I. The Contrast Between Gospel and Law, and the Meaning of Becoming a Son
When reading Galatians, we should note that Galatians 3:23 through 4:7 forms a continuous passage, a single flowing section. In this portion, the Apostle Paul addresses the key theme of “sons and heirs,” earnestly asking the question, “Who receives the inheritance of God?” Toward the end of Galatians 3 (3:29), he already clarifies, “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise,” and that flow continues into chapter 4, beginning with an in-depth explanation of the identity of sonship and the reality of inheritance. Paul starkly contrasts the gospel and the law, strongly emphasizing that while the law played the role of a servant, the gospel makes us sons. At the time, among the Galatian churches, there were Judaizing Christians—false teachers who insisted on returning to the law—even though they had already been saved through the gospel. Observing these attempts to bring the church back under the law, Paul exclaims, “Where exactly are you trying to lead the church?” and underscores how the gospel has brought us an astonishing freedom.
Pastor David Jang has shed light on this flow in Galatians through numerous sermons and lectures, continually explaining why the contrast between gospel and law is so crucial. He often states that while the gospel makes us sons, the law puts us in the position of servants—this pithy statement well expresses the core of the freedom and identity restoration that the gospel brings. Servants remain under bondage and cannot live according to their own will, but sons enjoy freedom and possess the right of inheritance. Paul does not speak of this merely as speculative theory; he proclaims it from within his own experience of the power of the gospel. To return to a law-centered lifestyle is like shouldering the “yoke” once again; in Galatians 5:1, he concludes unequivocally, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
This argument extends beyond a simple “Judaism vs. Christianity” conflict into the deeper question of what truly solves humanity’s fundamental problem of salvation. The fork in the road—whether a person becomes a son or remains a servant—splits at the two paths: “the gospel” and “the law.” The gospel, when we believe in Jesus Christ, has the extraordinary power to restore us to sonship. Yet often people fail to cling to this freedom and sonship, reverting to legalistic and religious burdens. At the end of Galatians 3, Paul declares, “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise,” thereby showing who inherits the fullness of salvation promised to Abraham. This inheritance is not about bloodline or keeping the law but is a historical and spiritual inheritance achieved through union with Christ.
We frequently lose sight of this identity in everyday life. When our self-awareness, “I am a son of God,” is shaken, our entire life collapses like a wrestler losing his center of gravity. As Paul asserts in Galatians, since we have already become sons, there is no need for us to bear the yoke of servitude any longer. Having received freedom through the cross of Christ, returning to the law and works is tantamount to relinquishing the hard-won freedom. Paul takes this issue extremely seriously; he passionately debates to defend the truth of the gospel against false teachers who cause division in the church.
In his expositions on Galatians, Pastor David Jang places particular emphasis on this point, teaching that when we have a firm identity of sonship, spiritual growth, freedom, and practical power flow out of us. As long as we hold fast to the consciousness that “I am a son of God,” no matter how fiercely the forces of darkness might try to shake us, we will never be toppled. Just as Jesus overcame Satan’s test—“If you are the Son of God”—with unwavering boldness, we, too, will experience the freedom and power found in the Lord when we know we are sons and live accordingly. Whenever Jesus faced temptation, He responded with the underlying conviction, “I am the Son of God; therefore, I do not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” This kind of self-awareness and spiritual assurance must be ours as well—this is closely connected to the overall message of Galatians.
Within the gospel, Paul proves logically, historically, and theologically that we are sons, not servants. In Galatians 4:1–2, he states, “What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. They are subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father.” This passage calls to mind the entire history of Judaism under the law. They grew under the law, which functioned like a guardian or tutor; but now that the fullness of time has come, they can stand free as sons. Yet the Judaizing Christians who disrupted the Galatian church insisted on returning to the bondage of the law. Outraged, Paul asks, “How is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces?” and points out that this undermines the very heart of the gospel.
At this juncture, Pastor David Jang speaks powerfully about how “religious habits” can erode our freedom. Legalistic or religious thinking may appear pious on the surface, but in reality, it often imprisons people and quenches spiritual power. Clinging to religious acts and obligations eventually causes us to lose our “freedom as sons,” culminating in division and condemnation within the church. In Galatians, Paul rebukes the church for this, asking, “How is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces?” while emphasizing the priceless value of the gospel’s freedom. This assertion reaches its climax in Galatians 5:1, where Paul pronounces, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery”—an emphatic exhortation and warning that transcends the Galatian situation and applies to all churches in every era.
When we fully grasp that we are sons, not servants, we no longer define ourselves as “slaves to sin” but establish ourselves as those who have already been justified in Christ. The moment the church clings to any other burden and rules, the power and freedom of sonship becomes obscured. In Galatia, believers were immersed in observing special days, months, seasons, and years according to the law—basically returning to religious obligations and thereby reverting to a life no different from servitude under “elemental principles.” In contrast, the gospel affirms that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was “born under the law to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship” (Gal. 4:4–5). Paul proclaims that thanks to the grace of Jesus, “who became a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13), we no longer remain slaves to sin but instead live confidently as sons.
As Pastor David Jang emphasizes, the essence of the gospel is “the power to transform a servant into a son.” It dismantles the guilt and fear in the human heart, restoring us to the freedom of sons and daughters. The Incarnation of Jesus—God humbling Himself and coming to this world—most dramatically demonstrates God’s desire to save us in love. Though He could have remained equal with God, He emptied Himself and obeyed to the point of death on the cross—an act that human wisdom can never fully comprehend, which Paul describes as the “foolishness of God” (1 Cor. 1:25). Yet it is precisely through this “foolish” method—defeating death by dying—that Christ accomplished redemption for us, acting as our representative (Romans 5) by destroying the power of sin and death.
Through the Incarnation and the cross, our salvation is fulfilled, granting us the privilege of becoming sons. We receive the inheritance that belongs to sons, and the Spirit of the Son (the Spirit of Christ) dwells within us, prompting us to call out “Abba, Father” (Gal. 4:6). In the past, as mere servants, we dared not enter God’s presence, but by the blood of Jesus, we now have confidence to enter the sanctuary (Heb. 10:19). Thus, the message of Galatians addresses the most fundamental core of grace that spans human history, theology, and real life. Once the gospel plants in us the unwavering identity “I am a son of God,” we need no longer submit to the yoke of the law and its elemental principles.
II. The Core Message of Sonship and Inheritance in Galatians 4
Let us examine the logical structure that the Apostle Paul unfolds in Galatians 4:1–7. “What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave… The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father” (Gal. 4:1–2). As mentioned earlier in 3:23 and following, this alludes to the “temporary guardianship” of the Law. Though the law is imperfect, it served a necessary, time-limited role until Christ’s coming. Yet “when the set time had fully come” (Gal. 4:4), God’s Son came into this world to redeem us from under the law. “Redemption” means “to pay a price on someone’s behalf,” which Jesus accomplished by taking on all our sin and dying on the cross in our place.
Pastor David Jang highlights Paul’s expression, “when the set time had fully come,” underscoring that Jesus Christ’s Incarnation and crucifixion mark the decisive turning point in redemptive history. That God clothed Himself in human flesh and was “born of a woman” (Gal. 4:4) fulfills Isaiah 7:14—“Behold, the virgin will conceive and bear a son”—so that all the promises of the Old Testament meet their completion in the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The purpose of this is “that we might receive adoption to sonship” (Gal. 4:5). Since human beings, weakened by sin, cannot free themselves entirely from sin through the law, Jesus fulfilled the law and died on our behalf, thereby delivering us from the curse of the law.
Paul goes further: not only are we forgiven, but we have also received a transformed status as God’s sons. “Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father’” (Gal. 4:6). This passage describes how the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Christ) testifies that we have become God’s children. A servant fears and remains distant from his master, but a son can call him “Abba,” intimately drawing near. That is the decisive distinction between sons and servants: servants remain in constant anxiety about “keeping the rules,” whereas sons enjoy a loving relationship where they inherit everything from their Father.
Throughout Galatians, Paul repeatedly asserts that we must not cling to “the righteousness of servants,” which we attain by works of the law, but instead grasp “the righteousness of God,” which is credited to us by faith in Jesus Christ. This echoes Galatians 2:16: “A person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.” In chapter 4, the same point resurfaces: those who were once servants have received adoption as sons solely by God’s grace, not by their own strength. Paul clarifies the reality of what sonship truly means—namely that God sends “the Spirit of His Son” into us, enabling a real relationship with Him. This is not a simple change in title or religious status; it is the restoration of our very relationship with God.
In Galatians 4:7, Paul concludes, “So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.” This statement reveals the culmination of salvation. As sons, we inherit all the spiritual and historical blessings God has prepared. This is the astonishing radicality proclaimed by the gospel. The era in which Jews and Gentiles stood on vastly different terms under the law has ended; in Christ Jesus, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). The power of sonship breaks down the traditional social divisions—such as master and slave, male and female, Jew and Gentile—and re-creates the church as a new community with equal standing.
However, certain Judaizers within the Galatian church were tempting believers to return to “observing special days and months and seasons and years” (Gal. 4:10). Confronting this, Paul exclaims, “How is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces?” The “elemental spiritual forces” (or “weak and miserable principles”) can refer to any religious or philosophical attempts through human effort or merit. Yet for Paul, the gospel is a world of grace where salvation is already fully accomplished through the cross and resurrection of Jesus, requiring no additional human conditions. The more the believers add legal demands and obligations, the more they nullify the grace of the gospel and erode the freedom that belongs to God’s sons.
Within this context, Pastor David Jang sums up the core spirit of Galatians this way: “Hold firmly to the identity of sonship you have been given.” Regardless of how organized or culturally mature the church might become, if the believers’ hearts lose sight of their “sonship,” then legalistic habits and worldly values eventually seep in and disturb the church. In Galatians 4:19–20, Paul pours out his heart, declaring, “I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.” He is that passionately determined to see the gospel fully established in the church and to have the freedom of sonship truly restored among believers.
Midway through Galatians 4, Paul recounts his personal confession (Gal. 4:13–15), reminiscing how physically weak he was and how, despite that, the Galatians received him with such love. They welcomed Paul “as if he were an angel of God,” even “as Christ Jesus himself,” showing such devotion that they would have plucked out their own eyes for him. This indicates how powerfully the Galatian Christians once lived in the freedom and fervent love of the gospel. But why are they now divided, deceived by false teachers promoting legalism, even hating one another? Paul is heartbroken by this deterioration, and hence addresses them with severe language.
Ultimately, Galatians 4 does not merely say, “The law is unnecessary—throw it out.” Rather, it proclaims an even greater freedom: once the law has served its original purpose—helping us recognize sin and leading us to Christ—there is no need to remain bound by it. Humans can recognize sin through the law, but resolving that sin and receiving sonship is not achieved by further observance of the law; it is only through the redeeming work of Christ. Once we become sons, we truly move beyond religious confines to enjoy God’s heart freely. There we live out the “new command” of Christ to love one another, experiencing the fullness of the law in love. It is not about dutifully keeping the law; rather, living by the Spirit in love is the way of a son.
Pastor David Jang often underscores that our identity as Christians is not to remain “religious people fulfilling the law,” but to remember that we are “sons set free by the gospel.” Someone who has tasted the freedom of sonship can share God’s love anywhere and everywhere, saying, “I know the Son and the Son knows me,” living in intimacy with Him. When that occurs, the church becomes a vibrant community, fulfilling its calling to be light and salt in this world. Such is the power of the gospel.
III. The Freedom and Identity Shift from Servant to Son, and Practical Application
Galatians 4—an interplay of Paul’s personal testimony and the crisis in the Galatian church—illustrates how today’s church and believers ought to understand the issue of “freedom” and “identity.” We see the tension between law and gospel, servant and son, bondage and freedom, alongside the problem of false teachers blocking the truth—woven together vividly. In particular, the stunning announcement, “If you are sons, you are also heirs,” stands as a grand declaration that overturns the human condition. How can a mere slave of sin become an heir of Almighty God? This is a miracle possible only in Christ—the shocking grace that the gospel bestows.
One notable point in Galatians 4 is how Paul explains “how to become a son” by grounding it entirely in “what Christ has done for us.” “He redeemed us, gave us adoption to sonship, and poured out the Spirit of His Son”—all of which was God’s initiative. Our part is simply to accept it by faith. There is no room for our merit or legalistic performance. Living as a son is an active life made possible by the Spirit of Christ. Being a son does not imply living in debauchery; rather, we demonstrate holiness and love befitting a son by “walking by the Spirit.” Paul will expound the practical dimension of this in Galatians 5, explaining that those who exhibit the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—are not under the law.
Pastor David Jang reiterates these points in practical ministry settings: “The gospel possesses the power to transform our lives completely, and that transformation fundamentally begins with the identity ‘I am a child of God.’” In many conflicts among believers—where they judge others or cower in fear of being judged—the root cause is often that they have forgotten “I am a son.” The stronger the mindset grows that “I must fulfill certain religious duties to be secure,” the more we prioritize rules and outward forms above loving God and our neighbors. Consequently, we start comparing, criticizing, and producing additional burdens for one another. This is precisely what was happening in Galatia.
But when we are assured, “I am a son of God,” we can stand boldly before life’s many pressures and temptations, just as Jesus stood unwavering before the devil’s test regarding His sonship. Our identity anchors us. A child of the Father knows His abundance and does not doubt His love. Moreover, because the Spirit of the Son dwells in us, we fight against sin with the confidence that the Holy Spirit is working within us. Even when our immediate circumstances seem challenging and we feel weak, as Paul confesses in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “Christ’s power is made perfect in weakness,” so God’s glory is revealed precisely in our frailty.
When preaching on Galatians 4, Pastor David Jang often cites Paul’s frank disclosure of physical weakness and the Galatians’ overflowing love in response (Gal. 4:13–15). Despite Paul’s frailty, the Galatians welcomed him as if he were “Christ Jesus Himself” and were willing to give their own eyes for him. That devotion was based on gospel love, not legalistic duty. Later on, however, that beautiful image vanished because of legalistic infiltration—imagine how Paul’s heart must have ached. Similarly, in church life today, we may begin with passionate love for one another through the gospel, only to end up condemning and splitting apart as time goes by. This is precisely when we must cling again to the message of Galatians, asking ourselves, “Are we truly living in the freedom of being God’s sons?”
Paul pleads, “How is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces?”—an entreaty that not only addresses returning to the old framework of the law but also addresses the inherent weakness of human nature. We harbor that internal compulsion to “be moral, be upright, keep the rules,” yet the gospel clearly states that such efforts cannot make us righteous. Righteousness comes through faith in Christ Jesus, and that faith flourishes in our relationship of sonship. Sons know the Father’s heart and obey out of love, not legalistic coercion. This subtle difference separates a merely religious life from a truly gospel-centered life.
Looking at Galatians 4 from the perspective of the modern church, we can spot “elemental spiritual forces” in many forms that have crept into our midst. Even teachings that appear Christian—if they are legalistic—can be among these “elemental forces.” They may look righteous and good on the outside, but if they are not grounded in the grace of the cross, and merely emphasize human duty and accomplishment, they become another form of bondage. Paul spares no criticism for such practices, warning, “Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?” as he exposes the reality of false teachers stirring up strife and sowing seeds of hatred. Division, lies, hatred, and condemnation stand diametrically opposed to the love and freedom championed by the gospel.
So practically speaking, how can we preserve and embody the identity, “I am a son of God”? First, we must continually meditate on our salvation through the Word and prayer. Without Christ’s redemption, we would still be living as slaves to sin. But thanks to the gospel, we have been restored to God’s sonship, and we must impress that truth on our hearts—not just in our minds. Second, we rely on the Holy Spirit. Galatians 4 describes the “Spirit of His Son,” referring to the Holy Spirit. When we abide in the Spirit, we call God “Abba, Father,” and in that intimate communion, we can stand bold before the world. Third, our freedom must be practiced in the form of love. Rather than carrying out rituals by religious obligation, we serve our neighbors and build up the church with the love poured into us at the cross. Then we fulfill Galatians 5:14: “For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Thus, Paul’s statement in Galatians 4—“I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you”—reflects his desire for the reality of sonship to be deeply embedded in each believer’s heart. He recalls how the Galatians once showed him explosive love, welcoming him “as Christ Jesus,” urging them to return to that era of freedom and love. As we spend time in church, we can lose the initial fervor, growing accustomed to forms and habits, sliding into judgment of others, or striving to establish our own righteousness. In those moments, we must remember the message of Galatians 4. Am I living as a free son, or am I regressing into slavery?
Pastor David Jang exhorts us to keep asking this question in our hearts, encouraging both the church community and individual believers to examine themselves. The gospel is not merely a doctrine we believe once and then set aside; it is the power we must live out daily. That power is something we cannot generate on our own; it blossoms only when the Spirit of Sonship abides in us. Thus Christ came under the law to redeem us, and when we live by the gospel, we discover that all the demands of the law are naturally fulfilled through the Spirit. When we remember this and constantly ponder why He gave us freedom, church divisions, false teachings, and man-made regulations lose their grip, giving way to a community abounding in love and the fruit of the Spirit.
In conclusion, in the passage spanning Galatians 3:23 to 4:7, the Apostle Paul testifies to the power of the gospel by contrasting “servant” and “son.” His declarations—“You are sons,” “If you are sons, you are heirs”—both rebuke the folly of returning to a yoke of slavery and simultaneously inspire a new self-awareness of sonship. This reveals how God, who originally provided the law in the Old Testament, ultimately intended for humanity to be restored as true sons through Jesus Christ. Pastor David Jang repeatedly emphasizes in his teachings that we must not lose sight of this essence of the gospel and its grace as revealed in Galatians, continually examining ourselves and bringing this freedom to life in practical ways. Because we are now sons, we no longer live in fear or obligation; we can call Him “Abba, Father” and stand in the amazing position to inherit all He has. Embracing and displaying that relationship of freedom and love every day is the powerful appeal and joyous invitation that Galatians 4 extends to the church today.