“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:4-5
In Luke 2, we read of the birth of the Christ Child, how it was that He was born in Bethlehem, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy in Micah 5:2. We are told how He was born, not in the best hotel in Bethlehem, but outdoors, possibly in a stable, and He was laid in a manger “because there was no room for them in the inn.”
But what does it all mean?
It is far more than a quaint story of a humble birth. It is the fulfillment of God’s promises, made since the world began. For, in the fullness of time, God kept His promise to send the Seed of the woman who would undo the work of Satan in the Garden (Gen. 3:15; Heb. 2:14-17). He fulfilled His word to send the Seed of Abraham, who would bring blessing to all the families of the earth (Gen. 12:3; 22:18). He fulfilled His word to “redeem Israel from all his iniquities” (Ps. 130:8) — to send the One who would suffer and die to bear our iniquities and rise again (Isa. 53, Ps. 22).
“God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem those who were under the law …” God sent His only-begotten Son into the world as a man, born of a woman, to fulfill His promises and redeem mankind from the law’s curse and condemnation. The LORD God Himself took on human flesh and blood and became one of us so that He might take our place under the law and die in our stead, for our sins, and redeem us (cf. John 1:1-5,14; Gal. 3:10-14; Heb. 2:14-17). Jesus Christ did this and rose again in victory on the third day (cf. 1 Cor. 15:3-4).
And why did God do all this? “That we might receive the adoption as sons.” So that we, who were condemned by the law and unacceptable to God, might be made acceptable in His sight and be received into His everlasting kingdom as His sons through faith in Jesus’ name (cf. Eph. 1:6-7; Gal. 3:26-29).
Therefore, we rejoice and give thanks this day and always that God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, born of the Virgin Mary and laid in a manger, that He might go to the cross and redeem us and that we might trust in Him and be adopted as God’s children through faith in Christ Jesus!
We thank and praise You, O God, for the gift of Your dear Son, sent into this world a true man, born of the Virgin Mary and laid in a manger, that He might redeem us from our sins and adopt us as Your own dear children through faith in Jesus’ name. Amen.
[Scripture is taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]