“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.” — Galatians 4:4-5
There are many “gospel summaries” in the Scriptures and Galatians 4:4-5 should certainly be grouped among them.
In this passage consisting of just one sentence, Paul describes the history of salvation from God’s decree to its completion.
But beyond that, he also communicates clearly who the Savior is, how he accomplishes it, and to what end.
It is these latter three elements that I would like to invite you all to consider today.
Who is this Redeemer, the Savior of God’s elect? Paul tells us that he is God’s “Son,” sent by Him and “born of a woman.” This short phrase teaches us the doctrine of Jesus’s deity, his humanity, and the union of both natures within him.
He is divine (God made flesh, John 1:14) because he is God’s very own Son sent from Him, not descending from men according to ordinary generation.
At the same time, he was born of a woman, which shows us that he was truly made flesh, a human being like you and me.
Yet, this Redeemer is one person, one Redeemer, fully God and fully man.
How Jesus accomplished this was by being “born under the Law, to redeem those who were under the Law.”
In order to save sinners, Jesus voluntarily became subject to the Law, to live in perfect obedience to it, thereby fulfilling it in our place.
John Calvin offers the following comment in his Commentary on Galatians: “A free man redeemed a slave by making himself a surety; by putting the chains on himself he took them off the other.
In the same way, Christ chose to submit to the law in order to gain an exemption for us.” Simply put, he took the place of his people, which delivered them up to freedom.
Finally, to what end did God send his son to redeem us? For “adoption as Sons.”
This speaks to the unwaveringly personal nature of salvation. God sent forth his Son to save us not only from our sins, but into his family.
He gave us Christ so that like him, we too would come to share in the benefits of being God’s children. This is a blessing that is surely more than we can fully comprehend.
All of this goes to show the great importance of the incarnation, or the human birth, of our Lord Jesus Christ.
While some of the theology surrounding his birth and work may be difficult to wrap our heads around, we must never think of it as unimportant.
Every element of it matters and was perfectly planned and brought forth by God to accomplish the salvation of his people — everyone who receives and rests upon Christ by faith as he is offered in the gospel. Amen.
The Rev. Will Barnett is the pastor of Sovereign Grace Reformed Church in Doniphan. He and his wife, Hannah, are the parents of two boys, Henry and Judson. They are from the Puxico and Bernie areas and are excited and thankful to be back serving in Southeast Missouri. Previously, Barnett pastored a Southern Baptist Church in Arizona.
