The vitality of all our communities of faith lies in the understanding that Church is who we all are Monday through Saturday, and beyond our Church building walls.
When you read the four gospels, which are the primary sources of what we need to know about Jesus’ life and ministry, nowhere did the Son of God came to start your local Church (your denomination, etc.).
The only place, of course, Jesus mentions the word “Church” or “Ecclesia” (Εκκλησία) in Greek, is after Peter’s response to His question:
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. Matthew 16:18.
I have written a few reflections on Church on my blog. So, that’s not what I want to discuss in this specific article.
To help us with today’s reflection, read Galatians 4:4-7 from your Bible or below:
But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
Before reading the next lines, and if you have not done so, I encourage you first to review what we’ve studied so far. It’s going to help you make a better sense of what we reflect on throughout this article.
We are sent as God’s daughters and sons
Back to Galatians 4, and I would like you to take a look at verses 1 through 3,
What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world.
Paul, the author of this letter to the Church in Galatia, makes the point that there is no difference between a son/daughter and a slave (see verse 1).
Even though the son or daughter is the heir of everything, but, because of being underage, he or she will always be subject to guardians and trustees (managers).
That was the law then, just as it is today when it comes to how to handle minors. Isn’t it?
Then, in verse 3, Paul compares that state of being to our faith.
The point here is for as long as we continue to stay enslaved to the elementary principles of the world, we will never claim our ownership of what is already ours.
Spiritually speaking, if you are still an underage son or daughter, you have no freedom. And, this freedom affects all four states of being: spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical.
Just imagine giving your car keys to a 9-year-old kid. That’s a risk no parent or adult would ever want to take. Right?
I’d say that God thinks of us the same way even though a lot of times, we, Christians, step out into the world as spiritual minors. Or, we send spiritually underaged people to serve the world.
Of course, when it comes to spiritual maturity, that’s a topic for another day. In the meantime, review what we’ve covered so far in this series to help you with that.
Now is the right time
The concept of spiritual maturity raises the question of how do we know we are ready to be sent forth into the world.
Read Paul’s words,
But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”
Spiritual maturity begins with freedom from slavery from all the elemental spiritual forces of the world (see verse 3).
But, we experience that freedom through redemption by faith in Christ, the Son of God (read verse 4).
Redemption through faith in Jesus Christ doesn’t only set us free from spiritually being underaged children. It helps us receive adoption as Children of the Living God (see verse 6).
And, as a result, we are filled with the Spirit of God’s Son. The Holy Spirit fills our hearts to the point we become legal sons and daughters of God.
Consequently, we are no longer slaves to our sinful way of life, our past, failures, human law. We are heirs and now can inherit everything according to God’s will and plan (read verse 7).
Bringing it together
God sent Jesus so that by faith in Him, God sends us forth into the world. Every single day is the day God wants to send you out to be the Church. Through Jesus, we have come to know God the Father better. Therefore, God will make Himself known to others through you too. And, that happens every day, Monday through Saturday.
