Up to this point in Galatians, Paul has built a strong case that we can only be accepted by God through faith in the gospel. Keeping the Old Testament law is not necessary, and Paul masterfully appealed to the Old Testament to prove this, pulling out Abraham, Moses, Habakkuk, and the law itself to make his point.

But today, Paul is going to tell us what faith in the gospel does to us. When we truly believe, what happens to us? Our passage today tells us in fairly radical terms, first by telling us what we were (the bad news), and then by telling us what we are (the good news). So lets look first at what we were. He said:

23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:23-24)

What We Were (23-24)

1. Imprisoned (23)

The first thing we are without the gospel is imprisoned under the law (held captive, 23). Paul alluded to this in our passage from last week, the preceding verse, when he said that "the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin" (Gal. 3:22). The words Paul used meant 'to be protected by military guards'—guards who would keep an enemy out and inhabitants in.[^1] The word is used about Paul in one episode in the New Testament when the governor of Damascus guarded the city—and Paul's enemies also watched the gates—so Paul could not escape (2 Cor. 11:32, Acts 9:24). Paul was trapped in the city under the watchful eye of his opponents.

And the law does this to us—it restrains or imprisons us until Christ comes. The picture is one of being caged. A cage can limit behavior, but it cannot change a heart. I recently saw a video of a small toddler in front of a lion exhibit at a zoo. The child was totally safe in front of a strong glass wall. At one point, his parents had him turn to take a photo with the lions behind him. And, as he did, a lioness near him opened up its mouth and tried to wrap its teeth around the toddler's head, the glass prohibiting it from catching its prey. The cage kept the lion from doing what it wanted, but it still wanted.[^2]

That is how the law is for us. It cannot bring true inner transformation, but because it imprisons us until Christ, it slows down the practice of sin. If there were no ten commandments, no laws of nature, and no one had a conscience, sin would be worse than it is today.

2. Under A Guardian (24)

But the second thing we are before faith in the gospel is under a guardian. Paul said the law was our guardian until Christ came (24). In the first-century Roman world, wealthy families would appoint a guardian to supervise and discipline their children from around the age of six to sixteen. This guardian was usually a household servant, and there is not a good parallel in our modern society. They were much more severe than a tutor or teacher but were charged with teaching and training. [^3] Queen Elizabeth had a "governess" who helped shape her—there are some similarities. Perhaps vice-principal is our closest comparison! It was a role that spoke the truth and gave strong corrections to the emerging adult under their tutelage.

The law did the same for Israel and did the same for us before we came to Christ. It served like a mirror that showed us our flaws and imperfections, but it was powerless to substantially change any of those flaws.

Earlier this month, Christina and I went away for a couple of nights to celebrate our anniversary. We had a great time, and while away, we ate a lot of food. Well, the first morning we were home, I hopped on my scale. It's a scale that connects to an app on my phone and tracks me over time. But on that morning, I got a notification I don't think I've ever received before. It read, "This must not be Nate Holdridge. Who is this?" Thanks, scale. I get it. So now I'm trying to be good and make my scale happy.

That's what the law was like—a scale, a mirror, an honest governess who points us to our lack. And the conclusion we must come to is that we need another way to be accepted before God. And fortunately, that way has now arrived. As Paul wrote to the Roman church:

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. (Romans 3:21–22, ESV)

What We Are (25-29)

So that's a bit about what we were—imprisoned and guarded—but let's spend the rest of our time where the text does by thinking about what we become after placing our faith in Christ. What does faith in the gospel do to us?

1. Sons Of God (25-27)

First, we become sons of God after faith in Christ (25-26). Paul said:

25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (Galatians 3:25-27)

This idea presents us as graduates from the guardian, full grown sons in God's sight (25-26). When first-century heirs reached the maturity of adulthood, they were given garments that communicated their new status. And Paul alluded to our new graduation attire when he said we have put on Christ (27). And if we've believed in Jesus, it's as if we've been fully immersed in him—or baptized into him—so we are fully identified with the actual Son of God (27). We have a new status before Father God. We are no longer under a guardian or i,mprisoned by the law. We are now his children.

Some object to the idea that the gospel makes us sons of God because it doesn't feel gender-inclusive. Why not God's children or even sons and daughters?

For this, we must remember the context. In the first century, to say that female believers became sons of God elevated them beyond anything their culture held out for them. Only sons could be heirs in that Roman world; daughters could not inherit property in most ancient cultures. So when Paul calls men and women who trust in Christ sons of God, he is suggesting that we receive the exact same inheritance, no matter our gender.

On top of this, when you consider that Paul is saying faith clothes us with Christ, meaning we have the same position as the Son of God before Father God, it makes sense that we would be considered sons of God before Father God.

Next time I want to get into the difficulty some people have with thinking of God as Father. What I will say here is that I believe the father wound so many of us are nursing—along with the preoccupation therapists have with our dads and the mileage storytellers have gotten out of father stories—is an indication of the truthfulness of God's design. He made us with a father longing. It is a longing—a love—only he can satisfy, and it can have incredible ramifications on our daily living and inner health. I think one way to describe making progress in Christian maturity is that it's a continual process of learning of God as your Father.

I also want to mention, from this passage, an exhortation to parents and anyone who works with the next generations. Though the law could regulate Israel, it could not transform their hearts. Though the law could guard us, it could not change us within. For change to come, we needed to be changed, made into God's people. And though rules and commands are needed to help a child become mature and civilized and obedient, that should not be mistaken for true inner transformation. Being polite is not the same as being born again.[^4] What we should all be praying for and working toward is for children to have an epiphany-like experience of Jesus, that their eyes would be opened to his grace (Eph. 1:17-18, 14-21). Once this occurs, once Jesus is famous to them, they can begin to grow at the heart level.

2. One In Christ (28)

The second thing we become after faith is one in Christ Jesus (28). Paul said:

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)

According to Paul, the ways humanity normally wars against itself are made away with in Christ. It isn't that we lose our beautiful and God-given distinctions. In Christ, men are still men, women are still women, and cultures are retained and can be celebrated. And various classes find redemption and beauty because of Jesus. But before God and one another, we are all one in Christ Jesus (28).

Is there even one Jew or Greek, or anyone from any race or culture, who does not need the blood of Christ to become righteous? Is there even one person from the humblest or loftiest place in society who isn't in need of the gospel? Is there even one man or one woman who can be accepted by God according to their works? No, not one.

Paul knew that once anyone from anywhere at any time trusts Christ, they are transferred into God's family and totally clothed with Christ. And that radical unification with Christ makes us radically unified to one another.

This was important for the Galatians to hear because they were being told that, as Gentile believers, they were second-tier citizens in God's household. But the gospel makes us all one. Through him, the unity that so many crave is possible. In Christ, we can find unity across cultures, classes, and both genders.

In the same way that one human body is comprised of many parts, so we are unified to one another in Christ. We are one, on the same team, and in the same family. And none of us, in Christ, are in a forgotten or useless position before God. Every one of us has the same value before God.

Again, this idea was radical in the first century. For the Galatians to believe that people from a Greek culture were on the same level before God as the Jew, that women were on the same level as men, or that the poor in the church were on the same level as the wealthy, was revolutionary.

On this point, I should clarify that Paul is not arguing that our distinctions are erased because of Jesus. As I've already suggested, our racial and gender distinctions are of divine design, and our class distinctions can become beautiful when influenced by Jesus. But I have to say this because some have taken this verse are ripped it from its biblical context as a way to say that—specifically—gender is no longer something Christians should regard and that men and women are interchangeable.

If that is the Bible's message, it is horrible at communicating it. Elsewhere in Scripture, even in Paul's writings, maleness and femaleness are regarded as still relevant. Because they are, Paul had instructions regulating our sexual activity, the position of elder/pastor in churches, and the roles of men and women within the context of marriage (Rom. 1:26-27, 1 Cor. 6:9, Eph. 5:22-33, Col. 3:18-19, 1 Cor. 11:2-16, 1 Tim. 9-15).

Some of you might object that it is impossible to be both equal in Christ and have different roles. But in the same way that the Father, Son, and Spirit are equal within the Trinity yet have different and complementary functions, so we are equal before God yet have different and complementary functions, especially within the church and family structure.

Christ had a different role than the Father, but no less dignity than the Father, while men and women have different roles from one another in certain spheres, yet no less dignity. And though this is hard for many modern minds to accept, it should be beautiful in Christ to know that we are a great complement to one another, yet one in him. No one is less than in any way—the gospel does this to us—and this can set us free from sameness and help us embrace our distinctions.

I hope we understand this when it comes to the first category Paul mentioned—cultural or racial distinctions. We aren't to have a sort of colorblindness that cannot appreciate the different races, cultures, and heritages represented within the church today. We are to celebrate that God's kingdom is comprised of every tribe, nation, and tongue (Rev. 4:9-10). And neither should we obliterate both genders by pretending they don't exist. Instead, we should celebrate men and women for what God has made them to be.

As much as many modern believers have misunderstood Galatians 3:28, I should also say that the church has often failed to practice Galatians 3:28, even if they've understood it. Though we can rejoice that parts of the church stood up to the grievous sin of the transatlantic slave trade, has spoken and speaks up about inequality and racial prejudice, or fights for biblical forms of justice, there have been and are components of the church who look down on others. Whether it be one race looking down on another, one class looking down on another, or one gender looking down on another, it has no place in the body of Christ.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that Paul is talking to those in Christ about what the gospel produces. He was not talking to the Roman culture at large. But, as Christianity spread, changed hearts and perspectives would've slowly changed Roman culture. Christian parents who had thought only their oldest son was worthy of an inheritance might have begun thinking their daughters were worthy of one as well. Wealthy Christians who had gone along with Rome's version of slavery would have, through the gospel, seen how God saw every class of people. They would have slowly decided to set the captive free! And Jews and Gentiles, seeing the unity they had before Christ, would have begun to practice that unity in their churches.

All this would have begun to spread throughout everyday life in the Roman world as Christianity spread throughout the Roman world. This is part of the reason why many—including me—believe that what the world needs most in our divided times is the unifying message of the gospel. It might be slow, but it is our only real hope.[^5]

Some of you are squirming at this point for one reason or another, perhaps because you have not found the church to be a unified group but a divisive and divided one. And while church-caused pain is terrible, it is to be expected, because there is only one perfect member of the church—the cornerstone member, Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 2:4-8). The rest of us are flawed people who are in a process with God.

I recently saw an article about the discovery of a new emperor penguin colony in Antarctica.[^6] We know about sixty-one of these colonies at this point, but they are difficult to find because of the icy terrain they exist on. Apparently, however, the way they are discovered is by satellite imagery. Whenever the pristine white ice looks brown and muddy, scientists know they've found the penguins because even penguins go number two. It's a fantastic picture of the church. It can be a bit messy at times—we are people, after all—but despite all that, we need the colony! Be patient. Let's endure together.

3. Abraham's Offspring (29)

The third thing we become after faith in Christ is Abraham's offspring (29). Paul said:

29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. (Galatians 3:28)

Previous passages in Galatians have said as much—this is a reiteration. Belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ puts you in the line of Abraham—you are wrapped up in God's promises and plans to this father of faith!

It is hard to overstate how shocking this would have been to the Galatians. After the false teachers had circulated there, the non-Jewish Galatian Christians felt like second-class citizens in God's kingdom. How could they be truly special in God's sight since they were outside the Jewish community with all its ceremonies, laws, and codes? But now Paul says that they—and we also—are part of Abraham's family! We are not at all outside God's program—or even a secondary part of it. We are in!

We belong to the same class as the saints of old. In God's long and historical process of bringing his salvation plans to fruition, we are as vitally in his plans as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Biblical heroes like Moses, Joshua, and Samuel are not on one plane while we are on another. We are on the same level as David and Esther and Nehemiah and Isaiah. We are Abraham's offspring because we are Christ's (29).

This truth does not negate God's continued plans for the biological descendants of Abraham. God will one day revive his ancient people and fulfill the promises he made them thousands of years ago. But we are the spiritual seed of Abraham, considered part of God's program on earth in every way. We are no afterthought.

Conclusion

All the truths we've talked about today should fill us with meaning and significance. We are no longer imprisoned and guarded by the law. We are now sons of God because of the Son of God. We are now one in Christ because Christ broke down every wall of hostility between us (Eph. 2:14-16). We are now Abraham's offspring because we believed the promise just like he did (Gal. 3:11-14).

Notice the direction of all these changes. Our relationship with the heights of heaven has changed—we are sons of God. Our relationship with the breadth of humanity has changed—we are one in Christ with all others who've believed. And our relationship with the length of human history has changed—we are now part of God's long program of introducing his kingdom. This should infuse every one of us with a feeling of great significance, and I encourage you to meditate on each truth until that feeling arises. Up to heaven, around the globe, and deep into history, our lives have been changed by Jesus.

But how should we respond to all these truths? Here are a handful of suggestions:

First, if life under the law was one in captivity and under a guardian—if it couldn't produce true transformation—then we believers must turn to the right source for personal growth today. God has given us a new nature, and our flesh or old body of sin competes with that new nature, so we should feed the Spirit because he is the one who will transform us into all God has intended.

Second, if we are now sons of God, we should expect a lifetime of learning to experience God as our Father. We will jump into this more in our next study of Galatians, but this aspect of knowing God is of vital importance and is not gained overnight. Learning of God as our Good Father is clunky and awkward at times. We will often revert to a law code or angry dad way of relating to him. But we must keep pressing until we feel him for who he is: our loving and good Father in heaven.

Third, if we are one in Christ, we should resist the voices of division that seek to inflame us against other cultures, other classes, or the other gender. Instead, we should appreciate our differences and rejoice that, despite them, we are one in Jesus! Then, we should treat one another with the utmost respect.

And last, if we are Abraham's offspring, we should let it sink in that our lives are not accidents. We are part of God's long and beautiful redemptive plan, a massive family tree connected to Abraham, the father of faith. Many have come before us, and we are part of them. And many will come after us—hopefully from us—and we are part of them as well.

[^1]: Stott, John R. W. 2008. Galatians: Experiencing the Grace of Christ. Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press.

[^2]: USA Today. 2023. “Hungry Lioness Tries to Eat Unsuspecting Baby through Glass Wall at Zoo in China,” January 11, 2023. https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/have-you-seen/2023/01/11/lioness-chinese-zoo-tries-snack-baby-through-glass-barrier/11035184002/.

[^3]: Barker, Kenneth L., and John R. Kohlenberger III. 2019. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary the Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Old & New Testaments. USA: Zondervan Academic.

[^4]: Schreiner, Thomas R. 2010. Galatians. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[^5]: Keller, Timothy. 2013. Galatians For You. New Malden, England: Good Book Company.

[^6]: Gramling, Carolyn. 2020. “Penguin Poop Spotted from Space Ups the Tally of Emperor Penguin Colonies.” Science News Magazine. August 4, 2020. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/emperor-penguin-poop-satellite-images-space-new-colonies.