The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. – Galatians 4:2

Today's Scripture Reading (April 12, 2024):  Galatians 4

As long as you live under my roof, you will abide by my rules. Maybe you have heard the words or even said them. There was a time when we all were subject to the regulations of mom and dad. But, at some point, we grew up, moved out, and set the rules for our kids to follow. In our culture, that age is usually anywhere from eighteen to the mid-twenties. In Jewish thought, the coming of age of a boy happens at the age of 13, and for a girl, this moment occurs at the age of 12.

But that is not to what Paul refers. He points toward "the time set by his father." This is the first hint that Paul is not following Jewish thought. He is thinking in a Roman way. Romans believed that only the father knew when the child was ready to take over the estate. And so, the father sets the age when the child can inherit; maybe that age is 13 or 30, or pick a number. It is all up to Dad.

Paul argues that this is where the whole human race existed before Jesus. We were slaves to the rules. Then, we were young. The time set by the father had not yet come. And so, even though we were heirs and the children of God, we weren't entrusted with the keys of the Kingdom. Even though we were heirs, our lives resembled more that of a slave. We had to keep coming back to make sacrifices. No sooner had we made the sacrifice than we found ourselves right back where we started, needing to sacrifice again.

But that cycle was broken by Jesus. No longer are we enslaved by the law. We are children of grace. The time set by the father had come. Jesus stepped into the world, becoming our sacrifice. We don't have to keep running back to make a sacrifice. Now, we have what Paul calls "a better way," the way of love.

But there is another phrase that we need to pay attention to, and it is, ^"So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world" (Galatians 4:3). That phrase "elementary spiritual forces" is an important one. It has come to mean the "ABCs of the Universe." The ABCs means the logical principle of cause and effect. It has been characterized by the idea of Karma and getting what you deserve, and getting what we deserve is a biblical concept. The Tanakh, or the Hebrew Bible, repeatedly says to do this, and you will be blessed, adding that you will be cursed if you do these things. Paul stresses that this idea of getting what we deserve was essential when we were underage. It is not that the ABCs of the Universe no longer have a role in our lives. It does. But where it does not have a place is in our relationship with God. When we were young, it did, but not in the age of Christ.

Paul makes this idea even more explicit in his letter to the Colossians. ^"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ (Colossians 2:8). And again later, Paul writes, "Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules (Colossians 2:20).

Why indeed. We are no longer underage; Christ has come with a maturity that carries us beyond the ABCs of the Universe.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Galatians 5