Galatians
Page 17
It is thus clear that ministerial priesthood does not belong in the category of things for which Paul denies distinctions; it follows that the claim that Gal 3:28 requires the priestly ordination of women is not valid. Nevertheless, Gal 3:28 provides a solid basis for the participation of all believers—women as well as men, laity as well as clergy—in the most important aspect of Christian priesthood, namely, the offering of our lives through Christ to God out of love and the transformation of that offering by the action of the Holy Spirit. This spiritual worship, this liturgy of life, is a fundamental aspect of Christian life and a direct result of our justification by faith (Rom 12:1–2).
1. Some sages identified Torah with preexistent wisdom (Sir 24:1–23; Pirkei Avot 6.10).
2. Interpreters differ about which meaning is intended. Other biblical texts that confirm the role of angels in the giving of the law include Deut 33:2–4 †LXX; Acts 7:38, 53; Heb 2:2. The book of Jubilees (1:27–2:1, second century BC) explicitly attributes to an angel the task of dictating the law to Moses. Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish philosopher, and Josephus, a Jewish historian, both writing in the first century AD, recount similar traditions (Philo, On Dreams 1.143; Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 15.136).
3. Some scholars who find “the idea that Paul might be trying to distance God from the giving of the law . . . problematic” offer another interpretation of 3:20. The presence of Moses as a mediator in the giving of the law entails a human involvement that reveals the inferiority of the law to a promise given directly by the one God (see Douglas J. Moo, Galatians, BECNT [Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013], Kindle loc. 6462).
4. John 5:21; Rom 4:17; 8:11; 1 Cor 15:22, 36, 45.
5. Paul already implied in 3:11–12 that the law does not bring life by citing Habakkuk to the effect that “the one who is righteous by faith shall live,” and citing Deut 27:26 to say that those who do not do all the things written in the law are cursed.
6. The expression “all things” here could refer merely to all people, but in Rom 8:20, 22, Paul speaks of all creation being subject to the consequences of sin.
7. The other New Testament uses of “held in custody” are positive and protective (2 Cor 11:32; Phil 4:7; 1 Pet 1:5). Likewise the next verb, “confined” or “enclosed,” need not have the sense of “imprisoned” that some translations give it.
8. Verse 26 could be translated differently. The NIV renders it, “In Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.” The phrase “in Christ Jesus” can modify either “children of God” or “faith.” It is not necessary, however, to choose between them: believers are children of God in Christ Jesus through faith in Christ Jesus.
9. In Rom 6:5 Paul uses the analogy of grafting a branch onto a tree: “For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection” (italics added).
10. Most Catholic interpreters, including St. John Paul II in his theology of the body, do not understand Jesus to mean that the distinction between male and female will cease in the age to come. One exegete puts it this way: although gender distinctions remain (1 Cor 11:2–16), “It is not any outward mark that distinguishes one before God . . . but faith. Distinctions of race, class, and sex have been dissolved by the new creation that has occurred in Christ. . . . In this world, racial, social and sexual differences painfully separate people from each other, but for those who form the new †eschatological person they cannot deny one full access to God’s people” (Frank J. Matera, Galatians, Sacra Pagina [Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1992], 143, 146–47).
11. See 1 Cor 6:9–7:40; Eph 5:3–6, 21–33; Col 3:18–19; 1 Thess 4:3–8.
12. Eph 4:15–16; 5:23; Col 1:18; 2:19.
13. On the translation of “sons” as “children,” see the sidebar, “Understanding ‘Children of God,’” p. 128.
Adoption as Sons and Daughters of God
Galatians 4:1–11
Along the way to the surprising conclusion of Gal 3:28–29 that †Gentile believers have become Abraham’s descendants and heirs through baptism into Christ, Paul made another extraordinary declaration that he did not explain: “For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus” (3:26). Paul now returns to this topic, perhaps feeling the need to balance the impression left in 3:29, where he seemed to emphasize being Abraham’s heirs more than being sons and daughters of God. Paul now explains how we have become children of God and speaks of the scarcely imaginable intimacy with Jesus and the Father that this entails. He begins again from the perspective of salvation history.
Adoption and Inheritance (4:1–7)
1I mean that as long as the heir is not of age, he is no different from a slave, although he is the owner of everything, 2but he is under the supervision of guardians and administrators until the date set by his father. 3In the same way we also, when we were not of age, were enslaved to the elemental powers of the world. 4But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption. 6As proof that you are children, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.
OT: Job 14:1–2
NT: John 1:14; Rom 8:3, 9, 14–17; Phil 2:7; Col 2:8, 20
Catechism: fullness of time and Annunciation, 484; the law, Jesus, and redemption, 580; baptism and adoption, 1265; relationship with God and the Spirit, 683, 1695
Lectionary: 4:4–7: Mary Mother of God; Common of the Blessed Virgin; Presentation of Lord’s Prayer
The structure of this passage resembles that of the sections that immediately precede it. The word “heir” in the first verse links this section to the last verse of the previous one (3:29), while the words “heir” and “slave” in the first and last verses frame 4:1–7 as a distinct unit. As in 3:15–18, Paul starts this unit with a familiar legal custom, this time concerning the status of minor children (4:1–2), and he uses it to illuminate the progression of salvation history (4:3–7). As in 3:23–29, Paul distinguishes two successive and contrasting periods within that history, one of subjection (4:3) and one of freedom (4:4–7).
[4:1–2]
After celebrating the fact that believers are Abraham’s heirs (3:29), Paul returns to consider the earlier situation of Jews under the †law and introduces a new comparison: as long as the heir is not of age, he is no different from a slave. In the first century, an heir, usually the eldest son, could not exercise the legal rights of an heir while he was still a minor. Saying that there was no difference between a minor heir and a slave is an exaggeration to make a point, since the heir was not obliged to work the way slaves were. Paul is comparing the minor child’s inability to make his own decisions to the slave’s lack of freedom. This is particularly striking since in principle, even during his minority, the heir was the owner of everything. This principle can be seen in the parable of the prodigal son, when the father says to the older son, “Everything I have is yours” (Luke 15:31). However, an heir who is still a minor cannot freely dispose of his goods; administrators manage them for him. Nor can the minor heir do as he chooses, since he is under the supervision of guardians.1 The use of a plural in these titles emphasizes his dependence and limited freedom: lots of other people make decisions for him.
The situation, however, is not destined to last. Its time limits are indicated at the beginning and end of the sentence in two slightly different ways. At the beginning, when Paul uses the phrase “as long as the heir is not of age,” he indicates that the heir’s status of submission will not end until he is an adult. However, at the end of the sentence, Paul speaks of the date set by his father. From what we know of first-century practice, the age of majority was often determined by law rather than the decision of the father. However, the Apostle is not focused on being legally precise, but is setting up his application of this comparison to salvation history, where everyt
hing depends on the Father’s decision (see Gal 4:4–5).
[4:3]
Paul’s comparison (4:3–7) emphasizes a clear distinction between two time periods. The first period is that of childhood, when we were not of age, or of slavery, when we were enslaved. Childhood and slavery serve as metaphors for an earlier period in salvation history. When Paul uses the first-person plural “we,” he clearly refers to himself prior to his conversion along with his fellow Jews. Whether or not Paul includes the †Gentile Christians of Galatia is uncertain, but not so important. To affirm that Jews “were enslaved to the †elemental powers” was a bold new statement. It was customary for Jews to view pagan Gentiles in this way. The Gentiles served idols of gold, silver, iron, and wood (see Deut 29:17), so they were slaves to the elements. However, to say such a thing about Jews, who took pride in worshiping the true God, was potentially offensive; the fact that Paul includes himself among those enslaved softens the blow.
What are the elemental powers of the world—literally, “the elements of the world”—whose control was weighing down Paul and his fellow Jews? This phrase is not common in the New Testament and is found again only in Col 2:8, 20. The same Greek word for “elements” (stoicheia) refers to the elements that compose the earth (2 Pet 3:10, 12) and to basic elements of Christian teaching (Heb 5:12). What would it have meant to Paul’s readers in Galatia? Some exegetes think Paul is referring to the †law of Moses as elementary principles of religious instruction; but the phrase that follows, “of the world,” does not fit that interpretation. Other scholars think Paul refers to spiritual beings—principalities and powers that govern the universe—as in Eph 6:12 (here NABRE’s “elemental powers” and RSV’s “elemental spirits” suggest this interpretation), but the only clear uses of this Greek word with that meaning occur in a period later than the New Testament. A third possibility is the most likely since it was the most common use of this Greek word in Paul’s day—namely, that it refers to the four elements that Greek thinkers regarded as composing the physical world: earth, water, air, and fire.2 Although obedience to the law was the way Israel expressed submission to God, Paul is saying that subjection to the law entails a subjection to the world in its material dimension. In the verses that follow, Paul describes the Galatians’ observance of “days, months, seasons, and years,” a religious calendar governed by the movements of the sun and moon, as subjection to the elements (Gal 4:9–10). In Colossians, Paul characterizes dietary rules as submission to the elements of the world: “If you died with Christ to the elemental powers [elements, stoicheia] of the world, why do you submit to regulations as if you were still living in the world? Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” (Col 2:20–21).3
Paul understands that †faith in Christ raises a human being to a completely new level, bringing a person into a relationship with God in the Spirit through faith and in love—a life that is no longer governed by regulations concerning the elements of the physical world. Paul realizes that under the Old Covenant the religion of Israel was more rudimentary. Even circumcision is only an external physical rite. The regulations of the Mosaic law made Israel subordinate to physical elements that compose the world; from that point of view it kept the Jews in a spiritual situation analogous to that of the Gentiles. While Paul clearly exaggerates the similarity of Israel’s religion to that of Gentiles to make his point, we see in Paul’s reevaluation of the †ritual commandments of the †Torah his boldness in expressing the radical newness of life in Christ in comparison with the Old Covenant.
Other passages in the New Testament point in a similar direction. According to the Gospel of Mark, Jesus relativized certain prescriptions of the law that dealt with ritual purity and acceptable foods (Mark 7:3–8, 15–23), placing his focus on the heart. Likewise, the Letter to the Hebrews speaks of the inadequacy of the sacrifices of the Old Covenant, which sufficed only for “the purification of the flesh” (Heb 9:13 RSV) and could not truly purify consciences but were only of temporary value (9:8–14, 23–24). The coming of Christ changed everything, making possible a new kind of relationship with God.
[4:4–5]
Paul now describes the second period of salvation history. His description of the former period in verse 3, “when we were not of age,” contrasts with a solemn phrase that indicates the special importance of the new period: when the fullness of time had come (see Mark 1:15).
The divine initiative consists in God sending his Son so that we could become his children. It is clear that this is a preexisting Son who is sent by God, not a human being like everyone else whom God adopts.4 Furthermore, in verse 6 Paul expresses a clear parallel between the sending of the Son and the sending of the Spirit. Since clearly the Spirit preexists with God, the parallel confirms that the Son also preexisted with him before being sent.
The coming of the Son is presented not as something glorious but rather as humbling in two respects: the Son of God is (1) born of a woman and (2) born under the law. The phrase “born of woman” was often used in Jewish literature to highlight human fragility. For instance,
Man born of woman
is short-lived and full of trouble,
Like a flower that springs up and fades. (Job 14:1–2)5
The fact that the Son was “born under the †law” brings him down another step. The Son of God is sent not only to be born as a man but also as a man subject to an external norm. How extraordinary! Nevertheless, according to Paul, these two marks of lowly status are the paradoxical means for the Son’s obtaining two very positive results. First, the Son of God was subject to the law in order to ransom—that is, to redeem or free—those under the law; second, he was born of woman so that all who are likewise born of woman might receive adoption as children of God—thus explaining Paul’s earlier declaration that “through faith you are all children of God” (Gal 3:26).
What is the key to this amazing paradox? How can these humiliations of the Son of God produce such a positive outcome? As regards freedom from the law, Paul explained in 2:19–20: “Through the law I died to the law, that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ; yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me.” Christ submitted himself to the law to the point of undergoing the penalty of death on our behalf. However, he found a way to undergo death to produce new life. By accepting the death imposed by the law with perfect filial obedience (1:4) and an extraordinary love for his brothers and sisters (2:20), Christ freed himself from the law and likewise frees those who unite themselves to him through †faith (see Rom 7:1–4).6
The key to the second paradox, that the Son of God was born of a woman in order to obtain divine adoption for us, involves events of Jesus’ birth, which are not something that Paul explains elsewhere. Light on this point comes to us from the passages in Matthew and Luke that explain “how the birth of Jesus Christ came about” (Matt 1:18) in an altogether unique way. His mother Mary, a virgin, “was found with child through the holy Spirit” (Matt 1:18). Paul’s way of speaking of Jesus’ birth agrees with the Gospels, since he presents Christ both as the Son of God and as born of a woman, without the least mention of the participation of a human father (Matt 1:20, 23; Luke 1:27, 35). By God’s decision it was Mary alone who gave to Jesus his †flesh, his human nature.
“Adoption” is a legal term mentioned only five times in the Bible.7 The closest parallel to this text is Rom 8:15–17, a passage that explains how Paul understands divine adoption:
You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.
In Paul’s understanding, adoption in Christ is not merely a change in legal status that brings no change to the adopted person. Rather, it is a decisive divine intervention that communicates the life of God through participation in the sonship of the risen Christ: “It is no longer I who live
, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20 RSV). That life of sonship, of living as God’s sons and daughters, is animated by the Holy Spirit, whom Paul speaks about in the next verse.
The Apostle uses the first-person plural we to speak of those who may receive adoption, in contrast to the third-person plural of “those under the law,” referring to Jews. This “we” whom God adopts includes all who believe in Christ, regardless of origin, whether Jewish or †Gentile.
[4:6]
While verse 5 indicates that God’s purpose in sending his Son was our freedom and adoption as sons, verse 6 declares that this purpose has already been achieved: As proof that you are children, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts.8 “Spirit” is not capitalized in this translation (NABRE) because the focus is on Christ’s spirit, his inner life, being sent into our hearts. Nevertheless, the parallel text in Romans makes clear that the spirit of Christ is the Spirit of God (Rom 8:9–11). God responds to the believer’s †faith with the gift of the Spirit, who makes the believer a son or daughter of God.
By using the same verb “to send,” Paul expresses a relationship between the sending of the Son and the sending of the Spirit. Two similar divine actions are placed in parallel: “God sent his Son. . . . God sent the spirit” (Gal 4:4, 6). The context shows an even closer relationship between the two—namely, that the gift of the Spirit was made possible by the redemptive obedience of Christ. Other passages in the New Testament confirm this perspective (Gal 3:13–14; John 16:7; Acts 2:33).