to redeem those under the lawThe concept of redemption in this phrase refers to the act of buying back or liberating someone from bondage. In the biblical context, it signifies Christ's sacrificial death, which frees believers from the curse and demands of the Mosaic Law. Historically, the Law was given to Israel as a covenant, setting them apart as God's people. However, it also highlighted humanity's inability to achieve righteousness through their own efforts. The Law served as a tutor leading to Christ (
Galatians 3:24), showing the need for a savior. Jesus, by fulfilling the Law (
Matthew 5:17), redeems those who were under its jurisdiction, offering freedom from its penalties and requirements. This redemption is a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, such as
Isaiah 53, which speaks of the suffering servant who would bear the iniquities of many.
that we might receive our adoption as sons
Adoption in the Roman world, which Paul was familiar with, was a legal act that granted an adopted child the full rights and privileges of a biological child, including inheritance rights. Spiritually, this adoption signifies believers' new identity and relationship with God through Christ. It is not merely a change in status but a transformation into the family of God, with all the associated rights and responsibilities. This adoption is a fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham that all nations would be blessed through his seed (Genesis 12:3), and it is echoed in other New Testament passages such asRomans 8:15-17, which speaks of believers receiving the Spirit of sonship. This adoption assures believers of their place in God's family, providing them with a sense of belonging and security, and it is made possible through the redemptive work of Christ.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
Paul the ApostleThe author of the letter to the Galatians, addressing the churches in Galatia to correct false teachings and affirm the true gospel.
2.
GalatiansThe recipients of the letter, a group of early Christian communities in the region of Galatia, struggling with the influence of Judaizers who insisted on adherence to the Mosaic Law.
3.
Jesus ChristCentral to the message of redemption and adoption, whose sacrificial death and resurrection made it possible for believers to be redeemed from the law.
4.
The LawRefers to the Mosaic Law, which was given to the Israelites and served as a guardian until Christ came.
5.
Adoption as SonsA key theme in this verse, highlighting the transformation from being under the law to becoming children of God through faith in Christ.
Teaching Points
Redemption from the LawJesus' mission was to redeem us from the bondage of the law, which we could not fulfill on our own. This redemption is a gift of grace, not earned by works.
Adoption as SonsThrough Christ, we are not only freed from the law but also brought into a familial relationship with God. This adoption signifies a new identity and inheritance.
Identity in ChristUnderstanding our identity as children of God should transform how we live, think, and interact with others. We are no longer slaves to sin but heirs of God's promises.
Freedom and ResponsibilityOur freedom in Christ comes with the responsibility to live according to the Spirit, reflecting our status as God's children in our daily lives.
Assurance of God's LoveAdoption assures us of God's unchanging love and commitment. We can approach Him with confidence, knowing we are His beloved children.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Galatians 4:5?
2.How does Galatians 4:5 explain the purpose of Christ's redemption for believers?
3.What does "adoption as sons" mean in the context of Galatians 4:5?
4.How does Galatians 4:5 connect to Romans 8:15 about spiritual adoption?
5.How can understanding our adoption in Christ affect our daily Christian walk?
6.In what ways can we live as God's children, as stated in Galatians 4:5?
7.What does "adoption as sons" mean in Galatians 4:5 for believers today?
8.How does Galatians 4:5 relate to the concept of redemption in Christian theology?
9.Why was the law necessary before the redemption mentioned in Galatians 4:5?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Galatians 4?
11.What does the Bible say regarding adoption?
12.What does believing in the Son of God mean?
13.What is the Ordo Salutis?
14.Do you question your salvation?What Does Galatians 4:5 Mean
ContextPaul is explaining why, at exactly the right moment in history, “God sent His Son… born of a woman, born under the Law” (Galatians 4:4). Verse 5 gives the purpose of that sending.
To redeem• “To redeem” means to buy back at a price. Christ’s death was the ransom payment (1 Timothy 2:5-6).
• The picture echoes the marketplace image inGalatians 3:13: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us.”
• Redemption is not theoretical; it required the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:12).
Those under the law• “Those under the law” refers first to Israel, who lived under the Mosaic covenant (Romans 3:19).
• Yet Paul has already shown that the Law imprisons everyone in sin’s guilt (Galatians 3:22). Thus both Jew and Gentile need redeeming.
• Jesus placed Himself “under the Law” (v. 4) so He could meet its demands perfectly (Matthew 5:17) and bear its penalty for others (Isaiah 53:6).
That we might receive• Redemption is the means; reception is the result. Salvation is a gift to be received, not earned (Ephesians 2:8-9).
• Paul’s “we” includes all who trust Christ, abolishing any spiritual caste system (Galatians 3:28).
Our adoption as sons• Adoption speaks of legal placement into God’s family with full rights. Believers are not merely forgiven servants; they are inheriting children (Romans 8:15-17).
• The Father’s purpose stretches beyond rescue from wrath to intimate relationship. Hence God sends “the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Galatians 4:6).
• Sonship secures an unfading heritage—“an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” (1 Peter 1:4).
summaryGalatians 4:5 teaches that Jesus entered our world and met every demand of the Law in order to pay the price we could never afford. By trusting in His finished work we are not only liberated from condemnation but welcomed as beloved sons and daughters, enjoying all the privileges and inheritance that belong to the family of God.
(5)
To redeem them that were under the law.--To redeem, or ransom, at the price of His death, both Jew and Gentile at once from the condemnation under which the law, to which they were severally subject, placed them, and also from the bondage and constraint which its severe discipline involved.
That we might receive the adoption of sons.--Redemption is followed by adoption. The admission of the believer into the Messianic kingdom, with its immunities from sin and from law, implies an admission into the Messianic family, of which God is the Father and Christ the Eldest Son, "first born amongst many brethren."
Verse 5. -
To redeem them that were under the Law (
ἵνα τοὺς ὑπὸ νόμον ἐξαγοράσῃ);
that he might redeem (Greek, buy off)
them which were under the Law. In what way Christ bought God's people off, not only from the curse, but also from the dominion of the Law, has been stated by the apostle above, at
Galatians 3:13, "Christ bought us off (
Ξριστὸς ἡμᾶς ἐξηγόρασεν) from the curse of the Law by being made on our behalf a curse" (see note). But why, in order to effect this object, was it prerequisite, as it is here implied that it was, that he should be himself "brought under the Law"? The directions which the Law in
Deuteronomy 21:22, 23 gave with respect to those "hanged on a tree" were apparently held by Joshua (
Joshua 8:29;
Joshua 10:26, 27) to apply also to the case of persons so hanged who were not Israelites. If so, does it not follow (an objector may say) that Jesus, even if not an Israelite under the Law, would, however, by being crucified, have fallen under the curse of the Law, and thereby annihilated the Law for all who by faith should become partakers with him, whether Jews or Gentiles? why, then, should be have been brought under the Law? The objection is met by the consideration that, in order that Christ might abrogate the Law by becoming subject to its curse, it was necessary that he should himself be perfectly acceptable to God, not only as being the eternal "Son of his love," but also in the entire completeness of his life as a man, and, therefore, by perfect obedience to the will of God as declared in the Law, under which it had pleased God to place his people. The Law, whatever the degradation which its ceremonial institute inferred for "the sons of God" subjected to it, was, nevertheless, for the time, God's manifest ordinance, to which all who sought to serve him were bound to submit them° selves. They could not be righteous before him unless they walked in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless (
Luke 1:6).
That we mightreceive the adoption of sons (
i%na th\nυἱοθεσίαν ἀπολάβωμεν); that is, that our adoptive sonship might be actually and in full measure made over to us. The" we" recites God's people; the same persons as those indicated by the preceding phrase, "those which were under the Law," which phrase was not meant to define one particular class among God's people, but to describe the condition in which God's people had been placed. Their Father had put them under the Law with the view of their being at his appointed time bought off from the Law and admitted to the full enjoyment of their filial privileges. This purpose of their Father, signified beforehand in the promises to Abraham, explains the article before
υἱοθεσίαν: it was the adoptive sonship which had been guaranteed to them. Hence the use here of the verb
ἀπολάβωμεν instead of
λάβωμεν: for the prepositional prefix of this compound verb has always its force; generally denoting our receiving a thing in some way due to us, answering to its force in the verb
ἀποδίδωμι, repay: sometimes our receiving a thing in full measure (comp.
Luke 6:34, 35;
Luke 16:25;
Luke 18:30;
Luke 23:41;
Romans 1:27;
Colossians 3:24 2John 8). In
Luke 15:27 it is receiving
back one lost. The second
ἵνα is subordinate to the first; the deliverance of God's people from the Law was in order to their introduction into their complete state of sonship. The noun
υἱοθεσία does not appear to occur in any Greek writer except St. Paul; though
θέσθαι υἱόν υἱὸς θετός,
υἱόθετος ὁ κατὰ θέσιν πατήρ, are found in various authors. After the analogy of other compound verbal nouns with a similar termination (
ὁρκωμοσία ἀγωνοθεσία θεσμοθεσία, etc.), it means first the
act of adoption, as, perhaps,
Romans 8:23;
Ephesians 1:5; and then, quite naturally, the consequent condition of the adopted child, as in
Romans 8:15;
Romans 9:4; and this seems its more prominent sense here.
Romans 9:4 suggests the surmise that the term had been in use before among Palestinian Jews, with reference to Israel's state under the theocracy, and that St. Paul borrowed it thence with reference to the Christian Church, in which it found a more complete realization.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
to redeemἐξαγοράσῃ(exagorasē)Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1805:From ek and agorazo; to buy up, i.e. Ransom; figuratively, to rescue from loss.thoseτοὺς(tous)Article - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.underὑπὸ(hypo)Preposition
Strong's 5259:A primary preposition; under, i.e. of place, or with verbs; of place (underneath) or where (below) or time (when).[the] Law,νόμον(nomon)Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3551:From a primary nemo; law, genitive case, specially, (including the volume); also of the Gospel), or figuratively.thatἵνα(hina)Conjunction
Strong's 2443:In order that, so that. Probably from the same as the former part of heautou; in order that.we might receiveἀπολάβωμεν(apolabōmen)Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 618:From apo and lambano; to receive; also to take aside.[our]τὴν(tēn)Article - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.adoption as sons.υἱοθεσίαν(huiothesian)Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 5206:From a presumed compound of huios and a derivative of tithemi; the placing as a son, i.e. Adoption.
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NT Letters: Galatians 4:5 That he might redeem those who were (Gal. Ga) 
