When we were children, [we] were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world… Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.
Galatians 4:3, 8
A slave has no freedom. He does what he is commanded to do. The tragedy of the slave’s position is that his work never moves him to a better situation. His work cannot bring him freedom.
This used to be your position before God. You owed a debt that you could not pay. You had not fulfilled the demands of the law. You could not fulfill the demands of the law.
All of this put you in the position of a slave. You could not change your position by your own effort, no matter how hard you tried. The good news is that God has acted to win your freedom.
What has He done? Two things.
First, God sent His Son into the world. “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (4:4-5).
Second, God sent His Spirit into our hearts. “Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (4:6).
How does it feel to know that you are no longer a slave to sin and to the law, but are free in Christ by faith? Give thanks today for your freedom!
