to this world. Jesus was born of a woman and born under the law. Being born under the law, He followed the law, and He fulfilled the law (Matthew 5:17).
God’s timing is perfect. Often, we cannot understand God’s plans. Why does He wait? Why doesn’t He act now?
God always has a reason, and His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). When the Jews were enslaved in Egypt, they prayed to God for help. God answered their prayers, and Moses was born. But they had to wait eighty more years for deliverance! In those eighty years, the people become a nation.
Application: Are you waiting for God to act or answer a prayer? Write down any reasons you can think of that He might be making you wait. Then, whether or not you could think of any reasons, pray to God and tell Him that you trust in Him and are willing to wait for His timing.
4. To redeem those under the law – Jesus was born under the law to redeem those under the law. He fulfilled the law for all of those who tried but could not. At the same time, He also redeemed those who were not under the law.
5. You are no longer a slave, but a son and an heir – This is the good news of this passage! We do not have to be slaves of this world, nor do we have to be slaves to the burden of the law. Jesus frees us from all of that. He adopts us into His own family as His children (John 1:12).
As God’s children, we have a special and personal relationship with Him that we could never have otherwise. And that is what salvation is about. It is not about following the works-based rules of a man-made religion. Salvation is about having a relationship with Jesus, which is what sets the teachings of the Bible apart from every other religion in the world. It is about relationship, not rules and religion.
Our relationship with God is sweet and precious. Verse 6 says we can call Him “Abba, Father.” “Abba” is an Aramaic term of endearment, which means “Daddy.” I love it when my kids call me “daddy.” It shows the close bond of love which we have. When they call me this, I know that I am more to them than an authority. I am more to my kids than someone who hands down rules to obey and chores to do. I am their friend, and we have a deep love for each other.
We can have this same relationship with the King of Kings. Kings do not allow access to just any person. If you try to force your way in to talk with a monarch, you will be arrested. But you know who has access to a king? His children. While the most important nobleman might have to wait outside until he receives a special invitation, children are allowed in. There was once a son who ran up to sit in the king’s lap while he was at a council. Some nobles stared at the boy in surprise, but he simply answered, “He is my dad.”