Passing to Adulthood

 1 Cor 13:11 “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways." ESV

Dear CBC Family,

Somewhere and sometime all children pass from being kids to adults. The markers are different for each of us – sometimes it’s graduation, moving out, or getting married. I knew that I had become an adult when something significant happened in my relationship with my mom. She spent a huge amount of energy when I was a kid trying to get me to do dishes. One day I went to visit her, and she spent a huge amount of energy trying to stop me from doing dishes. I had become a guest in her home. That marker told me I had passed to adulthood.

In Judaism, a boy transitions from adolescence to manhood shortly after his twelfth birthday. He became "a son of the law." In ancient Greece, individuals reached adulthood around eighteen, similar to other cultures, and were expected to take on full adult responsibilities. At this age, at the festival of the “Apaturia”, the child passed from the care of his father to the care of the state and was responsible to it.

Roman society was different. In Roman society, the father decided when a child would become an adult. Every year, on March 17, Romans held a festival called the “Liberalia”. At this feast, if the father believed his son was ready, he would officially adopt him as his recognized son and heir. He would receive new clothes, called “toga virilis”. After this ceremony, the son was considered to have come of age. He had new rights and new responsibilities. You can imagine the kids wondering as March 17 approached if this would be the year they would become adults.

Paul’s paints a word picture of our relationship with God using the concept of growing up – passing from a period of childhood to adulthood in the eyes of God in Galatians 4.

In verses 1-2 he says; “What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father.”

The picture here is of a very small child who is heir of a big estate. As long as he’s a child he’s essentially no different from a slave in the eyes of the law. He can’t make decisions. He has no freedom. He’s subject to what his guardians and trustees say, until he reaches the age at which his father decides that he’s an adult.

Paul uses this as a picture of our condition before Christ; before Jesus came to save and redeem and adopt. He says, “And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were slaves to the spiritual powers of this world” (Galatians 4:3). Then Paul explains what God did to change this situation, in an absolutely amazing verse. “But when the right time came, God sent his Son born of a woman, born under the law.” (Galatians 4:4).

I love the NIV phrase, “when the right time came.” It’s as if God were like a father who saw March 17 coming and said, “It’s time. It’s time that my kids received their rights. It’s time that they received the full privileges of being my children.” This was the time that God sovereignly chose to act. God desires for us to experience the blessings of being His children with new rights and responsibilities. In order to receive and experience these incredible privileges a person must first have their spiritual March 17 when they pass from being under the restraints of law to freedom as a son. Each of us know people who may be religious but have no experience, joy or peace as a son.

We know as Christians the freedom as we begin to walk in the power and grace of our inheritance. We need to be moved by the Holy Spirit to bring others into that freedom. May each of us grow in that grace and experience unto the fulfilling of the Father’s eternal purpose in redeeming us. But, may we also seek to be used of Him this New Year in setting the captives free.

Join us this weekend as we continue to learn, unpack, and apply the privileges of being adopted by the Most High God.

Blessings to you all,

Pastor Scott