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You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth. Galatians 4:2 http://www.dailybiblestudy.org
2 But [alla] is [esti] under [hupo] tutors [epitropos] and [kai] governors [oikonomos] until [achri] the time appointed [prothesmios] of the father [pater]. KJV-Interlinear
2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father. NASB
Before we move on much further, we probably need to review where we have come from. Remember back in the last chapter, Paul began describing an example of youngsters as they were growing up, being under the control of a guardian. This illustration was to point out the functions of the Mosaic Law while it was in effect throughout history prior to the crucifixion of Christ. Here in this verse the words tutors and governors are in the plural, and what Paul is pointing out is that the child, who illustrates people who lived in history prior to the cross, is under the guardianship or watch of the Mosaic law. The Mosaic law wasn’t written until the time of Moses but from the time of Adam and Eve until the cross there were only two ways to be saved. First was by faith which of course is the correct way, and the second way is by works which was, and is, the incorrect way. Cain is the example of an attempt to satisfy God through works. Remember he was planting his gain crops and such, and harvested them. He made an offering of his grains, which were the works of his labor, to God, and God rejected his works. Abel on the other hand was a shepherd and he did virtually no work other than watching over the flocks. He made a sacrifice of one of these animals which was in accordance with what God had requested. Abel’s sacrifice was accepted. The concept of works has existed since the time Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve tried to put fig leaves over themselves or leaves, and that was an example of works. Later on they were wearing clothes of animal skins and of course we know where the animal skins came from. They came from animals which were obviously sacrificed on an altar and so then they would have the use of those skins for clothing. Needless to say the animals had no further use of the skins. Therefore they wrapped themselves up in the clothing which came from the work of God not from themselves. This is an illustration of Adam and Eve accepting the work of God through faith and thus wrapping themselves in the work of Christ, rather than trying to gain God’s approval and forgiveness by means of their own works. So Paul is making the similar illustration using the principle of a guardian who has control and authority over a child. Using the terms in the plural describes how the guardian has control over the person that he has guardianship over. The child has no power, could not order his own life or actions, he wasn’t able to appropriate new property or do with his property anything of his own choosing. In other words the child was bound hand and foot to the control of the guardian, with no freedom whatsoever. The phrase, until the time appointed by the father, is an illustration of when the head of the household makes a decision that the appropriate time has arrived such that the child is now declared a free adult, and the services of the guardian are permanently dismissed from the rest of the life of the child. From the creation of Adam and his subsequent fall, until the time of Christ, the human race was under the heavy rule of a guardian called works. During this time the line of Christ was developed until the time of his birth, and then until the time of the cross. As an illustration of how salvation works, God made a promise to Abraham. But that promise pointed to both the fulfillment of an inheritance, as well as to the birth and work of the person would actually fulfill that promise. God controls history. God created Adam and Eve, and gave life to all the generations that followed. During those several thousands of years, God developed principles and rules and concepts of freedom and truth, as well as the line of Christ. Faith was evident from the time of Adam and Eve by way of their obtaining animal skins as clothing. Faith was illustrated by the promise made to Abraham, through which faith, righteousness, or salvation, was credited to him. But when the time of Moses arrived, the works of man’s efforts were documented in the Mosaic law, to demonstrate man’s inability to achieve salvation by works, and the foolishness or stupidity of the person trying to justify themselves by means of their own effort. Therefore, the law was given in order to document and to demonstrate and to prove that man needs something more than the law, something outside the law, in order to correct and gain his relationship with God.
Now is the time to post a prayer. End Of Lesson Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth. |
