Galatians 4:4-5 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,… I. REDEMPTION makes us servants, but it is but servants; adoption makes us, who are thus made servants by redemption, sons. II. ADOPTION. 1. He that adopted another must be a man who had no children of his own. We were children of wrath, not God's children. 2. He must be a man who had had children, or naturally might have had; for a man under years or naturally disabled could not adopt. This was God's case, for by our creation we were His sons, till we died, and lost all right and means of regaining our privilege but by the way of adoption in Jesus. 3. No man might adopt an elder man than himself. God is from the beginning. 4. No man might adopt a man of better quality than himself, and here we are so far from comparing, that we cannot comprehend God's greatness and goodness. 5. No man might be adopted into any other degree of kindred, but into the name and right of a son: he could not be an adopted brother, cousin, or nephew, and this is especially our dignity. We have the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba, Father. (J. Donne.) Parallel Verses KJV: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,WEB: But when the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law, |
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