for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. [galatians 3:26]
so much truth packed into such a small verse!
for- meaning this verse explains the why of verse 25 [we are no longer under a guardian], or under the law. the law no longer serves to show us our need of the coming Messiah, a placeholder or babysitter until we come of age. it now serves to show us only our need for the Messiah who has already come and conquered! the age of a guardian is done, the age of Christ is here!
in Christ Jesus- those of us who trust in Jesus to reconcile us to God, who trust in His blood to cover our sin, who trust in His righteousness to gain eternal life, who trust in His priesthood to allow us to be in the presence of God Almighty, who trust in His advocacy for us daily, who trust in His Holy Spirit who lives in us to keep us to the end and bear fruit in our lives by overcoming our flesh, and who trust in His Word to continually reveal the beauty of His great name… are in Christ Jesus. who He is now fills us and engulfs us, changing us into His very likeness, from one degree of glory to another.
to be in Christ Jesus means buried with him in the likeness of His death and raised with Him to life.
it means we have the mind of Christ, we think about life from His very glorious and eternal perspective.
it means we walk in the light as he is in the light.
it means we walk in step with the Spirit.
it means we walk by faith and not by sight.
it means we walk humbly with our God.
it means we walk in the good works that God has prepared for us before we were born.
it means we walk in the same way Jesus walked.
it means we walk in newness of life.
to be in Christ Jesus means that Jesus Christ lives in us! we are a totally new person and we will live like it!
sons of God- sometimes in scripture the word children and sons are interchangeable and all inclusive, meaning it includes sons and daughters. however, this masculine noun is really significant, because in the day of this letter to the galatians, sons were the main recipients of a family’s inheritance. and since we are talking about being the heirs of the promise of abraham, it definitely makes a difference! we are not talking about the leftovers of a promise, or having to marry our way into the promise, or having a particular status to deserve this promise. in Christ, we are all sons of God! heirs to the promise of His presence, His glory, His all satisfying character, and bearing the excellence of His name! we now look more like Him, think more like Him, taking on His character as a son does a father. in Christ, all the blessings of God belong to us. what a staggering and humbling thought.
through faith– the qualifier. notice that in Christ Jesus, we are not all sons of God through service. we are not all sons of God through keeping the law. we are not all sons of God through our accomplishments in the church. we are not all sons of God through the faith of our parents. we are not all sons of God through our seminary degree, or our public prayers, or our rigid discipline, or, or, or, or…
only through faith in Christ Jesus. clinging to his cross. marveling in his blood. loving his redeeming love. and out of clinging to Christ, living like we are His.
o Father, give us desperate hearts that cling to Christ. may we live as sons of the Most High, for so you say we are. amen.
~ arwen eastman