December 13: From Slaves To Children
Scripture
But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.
—Galatians 4:4–7 (NLT)
Before Christ came, the world was like a child waiting to grow up, stuck under strict guardians. People tried to obey the law, offering sacrifices and following rituals, but they often lived in fear of God’s wrath because perfect obedience was impossible. They were slaves to a system they could not fulfill. But then, everything changed. Paul says, “When the right time came, God sent his Son.” Jesus was born subject to the law so that He could be the only one to fulfill it perfectly. And He did.
God sent Jesus on a specific mission: to buy freedom for us. Jesus purchased your freedom. Stop and let that sink in. You are no longer a slave to the law. The law is still good and we should obey God, but we are no longer enslaved by the fear that our performance determines our standing. Why did He buy our freedom? So that He could adopt us as His very own children. He didn’t just want servants; He wanted sons and daughters.
The problem many of us face is that we still find ourselves straddling two covenants. We know we are saved by grace, yet we often live with an Old Covenant mentality, thinking, “If I try harder, God will love me more.” But that is the voice of the slave, not the child. As Brennan Manning wrote in Abba’s Child, “Our identity rests in God’s relentless tenderness for us revealed in Jesus Christ.”¹ A slave worries about performance; a child rests in that relentless tenderness. The Father looks at you and says, “I love you and I want you.”
Because you are His child, God sent His Spirit into your heart, prompting you to call out, “Abba, Father.” This is a cry of intimacy, like a child calling out “Daddy.” God desires that kind of closeness with you. He wants you to have the kind of childlike trust that jumps into a parent’s arms without thinking twice, knowing you will be caught. You are not a slave living in fear; you are an heir living in love. Everything God has is yours, and nothing can change your status as His child.
Reflection
1. Do you find yourself “straddling the covenants,” feeling like God loves you more on days when you perform better spiritually?
2. How does the phrase “relentless tenderness” change the way you view God’s attitude toward you right now?
3. What holds you back from crying out to God with the intimate trust of “Abba, Father”?
Prayer
Thank God for purchasing your freedom and adopting you into His family. Confess any tendency to live like a slave who needs to earn love through performance. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with a deep sense of intimacy, helping you trust God as your perfect, loving Father today.
Footnote:
¹ Brennan Manning, Abba’s Child: The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging.