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"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."
GALATIANS 4:4-5
FROM SLAVES TO SONS
"To redeem" means, literally, "to buy from the slave market." By His death on the cross, Jesus did just that for us: He bought us out of our bondage to sin.
After God redeemed us, He adopted us as His children and heirs. In Rome, adopted children had the right to be legal heirs as long as their adoption was performed in the presence of witnesses. The witness to our adoption into God's family is the Holy Spirit. The Spirit also joins us as family to Christ and to other Christians.
Furthermore, we are reborn as divine royalty, receiving a new nature through the Spirit.
Finally, we are privileged to call the almighty God "Abba," an intimate term for a father that was rarely, if ever, used in Judaism to address God.
Are you living this blessed reality? Are you enjoying the freedom of forgiveness, of having been bought out of your slavery to sin? Are you thriving in your Christian family? Are you calling out to Abba as a loving and loved child? If not, why not?
from Discovering God's Daily Agenda
by Henry & Richard Blackaby