Galatians – Week 7 – Day 1

READ 

Galatians 4:1-3 

1 Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had. 2 They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set. 3 And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world. 

Paul referred to the customs of the day when slaves cared for little children. Slaves were half the population of the Roman Empire, and some were given responsibility in the home. These slaves could teach basic matters, such as the difference between right and wrong. Paul said that’s the similar to what the law was doing. 

REFLECT 

Do you realize that knowing the difference between right and wrong is not the same as believing in Jesus for your salvation? 

RESPOND 

Talk with a friend about the value of following the moral law found in Exodus 20. All are repeated in the New Testament with the exception the law about keeping Sabbath days. In the Old Testament the first six days were on a lower level than the seventh day Sabbath. In the New Testament all days are lifted to that high level. See again what Paul said about special diets and days in Colossians 2:16-17.