Called by Name

Based on Galatians 4:4-7

Opening Scripture

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of 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. (Galatians 4:4-7)

Where We Are in the Story

We’re still in the twelve days of Christmas, that sacred space between the manger and Epiphany when we linger in the wonder of the Incarnation. God didn’t send a message or dispatch an angel. He sent his Son, born of woman, entering the mess and beauty of human existence. This is Act III of the cosmic Story, Redemption, and Paul wants us to understand not just what Christ did, but what it means for us. The Word became flesh so that slaves could become sons.

The Fullness of Time

Paul uses a remarkable phrase: “the fullness of time.” History wasn’t random. The Incarnation wasn’t Plan B. God was writing a Story, and when everything was perfectly aligned - politically, culturally, linguistically, spiritually - he sent his Son.

Think about what had to be in place: The Roman Empire had built roads connecting the known world, making travel possible. Greek had become the common language, so the Gospel could spread. Israel had endured centuries of exile and oppression, creating a longing for the Messiah. The world was groaning for redemption, even if it didn’t know what it needed.

And then, at just the right moment, in a backwater town during a census nobody wanted to take, God stepped into time. Not in a palace. Not with fanfare. But in a feeding trough, wrapped in strips of cloth, announced to shepherds.

This is how God works. He doesn’t wait for ideal conditions. He creates them. He doesn’t demand that we clean ourselves up first. He enters our mess and does the cleaning.

From Slaves to Sons

But here’s where Paul lands, and this is what you can’t miss: Jesus came “to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

This isn’t just forgiveness. It’s not just getting your name in the book. Paul is talking about a change in status so profound that it reshapes your entire identity. You were a slave. Now you’re a son. You were under the law, condemned by it, crushed by it, unable to keep it. Now you’re an heir.

In the Roman world, adoption was serious business. When a father adopted a son, that son received the family name, the family inheritance, and full legal rights. All previous debts were canceled. The old identity was erased. The adoptee became, in every legal and social sense, a true son of the family.

That’s what God has done for you in Christ. This isn’t metaphorical. This isn’t wishful thinking. If you’re in Christ, you’ve been adopted into God’s family. You bear his name. You have access to his presence. You’re an heir of his Kingdom.

And the proof? “God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’”

Abba

That word, Abba, is intimate. It’s the word a child uses for their father, something close to “Papa” or “Dad.” Jesus used it in Gethsemane when he prayed, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you” (Mark 14:36). And now, because you’re in Christ, the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, and that Spirit cries out to God in the same way.

This isn’t formal religion. This isn’t keeping God at arm’s length with polite prayers and careful distance. This is family. This is coming home.

And here’s the scandal: you didn’t earn this. You can’t earn it. You were a slave to sin, to the law, to the powers of this world. You had no claim, no merit, no leverage. But God, in the fullness of time, sent his Son to ransom you, not because you deserved it, but because he loved you.

Living as Sons

So what does it mean to live as a son and not a slave?

Slaves work out of fear. They obey because they have to. They perform to avoid punishment. They measure their worth by their productivity. They never rest because rest feels like failure.

Sons work out of love. They obey because they trust their Father’s wisdom. They serve because the family mission matters. They rest because they know their place in the family isn’t based on performance. Their worth is settled, not because of what they do, but because of whose they are.

And this changes everything.

If you’re living like a slave, striving and anxious and measuring yourself against impossible standards, you’ve forgotten who you are. The Gospel doesn’t just forgive you. It relocates you.You’re not on the outside trying to get in. You’re in the family. You have a seat at the table. The Father delights in you, not because you’ve finally gotten your act together, but because you’re his.

The Urgency of the Moment

I don’t know what’s weighing on you as you step into this new year. Maybe you’re carrying regret from last year: things said or left unsaid, opportunities missed, relationships fractured. 
Maybe you’re anxious about what’s ahead: uncertainty at work, tension at home, the slow grind of faithfulness when nothing seems to be changing.

But here’s the truth you need to hear today: You are not a slave. You are a son. You are an heir. And the Spirit of the living God dwells in you, crying out, “Abba, Father.”

That’s not something you achieve. That’s something you receive. And once you receive it, you stop living like an orphan, scrambling for approval, performing for love, trying to earn a place you already have.

You rest. You trust. You obey, not out of fear, but out of gratitude. You live like someone who knows they’re loved, not someone desperate to be noticed.

Reflection Questions

1. In what areas of your life are you still living like a slave instead of a son: striving, anxious, performing for approval?
2. How would your daily life change if you truly believed that your worth is settled in Christ, not in your performance?
   
3. When you pray, do you approach God as a distant judge or as your Father? What needs to shift?
   
   

Prayer
(Based on Galatians 4:6 and Romans 8:15)

Abba, Father, you have adopted me as your son through Jesus Christ. I confess that I often forget this. I live like a slave, anxious and striving, instead of resting in your love. Forgive me. By your Spirit, remind me that I am yours, not because of what I’ve done, but because of what Christ has done. Teach me to live as a son, not an orphan. Help me to trust you, to obey you out of love, not fear. And when I forget, remind me again: I am yours, and nothing can change that. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Action Step

Today, set aside 10 minutes to pray, addressing God as “Abba” or “Father.” Don’t rush through a list of requests. Just sit with the reality that you are a son, loved and secure in Christ. Let that truth settle into your bones.

Benediction
(Based on Ephesians 1:3-6)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed you in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. He chose you before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love, predestining you for adoption to himself as a son through Jesus Christ. To the praise of his glorious grace, go now in peace, knowing you are his.