Galatians: Freedom through Christ – Part 7

The Family of God – Galatians 4:1-20

Crosspoint – Dave Spooner – October 26, 2025

Introduction

• “Family” is a word that brings up strong emotions, and I am not sure what emotions that word brings up in you. For some of you, there are strong emotions of love, connection, and happiness. For others, there are strong emotions of pain, sorrow, and suffering. And I imagine that for most of us, there is a mixture of these emotions, a deep love for each other and also a deep longing for what could have been or should be in the present.
• The Bible, in many ways, is a story about family. From the opening pages, God is a family within the Trinity. From this family, God creates a human family in Adam and Eve, and from this family come all the families of the world. We were created in and for families, and this is why there are such strong emotions in and for them. We are “hardwired” for them down to our very DNA.
• The Old Testament traces the story of humanity in general and then focuses in on one man, Abraham, and his family, specifically the lineage of a promised son, Isaac, and to his son Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel.
• God made a one-of-a-kind covenant with Abraham, who believed the promises of God that are specific and unique to him, his “seed,” and his family. The promises were personal: to be His God, to give him a people (descendants as numerous as the stars), to give him a place (a permanent land to dwell), and to give him a purpose, to be a blessing to all the nations. This family was to inherit all these things as heirs to the promise (see Gen 12-22, specifically Gen 12:1-3, 13:14-17, 15, 17:1-14, 22-15-18).
• God gave this family His family values, His rules on how they were to relate to Him and to each other, and who they were to be (the Torah). The children struggled to live up to and within these values as God was seen as a Lord rather than a Father. God’s ultimate desire was for His children to have His heart and His character, and to live out those things as true children of God.
• God in His grace and goodness sent His promised Son, Jesus the Christ, to live as a human perfectly under the law in order to give His Spirit to all those who believe so that they can be children of God, and heirs of the promise. This truth has profound implications for all humanity. We are invited, included, and adopted into God’s expanded family, giving us a new identity, community, and security in our forever family for eternity.

The purpose of this message is to convince you to claim your identity as a child of God and to live together as God’s family.

• Please open your Bibles to Galatians 4 (page 1003 in your pew Bible). We are going to divide our passage into two big sections, with two main points: you are God’s child (v. 1-11) and we are family (v. 12-20). We will discover what those truths mean for our identity and community.
• In this section, Paul continues to tell the story of God’s people who were living under the law, bringing the story up to Christ and what that means for us now.

You Are God’s Child

Galatians 4:1-11 NIV

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. 2 The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world. 4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? 10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! 11 I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.

• Paul is saying that in our collective development as children of God, while we were under the law, the law acted like a guardian until the time was right and we no longer needed the guardian, or training wheels, if you would like, and were ready to walk in the fullness of what we are.
• This was only made possible through the perfect Son who lived as we should and could not, to free us from the law by giving His Spirit to live in us so that we would have the heart, mind, and characteristics of the family.
• God adopts us into His family when we believe the promise of new life and life eternal that comes through the grace given to us by the perfect Son, and we receive His Spirit to live as full family members. This invitation is extended to all who believe, meaning you don’t have to be a physical descendant of Abraham to receive the promise, but a spiritual descendant of Abraham through the same faith that Abraham had.
• We become a child of God not because we earned our way there, but because He adopted us into His family, making us heirs of the promise and giving us the Spirit of the one and true Son. This is astounding and should take your breath away. This is the good news of the Gospel. We don’t have to earn our way in; we are in because He adopted us.
• Now that we are in Christ, He is our identity. He is in us, making us true and right children of God. This is your identity, beyond and before your family of origin or any other characteristic you have or club you belong to.
• We don’t have to be enslaved by the “elemental spiritual forces of the world” to obey their demands and desires, nor are we to be enslaved by the guardian of the law, having to live by its demands and requirements. So, don’t turn back and live according to them; live now according to your new nature and your new characteristics, by the new Spirit of Christ that is living within you, has redeemed you, and is remaking you into the image of Jesus.
• We are now to adopt the values of the family that we have been adopted into, because this family is our new and permanent forever family. In this next section, Paul describes how we are to relate to one another as a family.

We Are Family

Galatians 4:12-20 NIV

I plead with you, brothers and sisters, become like me, for I became like you. You did me no wrong. 13 As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you, 14 and even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. 15 Where, then, is your blessing of me now? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

17 Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them. 18 It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you.

19 My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, 20 how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!

In our family . . .

• We become like each other (v. 12) – This is what families do. As we spend time together, we adapt to each other and adopt similar ways of thinking and relating to one another, echoing each other’s actions and attitudes, “spurring each other on to love and good deeds” (Heb 10:24). This is what our family does.
• We take care of each other (v. 13-15) – Paul first came to the people of Galatia because of an illness. He preached to them, and they believed. They took care of him, as if he were Jesus Christ Himself, offering him anything they could to comfort and cure him during his time of great need and hardship. This is how we are to live as children in the family of God, treating others as if they were Christ, and loving each other from the heart as expressed through practical care, help, and hospitality, through sacrifice and service to one another. This is what our family does.
• We have loving disagreements with each other (v. 16) – We do this because we love each other so much that we tell the truth to each other. We do this while maintaining our relationships with one another. This is healthy and helpful, and at times it’s hard, but we do this because we love each other. This is what our family does.
• We are deeply committed to each other (v. 17) – One of the primary reasons Paul was distressed and angry with the Judaizers is that not only were they looking to enslave this church back to following the Old Testament laws, but they were also ripping apart the church, drawing the believers away from each other, and drawing them to themselves. Our commitment to each other must be greater than our commitment to anyone or anything else, including personalities, parties, or personal platforms. This is what our family does.
• We are zealous for the good of each other (v. 18) – We want what is best and good for each other, regardless of what it is or how it affects us. We rejoice when others rejoice, and we work for their joy and good. We do not pull each other down, but lay our lives down to lift others up. This is what our family does.
• We labor for Christ to be formed in each other (v. 19) – Our ultimate goal is that each one of us will be like our older brother, who is Christ. We want to become like Him, so we help each other do so by encouraging and supporting what is good, and correcting and healing what is broken. We work at this, we labor at it, so that we will reach the full measure of maturity in and of Christ (Eph 4:13-16). This is what our family does.
• We long to be rightly together with each other (v. 20) – We long to be together, and to be so with nothing between us, to be in right relationship with each other. Not in avoidance or annoyance, or in anger or fighting, but in love, grace, friendship, and connection. This is what our family does.

Conclusion

• Family can be complicated. For some of us, that word brings a flood of joy, belonging, and connection. For others, it stirs up pain, disappointment, and longing. Yet into all of that, the gospel speaks a deeper truth, that in Christ, we have been adopted into a new family: God’s family.
• We are no longer slaves trying to earn our place. We are sons and daughters who have been chosen, loved, and secured by the Father’s grace. We are heirs of His promises and recipients of His Spirit.
• Because we are God’s children, we belong to each other. The family of God is not perfect, but it is permanent. We are called to love one another as Christ has loved us, to care for each other in weakness, to tell the truth in love, to stay committed when it’s hard, to labor for Christ to be formed in each other, and to long for unity and peace within the household of faith.
• So, live out who you already are. You are not an orphan trying to find a home; you have one. You are not an outsider trying to earn your way in; you’ve been welcomed and given the family name. Live as a beloved child of God, and love your brothers and sisters as He has loved you.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are.” 1 John 3:1

Our prayer team is available to pray with you after the service, near the “prayer” sign at the front of the sanctuary, and also in the prayer room, located next to the offices. Also, you can send your prayer request to prayer@crosspointrockford.com

Questions for Small Groups

1. What emotions or memories come to your mind when you hear the word family? How does your experience of earthly family affect the way you view God as Father?
2. What does Paul mean when he says we are no longer slaves but sons and heirs (Gal 4:7)? How does this truth shape your daily identity?
3. Why do you think it’s easy for Christians to “turn back” to the old ways of earning God’s favor (vv. 8-10)? What helps us stay free in grace?
4. How do you see the characteristics of God’s family (care, truth, commitment, zeal, etc.) lived out in your small group or church community?
5. Which of Paul’s family descriptions (care, truth-telling, commitment, zeal, laboring for Christ, longing for unity) do you need to grow in most?
6. What does it mean for “Christ to be formed in you” (v. 19)? How can the people in your group help each other grow toward that goal?
7. What’s one practical way you can live more fully as a child of God and a family member in the body of Christ this week?