July 19, 2026

UNIT 2 Letter to the Galatians

LESSON: 7

Study Text: Galatians 3:26-4:31

Central Truth: Through Jesus, we can  become God's beloved children.

KEY Verse-- Galatians 3:26-27 Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

  For as  many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ (KJV).

You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in  baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes (NLT).

LET'S GET STARTED

Our adoption into God's Family does not happen because we earn it or deserve it. Instead, becoming God's son or daughter is by faith alone. 

DISCUSSION STARTER--Famous Adoptions

Who are some well-known people that are adopted orb have adoptive children of their own? _______________________________________________________________________________.

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The greatest adoption story is the one every Christian experiences when he or she is set free from sin and becomes part of God's family. The  Galatian false teachers thought it could happen through human effort, but Paul argued that only faith in Jesus could bring about this transformation. earlier in Galatians 3, Paul compared those under the Law to children with an especially harsh teacher (verse 24-25). But now justification by faith has arrived through jesus' work on the cross, believers have become true children of God. The status was  not earn, but given freely through faith in Jesus.

                                                                 PART 1--God's Children Through Faith

          United in Christ                                     Galatians 3:26-29

Paul reminded the Galatians that all believers are God's children through Jesus (Galatians 3:26). He then explains that the outward sign of inclusion in the Church is baptism in water. His emphasis is church unity; he is not suggesting baptism itself was required for justification. Paul commonly used the metaphor of taking off and putting on clothes to describe the Christian's new way of life (Galatians 3:27; Romans 13:14; Ephesians 4:21-24; Colossians 3:9-12). Putting on Christ requires taking off the old clothes of sin and the old way of approaching God through the Law. A believer cannot wear both sets of clothes, as the Galatians were trying to do. One of the results of justification through faith is that the people of God are unified. Social, economic, and cultural distinctions fade away as believers become "one in Christ" (Galatians 3:28). Of course, this does not mean that such differences no no longer exist. Men are not the same as women and Jews are not the same as Gentiles. However, our primary identity should be derived from our position "in Christ." If you identify more with someone because you share the same race, gender, political alignment or social status than you do with another believer, you are allowing your identity as "in Christ" to fall from its primary status. Unity among  the body of Christ comes from putting our identity as "in Christ" before any other identity.

? What kinds of divisions exist in the Church today? How would Paul respond?

        Adopted into God's Family                         Galatians 4:1-7

Paul uses the illustration of a will to explain the transition from Law to grace (Galatians 4:1-3). In the first century, even if a father died, his children would not receive control of his estate until they came of age. In the meantime, the estate would be managed by guardians appointed on their behalf. The children would have had no more control of the inheritance than a servant. But the  father had established a time for the oversight of the Law to end (verse 4). Jesus was fully human and could represent humanity as the sacrifice for sin. Jesus was born under the conditions of the Law, and He could fulfill the Law and end its time of guardianship. No longer slaves to sin and the Law, those who follow Jesus are adopted as God's own children. In the ancient world, adoptions required a witness. In this case, the witness to a Christian's adoption is the Holy Spirit, who inhabits the believer as a witness of his or her new status with God. The Spirit allows us to relate to God directly as children, not through the restrictions of the  Law. Now Christians have received freedom from the  Law and a new relationship with God. As His children, we are heirs of His promises (Galatians 4:7).

? Why does it matter that believers are adopted by God?

PART 2--Do Not Abandon Faith

Don't Return to Slavery         Galatians 4:8-11

When Paul first met the Galatians in Lystra, they tried to make sacrifices to him and Barnabas as Hermes and Zeus (Acts 12-13). According to Paul, this meant they were "slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist" (Galatians 4:8). Paul couldn't fathom, the Galatians were turning away from the gospel that saved them and once again embracing slavery "to weak and useless spiritual principles of this world" (verse 9). The master they chose this time was the Jewish legal system. Paul rebukes them harshly, implying he is uncertain he can even declare they really know God. The most he can say is that God knows them. Paul mentions the many feasts and  holiday that were observed by Jews, arguing that these rituals do not earn God's favor and followers of Jesus are no longer bound to them. Paul's emotion throughout his letter to the Galatians apparently comes from fear for their salvation (verse 11). If they continue being slaves to the Law, Paul's efforts would have been for nothing. The territory claimed for God's kingdom would be lost again.

? What are some "so-called gods" (Galatians 4:8) that people worship today?

  Live in Freedom              Galatians 4:12-20

In Galatians 4:12, Paul pressed the believers in Galatia to "become like me, for I became like you" (NIV). Paul's approach to evangelism rooted itself in empathy with his audience. Paul next reminded the Galatians that he had experienced physical infirmity when he had first visited them (verse 13). This time, they treated him with kindness. They received him as God's messenger and showed him the same honor they would have showed Jesus. Paul feared the situation had changed. Because he exposed the false teachers, he wondered whether the Galatians may have turned away from him (verse 16). The false teachers' true motive was to separate the Galatians from Paul (verse 17). He was not jealous; he wanted the Galatians to be treated well, but only for the right reasons and in the right way. He showed his care for the Galatians by using a personal term: "dear children." He even compared his work among them to a mother's pains in childbirth.

• ?Describe how Paul's relationship with the Galatians evolved over time.

PART 3-Children of Law or Faith

      Abraham's Two Sons             Galatians 4:21-27

In Galatians 4:21, Paul began directly addressing the false teachers and their followers. Rather than using the legal code to make a case for justification by faith, Paul once again argued from the section of the Law that centers on Abraham. He used allegory to apply the story of Hagar and Sarah to the situation in Galatia. These two women serve as an illustration of God's two covenants, " he explains (Galatians 4:24). Hagar is Mount Sinai, the place where the Jews had first received the Law. Sarah is "The heavenly Jerusalem" (verse 26). As the free woman whose child  came through faith rather than works, she represents believers who are justified by faith. Paul then quoted Isaiah 54:1, a prophecy concerning the return of the Jewish exiles from Babylon (Galatians 4:27). According to Isaiah's prophecy, the Jews who returned from exile would be more prosperous than those who had gone into exile. Christians--justified by faith--belong to the  heavenly Jerusalem, the new covenant. This  new way of justification by faith would produce more descendants than the Law ever could.

? How have you been tempted to add human effort to Jesus' completed work? 

Children of the Promise           Galatians 4:28-31

Paul explained that Christians, like Isaac, are "children of the promise" (Galatians 4:28). The false teachers claimed obedience to the Law, including circumcision, was required for someone to be Isaac's spiritual descendent. But God's promise and Abraham's faith predated the introduction of circumcision. Spiritual birth only happens through faith (verse 29). Paul finds a clear call to action in Genesis 21:10, where Sarah demands that the slave woman and her son be cast out because they have no share in the inheritance of the freeborn. Paul suggested in Galatians 4:30 that  the Galatians must permanently free themselves from slavery to the Law by casting out the false teachers and destroying their legalistic influence. Since Christians receive justification by faith, they belong to the free woman's lineage (verse 31).

? What kind of persecution might legalistic Christians impose on others today (Galatians 4:29)?

WHAT IS GOD SAYING TO US?

Through our faith in Jesus, God has united Christians into one family. Regardless of background, culture, language, gender, or economic status, a believer's new identity is child of God. This status enables to receive God's promises, including eternal life, as His rightful heirs.

LIVING IT OUT

All believers are God's children through faith in Jesus. Embrace your new family!

             DAILY BIBLE READINGS

                            Monday: God's Fatherly Compassion. Psalm 103:8-18

                      Tuesday: God's Rebellious Children. Isaiah 1:2-9

                  Wednesday: Father to Israel. Jeremiah 31:1-9

                            Thursday: Live as Children of God. Matthew 5:43-48

                   Friday: Becoming God's  Children. John 1:6-13

                    Saturday: God's Great Love for Us. 1 John 3:1-3

RADIANT LIFE

Volume 107 Number 3 Mar. Apr. May 2026

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