Galatians 3. “O foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you?!” (3:1) Paul shouts, “What is going on that your thinking has become so distorted?!” (It would be in all caps, if there was such a thing in Greek.) Remember, the distortion of the gospel the Galatian churches were facing was that some were saying Gentile converts needed to become Jewish (keep the rules of Torah) to be saved. Paul says NO emphatically. Now, Galatians 3-4 is some Olympic athlete-level theology, and I don’t want you to get lost.

Let’s think about the discussion of faith vs. works of the law this way:  Many of you are parents. Suppose you decide to adopt a child. For the child to become a part of your family, you go through a whole legal process and then the child becomes a full-fledged member of your family. The child’s role in this is simply that they agreed to be adopted. They are really, truly your child now – with a new last name, a new identity, all the rights of inheritance, and all the responsibilities and benefits of being your child. In a similar way we receive adoption as sons and daughters of God (Gal 4:6-7) by faith alone, we simply believe and consent to becoming a part of God’s kingdom family. For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith (Gal 3:26).

At some point in that first week, you as parent sit your adopted child down and explain to them that there are some rules in the family they need to know about. Why do we have rules in our families? What kind of rules do you have in your family?

As parents we have family rules to communicate what we expect from our children. We have rules to keep them from hurting themselves, and from hurting each other. We have rules that protect fairness, require integrity and truth-telling, and clarify the value system of the family. We don’t make rules just to take the fun out of everything – even if this is what kids think when they’re young. In a similar way, God gave his people rules for their own good (Deuteronomy 10:13) and the law is our tutor to teach us the ways of Christ (Gal 3:24).

So, I was not a perfect child, and I do not have perfect children. How about you? Ah, no perfect kids?! Whew. I am not alone. No one keeps all the rules perfectly, not in our human families, and not in God’s kingdom family. All have sinned (Romans 3:23). Only Jesus kept all the rules perfectly. Hang out with a three-year-old for 30 minutes and you’ll understand that selfishness and stubborn independence do not have to be taught, they are part of our nature. So, we understand that no one is justified before God by keeping the law (Gal 3:11). We cannot be perfect enough for God.

Here’s the good news (the gospel!) – our inability to keep all the rules perfectly does not affect our status as adopted children of God! Disobedient children, mostly obedient children; they are all still our children. The rules are beneficial and keeping them is a good idea and for our own good; but a child’s obedience did not earn them a place in the family. We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ (Gal 2:16).

Think about your own family. What kind of rules do you have? Why? Do your kids keep the rules perfectly? What happens when they disobey? Why do we sometimes think that we can earn a place in God’s kingdom if we behave correctly? Is it helpful to remember that God adopted us (and we consented by faith) and that our place in the kingdom family is secure? How does this adoption example change your thinking about faith vs. the law?