Adoption as God's Children through Faith
Galatians 3:26-4:7
Gal.3.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- παντες: ADJ,nom,pl,m
- γαρ: PART
- υιοι: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- θεου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- εστε: VERB,pres,act,ind,2,pl
- δια: PREP
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- πιστεως: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- εν: PREP
- Χριστω: NOUN,dat,sg,m
- Ιησου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
Parallels
- Romans 8:14-17 (thematic): Both texts teach that those who belong to God (by Spirit/faith) are 'sons of God' and heirs with Christ, linking sonship to participation in Christ and the Spirit.
- John 1:12 (verbal): Affirms that receiving/ believing in Jesus results in becoming children (sons) of God—parallels Galatians’ emphasis on faith in Christ as basis for divine sonship.
- Galatians 4:6-7 (structural): Develops Gal 3:26’s claim: God has sent the Spirit of his Son so believers are legally heirs—no longer slaves but sons and heirs.
- Galatians 3:7 (verbal): Links faith to family membership: those 'of faith' are Abraham’s offspring—parallels Gal 3:26’s connection between faith and belonging to God.
- Galatians 3:28 (thematic): Both verses stress unity and equal status 'in Christ Jesus'—Gal 3:26 (all are sons through faith) and 3:28 (no social distinctions in Christ).
Alternative generated candidates
- For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith.
- For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal.3.27 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- οσοι: PRON,nom,pl,m
- γαρ: PART
- εις: PREP
- Χριστον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- εβαπτισθητε: VERB,aor,pass,ind,2,pl
- Χριστον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- ενεδυσασθε·: VERB,aor,mid,ind,2,pl
Parallels
- Romans 6:3-4 (verbal): Uses the same baptismal language ('baptized into Christ/into his death') to describe identification with Christ and newness of life through baptism.
- Romans 13:14 (verbal): Commands believers to 'put on the Lord Jesus Christ,' using the same clothing metaphor of assuming Christ as Gal. 3:27.
- Colossians 3:10-14 (thematic): Employs the 'put on' clothing imagery ('put on the new self,' compassion, love) to describe moral/identity transformation in Christ.
- 1 Corinthians 12:13 (thematic): Speaks of being 'baptized into one body' by the Spirit, connecting baptism with incorporation into Christ and communal identity.
- Galatians 3:28 (structural): Immediate contextual parallel: the baptismal/putting-on language in 3:27 leads into 3:28's statement of new identity and unity 'in Christ' (no Jew/Greek, slave/free, male/female).
Alternative generated candidates
- For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
- For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Gal.3.28 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ουκ: PART,neg
- ενι: PREP
- Ιουδαιος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- ουδε: CONJ,neg
- Ελλην: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- ουκ: PART,neg
- ενι: PREP
- δουλος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- ουδε: CONJ,neg
- ελευθερος: ADJ,nom,sg,m
- ουκ: PART,neg
- ενι: PREP
- αρσεν: ADJ,nom,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- θηλυ·παντες: ADJ,nom,sg,n+ADJ,nom,pl,m
- γαρ: PART
- υμεις: PRON,nom,pl,2
- εις: PREP
- εστε: VERB,pres,act,ind,2,pl
- εν: PREP
- Χριστω: NOUN,dat,sg,m
- Ιησου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
Parallels
- Colossians 3:11 (verbal): Uses the same negation of ethnic and social distinctions ('not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free') and concludes with unity in Christ, echoing Gal.3:28's claim of oneness in Christ.
- 1 Corinthians 12:13 (verbal): Explicitly lists 'Jews or Greeks, slaves or free' and ties these categories to unity in one Spirit and one body, paralleling Gal.3:28's categories and unity in Christ.
- Ephesians 2:14-16 (thematic): Describes Christ as breaking down the dividing wall between Jews and Gentiles and creating 'one new man,' thematically mirroring Gal.3:28's emphasis on the removal of ethnic and social divisions in Christ.
- Romans 10:12 (thematic): Declares 'there is no distinction between Jew and Greek' and affirms the same Lord for all, reflecting Gal.3:28's claim of equal status before God through Christ.
- Acts 10:34-35 (allusion): Peter's declaration that God shows no partiality and accepts people from every nation who fear him anticipates the inclusive principle behind Gal.3:28's abolition of ethnic and social barriers.
Alternative generated candidates
- There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
- There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal.3.29 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ει: VERB,pres,act,ind,2,sg
- δε: CONJ
- υμεις: PRON,nom,pl,2
- Χριστου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- αρα: PART
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- Αβρααμ: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- σπερμα: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- εστε: VERB,pres,act,ind,2,pl
- κατ᾽επαγγελιαν: PREP+NOUN,acc,sg,f
- κληρονομοι: NOUN,nom,pl,m
Parallels
- Galatians 3:16 (verbal): Directly connected clause about the promise being to Abraham's 'seed' (singular) — Paul identifies the seed as Christ, which undergirds the claim that belonging to Christ links one to Abraham's promised offspring.
- Galatians 4:28 (thematic): Paul speaks of believers as 'children of promise' like Isaac, echoing the language of promise and inheritance used in 3:29.
- Romans 4:13-16 (thematic): Argues that the inheritance comes by promise and is received through faith, paralleling Gal.3:29's emphasis on heirs 'according to the promise.'
- Romans 8:17 (allusion): If we are children we are heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ; links the ideas of belonging to Christ and being heirs, complementary to Gal.3:29's reverse formulation ('if you are Christ's... heirs').
- Acts 3:25 (thematic): Peter appeals to the covenant promise to Abraham that 'in your offspring all the families of the earth shall be blessed,' implying that the audience shares in Abraham's promised blessing — similar to Paul’s designation of believers as Abraham's heirs.
Alternative generated candidates
- And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.
- And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.
Gal.4.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Λεγω: VERB,pres,act,ind,1,sg
- δε: CONJ
- εφ᾽οσον: CONJ
- χρονον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- κληρονομος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- νηπιος: ADJ,nom,sg,m
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- ουδεν: PRON,acc,sg,n
- διαφερει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- δουλου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- κυριος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- παντων: ADJ,gen,pl,m
- ων: PRON,gen,pl,m
Parallels
- Galatians 3:23-25 (verbal): Uses the same courtroom/tutor imagery — believers formerly 'held in custody' under the law and kept under 'guardians and tutors' until faith was revealed, paralleling the minor/heir and guardians motif in 4:1–2.
- 1 Corinthians 7:20-22 (thematic): Addresses social status at the time of calling (slave/free) and the Christian perspective on such status; thematically parallels Gal.4:1's contrast between legal status (heir) and present condition (as a child like a slave).
- Romans 8:14-17 (thematic): Develops the theme of adoption and heirship — believers as God's children and heirs with Christ — which in Gal.4:1–7 is the goal toward which the heir’s maturity/sonship leads.
- Ephesians 1:5 (thematic): Speaks of God's predestining/adoption 'to himself as sons,' echoing Gal.4's concern with sonship, inheritance, and the transition from dependent child to full heir.
Alternative generated candidates
- I mean this: an heir, while he is a child, differs nothing from a slave, though he is owner of all.
- Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he differs nothing from a slave, though he is the owner of all.
Gal.4.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- αλλα: CONJ
- υπο: PREP
- επιτροπους: NOUN,acc,pl,m
- εστι: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- και: CONJ
- οικονομους: NOUN,acc,pl,m
- αχρι: PREP
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- προθεσμιας: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- πατρος: NOUN,gen,sg,m
Parallels
- Galatians 4:1 (structural): Immediate context: verse 1 introduces the image of the heir as a child, which v.2 develops—same argument about a child being under guardians until the appointed time.
- Galatians 3:23-25 (thematic): Earlier in Galatians Paul compares the law to a guardian/custodian (παῖδαγωγός) that held people until Christ came—same idea of being under supervision until a set time.
- 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 (verbal): Uses the term οἰκονόμος (steward) and discusses the role and responsibility of a steward—verbal and conceptual overlap with Gal.4:2’s οἰκονομος.
- Luke 12:42-46 (thematic): Parable of the faithful and wise steward (οἰκονόμος) whom the master appoints and to whom duties are given until the master's return—parallels the steward/guardian imagery and the idea of authority delegated until a set time.
- Acts 1:7 (allusion): Jesus’ statement that it is not for the disciples to know the 'times or seasons' which the Father has fixed (ἣν ὁ Πατὴρ ἔθετο) resonates with Gal.4:2’s 'until the time appointed by the father'—shared language about an appointed time determined by the Father.
Alternative generated candidates
- But he is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by his father.
- But he is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father.
Gal.4.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ουτως: ADV
- και: CONJ
- ημεις: PRON,nom,pl,1
- οτε: CONJ
- ημεν: VERB,impf,act,ind,1,pl
- νηπιοι: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- υπο: PREP
- τα: ART,acc,pl,n
- στοιχεια: NOUN,acc,pl,n
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- κοσμου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- ημεθα: VERB,impf,act,ind,1,pl
- δεδουλωμενοι·: PART,perf,pas,nom,pl,m
Parallels
- Galatians 3:23-25 (structural): Same argument line: before faith came believers were held under custody/under the law (ὑπὸ φυλακῇ/ὑπὸ νόμον) — Gal.4:3 develops this point with childhood and bondage to the elements.
- Colossians 2:20-23 (verbal): Paul uses the same technical phrase (στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου/elemental spirits/elements of the world) and warns against living under them, paralleling the idea of prior bondage in Gal.4:3.
- Galatians 4:9 (thematic): Immediate parallel in the same chapter: turning back to “weak and beggarly elements” and being enslaved again echoes the concept of former bondage to the elements in 4:3.
- Romans 7:14 (thematic): Paulic theme of being ‘sold/enslaved’ (πωλητός/δουλεία) — here the human condition under law/sin until deliverance mirrors Gal.4:3’s picture of childhood bondage awaiting redemption.
Alternative generated candidates
- So also we, when we were children, were enslaved under the elemental principles of the world.
- So also when we were children, we were enslaved under the elemental things of the world.
Gal.4.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- οτε: CONJ
- δε: CONJ
- ηλθεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- πληρωμα: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- χρονου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- εξαπεστειλεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- θεος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- τον: ART,acc,sg,m
- υιον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,m
- γενομενον: VERB,aor,mid,ptcp,nom,sg,n
- εκ: PREP
- γυναικος: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- γενομενον: VERB,aor,mid,ptcp,nom,sg,n
- υπο: PREP
- νομον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
Parallels
- Romans 8:3 (verbal): Paul likewise speaks of God sending his Son 'in the likeness of sinful flesh'—a close verbal and theological parallel to 'sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law.'
- John 1:14 (thematic): 'The Word became flesh' expresses the same incarnation theme: God’s Son taking true human nature (born as a human) as in Galatians 4:4.
- Philippians 2:6-8 (thematic): The kenotic hymn describes Christ 'being made in human likeness' and humbled in human form—theologically parallel to being 'born of a woman' and submitted to the law.
- Hebrews 2:14-17 (allusion): Hebrews emphasizes Christ’s sharing in flesh and blood and his identification with humanity to deliver those under bondage—echoing the purpose implicit in the Son’s birth 'under the law.'
- Luke 2:6-7 (thematic): The nativity account that Mary 'gave birth to her firstborn son' provides the gospel-historical backdrop for Paul’s statement about the Son’s birth 'of a woman.'
Alternative generated candidates
- But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
- But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
Gal.4.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ινα: CONJ
- τους: ART,acc,pl,m
- υπο: PREP
- νομον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- εξαγοραση: VERB,aor,act,subj,3,sg
- ινα: CONJ
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- υιοθεσιαν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- απολαβωμεν: VERB,aor,act,subj,1,pl
Parallels
- Romans 8:15-17 (thematic): Speaks of receiving the Spirit of adoption and becoming heirs with Christ—echoes Gal.4.5’s goal that those under the law be redeemed so we may receive adoption.
- Ephesians 1:5 (verbal): Uses the same concept (and Greek term) of being 'predestined to adoption' through Jesus Christ, closely paralleling Galatians’ language of υἱοθεσία.
- 1 Corinthians 6:20 (verbal): Uses the verb for being bought/exchanged (ἐξαγοράζομαι/ἐξεαγοράσθητε), linking Paul’s redemptive language in Gal.4.5 (ἐξαγοράσῃ) with the idea of purchase by Christ.
- Galatians 3:13-14 (structural): Immediate context in Galatians: Christ redeemed believers from the curse of the law so that the blessing of Abraham (and inclusion/privileges associated with it) might come—provides the theological rationale for redemption leading to adoption in 4:5.
- Titus 3:7 (thematic): Speaks of being made heirs according to the hope of eternal life after justification by grace—parallels the outcome language of adoption/heirship implied in Gal.4.5.
Alternative generated candidates
- to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
- to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
Gal.4.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- οτι: CONJ
- δε: CONJ
- εστε: VERB,pres,act,ind,2,pl
- υιοι: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- εξαπεστειλεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- θεος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- πνευμα: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- υιου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,m
- εις: PREP
- τας: ART,acc,pl,f
- καρδιας: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- ημων: PRON,gen,pl,1
- κραζον·Αββα: PART,pres,act,nom,sg,n+INTJ,voc,sg,m
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- πατηρ: NOUN,nom,sg,m
Parallels
- Romans 8:15-16 (verbal): Uses the same vocabulary—'Spirit of adoption/sonship' and the cry 'Abba, Father'—and explicitly states the Spirit testifies that we are God's children, closely paralleling Gal. 4:6.
- Mark 14:36 (verbal): Jesus' address to God as 'Abba, Father' provides the same intimate filial form of address that believers are enabled to use by the Spirit in Gal. 4:6.
- Galatians 3:26 (structural): Earlier statement in the same letter—'for you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus'—to which Gal. 4:6 gives pneumatological explanation (the Spirit enabling the cry 'Abba').
- Ephesians 1:5 (thematic): Speaks of God's predestination 'to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ,' echoing the central theme of divine adoption found in Gal. 4:6.
- 2 Corinthians 6:18 (allusion): God's promise 'I will be a Father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters' resonates with the filial language and divine‑sonship imagery of Gal. 4:6.
Alternative generated candidates
- And because you are sons, God has sent into our hearts the Spirit of his Son, crying, “Abba, Father!”
- And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!'
Gal.4.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ωστε: CONJ
- ουκετι: ADV
- ει: VERB,pres,act,ind,2,sg
- δουλος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- αλλα: CONJ
- υιος·ει: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- δε: CONJ
- υιος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- κληρονομος: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- δια: PREP
- θεου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
Parallels
- Romans 8:14-17 (verbal): Uses the same language of being 'sons'/'children' of God and explicitly links sonship with being 'heirs'—even 'heirs with Christ'—parallel to Gal.4:7's sonship and inheritance through God.
- Galatians 4:5 (structural): Immediate contextual parallel in the same letter: speaks of Christ's coming 'to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption as sons,' which sets up Gal.4:7's conclusion about no longer being slaves but sons and heirs.
- John 1:12 (thematic): Speaks of those who receive Christ being given 'the right to become children of God,' echoing Gal.4:7's emphasis on changed status—from bondage to sonship—grounding belonging and identity in relation to God.
- Ephesians 1:5 (allusion): Describes God's purpose 'to adopt us as sons through Jesus Christ' (and in the broader context inheritance language), paralleling Gal.4:7's claim that sonship entails being heirs through God.
Alternative generated candidates
- So you are no longer a slave but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.
- So you are no longer a slave but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise. Now I say, an heir, while he is a child, differs in nothing from a slave, though he is master of all;
but he is under guardians and stewards until the time set by his father. So also we, when we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.