Redeemed and Able to Cry, “Abba Father!” (Galatians 4)

Scripture reading – Galatians 4

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Galatians 4

Today’s Scripture reading is from Galatians 4. Our Bible study focuses on Galatians 4:1-7, where Paul continues his picture of the Law of God as our “schoolmaster” (Galatians 3:24) by contrasting a master’s son under the tutelage of a servant assigned to be his tutor.

From Slavery to the Sonship as a Child of God (Galatians 4:1-2)

The opening verses of Galatians 4 present a portrait comparing a servant (i.e., a tutor) to God’s law in a sinner’s life. In Paul’s day, masters often appointed a servant to guard, discipline, and guide their sons. As a child, the master’s son was subject to the servant, though he was destined to be the heir and master of his father’s household. Indeed, Paul writes that the heir, “as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all” (Galatians 4:1). Only when a father declared his son mature enough to oversee his inheritance and household affairs was he no longer subject to the servant-tutor (Galatians 4:2).

The Application of a Son Being Subservient to a Servant (Galatians 4:3)

We were born into a world under the bondage and curse of sin. Galatians 4:3 says we were “in bondage under the elements of the world” because we are “by nature the children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3).

One purpose of the law is to instruct mankind about sin (“I had not known sin, but by the law,” Romans 7:7) and its penalty (“for the wages of sin is death,” Romans 6:23). Yet, according to the law, “there is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10; Psalm 14:3; 53:3). Indeed, “by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20).

How and why did God’s Son come? (Galatians 4:4-5)

God the Father, having instructed mankind by the law regarding sin, determined to redeem man [pay the price of man’s debt to the law] by sending His Son, “made of a woman, made under [subject to] the law” (Galatians 4:4-5).

The implication of God sending His Son is that the Son was with the Father eternally and was sent forth “made of a woman, made under the law” (Galatians 4:4). The Son of God was, in fact, the Eternal God and “equal with God” (Philippians 2:6). Being “made of a woman” (Galatians 4:4), the Son of God became flesh (“form of a servant…likeness of men,” Philippians 2:7) and was “made under [subject to] the law” (Galatians 4:4). Born of a woman, Jesus was truly man; made under the law, He was subject to every aspect of the law and kept them perfectly.

Recognizing the universal need for a Redeemer to pay the sinner’s debt, God the Father sent His Son to “redeem them that were under the law” (Galatians 4:5). Each of us needs redemption, for “there is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). The Scriptures tell us that “all the world [is] guilty before God” (Romans 3:19) because “all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). Christ came not only to redeem us but also “that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Galatians 4:5).

What does redemption accomplish? (Galatians 4:6-7)

Those who receive by faith the gift of God’s redemption through the sacrifice of His Son are freed from the penalty of sin and are no longer slaves to it. We read in John 1:12, “But as many as received him [Jesus], to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”

Having been redeemed, believers are no longer aliens to God but are adopted “sons” (i.e., children of God). Therefore, “God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into [our] hearts,” enabling us to cry, “Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6). Paul concludes, “Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Galatians 4:7).

Closing thoughts –

“Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6) is a loving, wonderful expression of a believer’s personal, intimate relationship with God. Abba is the Aramaic word for “father,” the very word our Lord used in Gethsemane (Mark 14:36) and the same cry Paul describes in Romans 8:15.

Through Christ, we are redeemed and adopted as children of God, and through our relationship with Christ, we can pray to God, “Abba, Father!” What an excellent, blessed state!

Copyright © 2026 – Travis D. Smith 

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