Rooted in Sonship
Galatians 3:26–4:7 – Our Identity as Adopted Children of God
Introduction
What voices are shaping who you believe yourself to be? From social media to advertising to childhood wounds, we’re constantly bombarded with messages that try to define us. The Galatians faced this too, pressured by religious voices to prove their worth through law-keeping and conformity to human expectations. In our day, the pressures may sound different, but the root issue is the same: we forget whose we are.
Discipleship must begin with identity. Psalm 1 gave us a vision of the flourishing disciple, like a tree planted by streams of water. But the question remains: If we are a tree, what anchors us in the ground? What nourishes and stabilizes us? Galatians 3 reveals the root system: our adoption in Christ.
We don’t grow into disciples by self-effort. We grow because we are deeply rooted in the love of the Father, secured through Christ, and affirmed by the Spirit. This article calls us to remember who we are and live from our true identity.
Gospel Exposition: Galatians 3:26–4:7
Paul writes to believers struggling with spiritual amnesia. They had received the gospel with joy, but now were being tempted to find their identity in performance, keeping the Mosaic law, earning approval, and conforming to external rituals. Paul confronts this distortion with clarity: “In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith” (3:26).
This is a radical declaration. “Sons” in Paul’s context carried the legal rights of inheritance and status. Paul uses the term inclusively, applying it to men and women alike: in Christ, all believers, regardless of gender, race, or status, share equally in the rights and privileges of adoption.
We have been baptized into Christ and have “put on” Christ (3:27). This is more than a ritual; it’s the reality of union with Christ. To put on Christ is to be clothed in His righteousness, shielded by His perfection, and identified with His Sonship. Like a robe covering our shame, Christ covers our guilt and welcomes us in honor before the Father. God no longer sees us in our sin; He sees us in His Son. And as His children, we are welcomed to sit at His table as honored children.
This new identity reshapes our lives. This is why Paul says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (3:28). Paul is not erasing distinctions but reordering them. Ethnicity, class, and gender no longer define our worth or dictate our inclusion. The gospel creates a new family.
Because we are in Christ, we are also Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise (3:29). All the covenant promises, righteousness, blessing, and inheritance, are ours in Jesus. But Paul takes it further in chapter 4. Using Roman legal imagery, he explains that children under guardianship had no more freedom than slaves, even if they were heirs. Yet, when the appointed time came, they would be released into full sonship.
This is exactly what God has done. “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (4:4–5). Jesus entered our condition, born under the burden and demands of the law, and perfectly obeyed in our place. He bore the curse we deserved, freeing us from slavery to fear, performance, and shame.
But adoption is not just a change of legal status; it’s a change of relationship. God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” (4:6). The Spirit doesn’t just inform us of our adoption; He assures us of it. He cries out in us, not merely “God” but “Abba”, the intimate cry of a beloved child. Through the Spirit, we begin to experience what Jesus Himself enjoys: communion with the Father as children. And as He assures us of our belonging, He also begins to conform us to the likeness of Christ, the true Son, producing the fruit of love, peace, and joy in our lives.
So Paul concludes: “You are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (4:7). No longer slaves to fear. No longer orphans seeking approval. We are sons and daughters of our true Father, the King: fully known, fully loved, and forever secure.
Worshipping Jesus
- Worship the Father who chose you, not based on performance, but out of sheer grace.
- Praise Jesus, the true Son, who fulfilled the law and bore your curse, brutally killed outside the city, to bring you home.
- Thank the Spirit who dwells in your heart and assures you that you belong.
Reflection and Response
- Where are you tempted to seek identity in something other than being God’s child?
- How might your discipleship change if you truly believed you were fully accepted and honored in Christ?
- What rhythms or practices could help you more clearly hear the Spirit’s voice and root your identity in God’s love?
A Prayer
Father, I confess how often I forget who I am. I listen to the voices of shame, fear, and performance. I strive to earn what You’ve already freely given. Thank You for sending Your Son to redeem me and Your Spirit to live in me. Jesus, You bore my judgment and gave me Your honor. Spirit, speak to my heart, help me cry, “Abba.” Let me live today not to earn love but because I already have it. Make my life a witness to Your grace. Amen.
Discipleship Challenge
This week, meditate daily on Galatians 4:6: “Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” Write it out. Speak it aloud. Use it as a breath prayer. Ask the Spirit to speak it to your soul. Then share with a friend or triad one way your understanding of your identity is being reshaped by the gospel.
“So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” —Galatians 4:7