Articles
The fullness of Time – Galatians 4:4
The fullness of Time – Galatians 4:4
God not only promised the coming of the Messiah, He predicted that the Messiah would come 'in the days of those kings' (Dan. 2:44). When we turn to the New Testament we see how the Bible writers understood this prediction. Paul simply states that Jesus came "in the fullness of time" (Gal. 4:4). Jesus stated: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:15). Again, Paul stated the “while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly (Rom. 5:6). And yet again that Jesus “gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Timothy 2:6).
We learn from this that God is in charge of His creation, including history. God planned, purposed, and brought about the fulfilling of His will. Having promised Abraham that his seed would be a blessing unto all the earth, He brought Jesus – the Son of Abraham (Matt. 1:1).
Commenting on Galatians 4:4, F.F. Bruce wrote: "what is emphasized here is that the nodal point of salvation-history, marked by the coming of Christ (cf. 3:24, εἰς Χριστόν) or the coming of ‘faith’ (cf. 3:23, 25), constitutes the divinely ordained epoch for the people of God to enter into their inheritance as his mature and responsible sons and daughters."
Now, we that are baptized into Christ are the sons of God and are hence 'of Christ'. Paul affirms that we who are 'of Christ' are then the children of Abraham and heirs according to the promise (Gal. 3:26-29). Having been adopted into God's family, we are to live as children of God in this world. We are to put away the things of the flesh and develop the character of godliness (cp. 5:19ff). In all that we do, we are to honor our father and bring glory to His name. It is not only a great blessing to be God's children; it is also a great responsibility.
"See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are" (1John 3:1). Is God being glorified and honored by the life you are living?
Hugh DeLong
