Galatians 4:4-7 Abba! Father!

Galatians 4:4-7  “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.  Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’  Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.” (NASB)

Now today’s Scripture is just too big a bite to chew in the format of the periodic devotion and yet it is incomplete if chopped up.  So I’ve chosen to give you the whole passage but I’m going to reference only one of many points to make from it.  Please read and take at face value the message of our inheritance.  Today I’d like to focus on the God part of the passage.

I have referred to the Trinity in past entries and we’ve even seen Scriptural examples referencing the Father and the Son or the Son and the Spirit.  The significant aspect of this passage that I’d like to address today is the Trinity.  In Galatians 4:6, just one little verse, all three persons of the Trinity are revealed.  This passage reads, “Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’”.

Let’s break it down.  Although Father, Son and Spirit are all God, this passage initially references the first person of the Trinity as, “God”.  We know this because of verse 4 which says, “God sent forth His Son”.  In other words, Jesus didn’t send himself.  He “Emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men” Phillipians 2:7 in obedience to the direction of the Father.  It was the Father, “God” who sent Him.

So we have established the presence of the Father and the Son in the passage.  Verse 6 goes on to share the results of our, “Adoption as sons”.  That result is the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit being sent.  “Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit”.  So again we have the Father sending but this time He sends the Holy Spirit.  And it is worth noting here where the Holy Spirit is sent.  The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of His Son, is sent, “Into our hearts”.  When Christians claim Jesus in their heart, this is the Scriptural basis for the claim.

Let’s also not neglect the affect referenced here as to the Spirit of the Son living in our hearts.  That affect is an outpouring of, “Abba! Father!”  This phrase is interesting because it is actually the same word twice.  So, Abba! Father! Literally means Father, Father.  It is rendered “Abba! Father!” Because Abba is actually the Syrian word while patēr is the Greek word also for Father.  The Bible dictionary I consulted indicates that with mixed languages in use words were often doubled in this way.  So the Holy Spirit evokes from us our plea to our Heavenly Father, “Abba! Father!”.

So as Christians we believe that God is one but exists as three persons, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  This passage referring to all three is a significant proof text for this doctrine.  We are thankful today that the Father sent His Son, Jesus and that when His work on earth was finished and He returned to heaven the Father sent the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts and testify from within as to the Truth of His Word.  AMEN!