Daily Walk Through the New Testament

December 21

Read Galatians 3:21-4:20

Faith in Jesus brings us to a place the law was never intended to take us — the place of being sons and daughters of God. Paul said that under the law, people are slaves, but through faith in Jesus, those slaves become sons and daughters. The new identity comes through the process of adoption.
Biological children are a blessing from the Lord, but there is something unique about a child who has been adopted. Often, these children have a spotted past and a questionable future. But in love, someone seeks them out, pays whatever cost is necessary to bring them home, and cares for them in a way they have never experienced. The beauty of the gospel is that God loved us so much He sent His Son to seek us out, rescue us by paying the cost of our sins with His own blood, and bring us home to be reconciled to our Father, where we will enjoy His care in this life and the life to come for eternity. We have also been given a deposit that guarantees our inheritance — the Holy Spirit living in our hearts, who causes us to lovingly cry out in praise, “Abba, Father!” Or in other words, “Daddy!”
To be placed in such a loving family could never come by the acts of the law; it could only come through the faithfulness of Jesus on our behalf. That is why the law must stand to the side and simply applaud when this occurs, because this is what the law was leading us toward.
If you have put your faith in Jesus, give God thanks today that you are no longer a slave to the law. Praise your Father as an adopted child who lives freely in His kingdom!