Christmas Season · Holy Name of Jesus · Year B
Galatians 4:4-7 or Philippians 2:5-11
Sons of God
January 1, 2027
Overview & Insights
“God sent forth his Son, born of woman... so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5)
The basis upon which Paul makes the previous statement in verse 25 is his conviction that the Galatians are all sons of God by virtue of their being in Christ Jesus . Paul continues to work with the metaphor of inheritance to underscore that all of his readers are inheritors of God’s promise. Paul emphasizes that the Galatians already are “sons” or inheritors of God’s promise. (Paul’s use of “sons” is meant not to exclude the female members of the Galatian churches, but to work with the inheritance metaphor. In the ancient world it was generally sons and not daughters who could expect to be inheritors.) For the benefit of both his Gentile Galatian converts and the Jewish Christian troublemakers who would have eventually heard his words, Paul says that “all” receive the inheritance through the faith of Jesus Christ.
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Commentary
Galatians 4:4-7 Working Preacher
A commentary on 'the fullness of time,' adoption as heirs, and the Spirit crying Abba, Father.
Galatians 4 Enduring Word · David Guzik
An evangelical commentary moving from slavery under the law to adoption as sons and daughters.
Classic commentaries on Galatians 4 BibleHub
Aggregated translations, Greek tools, and public-domain commentaries for Galatians 4.
Background & Word Study
Galatians and Work Theology of Work
Reads Galatians for its bearing on identity, freedom, and vocation, useful background on adoption and heirship.
Introduction to Galatians Enter the Bible
A book introduction with the historical setting of the Galatian churches and the flow of Paul's argument.
Overview: Galatians BibleProject
An animated overview on justification by faith and the Spirit-formed family of God that frames the adoption passage.
The Church Fathers
Questions preachers ask
Why is Galatians 4 a Christmas reading?
It gives the theology of Christmas in one sentence: in the fullness of time God sent his Son, born of a woman, to redeem us and make us sons and heirs who cry, “Abba, Father.”
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