Every Christmas season, we’re surrounded by the language of gifts. Commercials count down the “must-haves,” stores promise the “perfect present,” and children rehearse their wish lists with the precision of seasoned negotiators. Yet even with the bustle of wrapping paper and decorated trees, believers know that the true wonder of Christmas cannot be measured by price tags or packaged in a box.
The apostle Paul captured the heart of Christmas in a single phrase tucked away in Galatians 4:4: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son.” That simple statement contains the entire message of Christmas, the entire sweep of Scripture, and the entire hope of the gospel. Christmas is not merely a season; it is the story of God sending His greatest gift at the perfect time, in the perfect way, to be received by the most undeserving people.
And that means something astonishing for every believer: In Christ, you are spiritually rich—richer than you could ever imagine.
This is the message we need in December, particularly in a season during which we become tempted to measure ourselves by what we lack rather than by what we have been given. But like George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life, sometimes we forget. Sometimes we need a reminder that the riches God has given us far outshine the circumstances we face.
If you follow LMBC’s Rooted Bible reading plan, be on the lookout for the December 10 reading, particularly the fourth chapter of Galatians:
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. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ (Galatians 4:4-7 NKJV)
Galatians 4:4–7 offers a powerful reminder of just how God richly blessed believers through the gift of His son, Jesus. In just four verses, Paul shows us that Christmas reveals three unshakeable truths that explain why Jesus is, truly, the greatest gift.
Why Is Jesus the Greatest Gift?
1. Jesus Was Sent by Our Sovereign Father
“When the fullness of time had come”
Christmas began long before the manger scene in Bethlehem. It began in the heart of a sovereign God whose redemptive plan was unfolding long before Mary ever wrapped the newborn Jesus in strips of cloth and laid Him in a manger.
Before the curse, before the fall, before sin fractured the world God made, Adam and Eve walked in unbroken fellowship with their Creator God. Made in His image, entrusted with dominion, and placed in a world filled with goodness, they lived as beloved children in the Father’s presence. However, the fall changed everything. Sin shattered fellowship with God and others, scarred creation, and plunged humanity into spiritual lostness. Like wrapping a newly restored classic car around a tree, the separation brought about by sin was devastating. What God designed as beautiful became bent and broken.
Nonetheless, right in the middle of judgment, God whispered hope. Genesis 3:15 promised a coming “seed” who would crush Satan and reverse the curse of sin. With a single verse, the first Christmas promise appears in Scripture. From that moment on, the entire Old Testament becomes the search for the seed orchestrated by God Himself.
Tracing the Seed Through History
Paul’s phrase “the fullness of time” in Galatians 4:4 is loaded with centuries of divine preparation by a sovereign God. Scripture traces the coming Redeemer through the patriarchs and prophets:
The World Was Prepared
During the Intertestamental Period, the time between the Old and New Testaments, God, with meticulous care, arranged the stage for the coming of Jesus. Take a moment and consider the drastic political and societal shifts that occurred before and during the time of Jesus, and how God, in His great sovereignty, brought them about to prepare the world for the message of Jesus. The Roman Empire brought unprecedented peace, allowing the gospel to spread rapidly. The influence of Hellenism (Greek culture and ideas) gave the world a common language, allowing the New Testament, originally written in Greek, to flourish. Religious restlessness, from Jewish legalism to Greek philosophy to pagan superstition, created a hunger for truth. Roman taxation, despised by the Jewish people, funded the roads on which Paul himself would later travel to reach new cities and provinces with the gospel. Finally, Caesar Augustus, in a seemingly ordinary administrative edict, ordered the Roman census. In His sovereignty, God allowed this census to occur, which moved Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, fulfilling prophecy when Jesus was born there.
From a heavenly viewpoint, each of the previously mentioned events perfectly synchronized with God’s redemptive plan and timetable. From an earthly viewpoint, however, these events looked ordinary and disjointed. Among other things, the story of Christmas and the events leading up to Christ’s birth serve as a reminder that we often see God’s plan best in hindsight. Christmas stands as a reminder that God never loses control of the world. From the rise and fall of empires to the intimate details of our lives, God’s timing is flawless, His purposes never fail, and His plan is always on schedule.
2. Jesus Is Our Sufficient Savior
“God sent forth his son”
Christmas not only reveals the sovereignty of the Father but also the sufficiency of His Son, Jesus. In Galatians 4:4-5, Paul writes, “God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law.” Each phrase is a treasure trove of truth about Jesus.
“God sent forth His Son” — Jesus is fully God.
The verb Paul uses, exapostellō, pictures a royal commissioning. God the Father did not send an angel, a prophet, or a heavenly warrior. He sent His own Son, eternally divine, the agent of creation, and the image of the invisible God. The baby born in Bethlehem was not merely from God; He was God!
“Born of woman” — Jesus is fully human.
The eternal Son stepped into time through the same doorway every person enters the world. Jesus took on flesh. He grew, He learned, He got tired, He wept, He experienced temptation, and He felt pain. He became a human, wrapped in flesh, in order to become a substitute on the cross, taking on our sin. This timeless truth fulfills Genesis 3:15, as God promised the seed born of a woman would crush the serpent’s head. Christmas is the beginning of the great victory that Jesus won at the cross on our behalf.
“Born under the law” — Jesus is perfectly righteous.
Jesus did not come as a detached observer. He entered our world under the same law that condemns us. But unlike us, He fulfilled the law completely. During His earthly ministry, Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). Where we failed to obey, He succeeded. Where we sinned, Jesus lived victorious over sin, making Him uniquely qualified to redeem us. Only someone who was God could conquer sin, death, and hell. Only someone who was human could substitute in our place. Only someone who was sinless could die in our place. No one else in history meets those qualifications. Not even Clarence the angel!
“To redeem those under the law” — Jesus is our Redeemer.
Redemption in the ancient world involved paying a price to free someone from the power of another. Across the Roman Empire, enslaved people were regularly purchased and set free by a benefactor. At the arrival of Jesus, humanity was enslaved to sin, to the law’s accusations, and to spiritual powers we could not defeat or escape. However, thirty-three years after His birth in Bethlehem, Jesus paid the price for our sin in full. The manger exists because the cross was coming. Christmas points to Calvary!
The redemptive work of Jesus carries implications for our understanding of salvation. Because our pardon was purchased by Jesus on the cross, salvation is by grace, not effort. It is by faith, not works. It is by Christ alone, not by Christ plus anything else. Jesus gives eternal life entirely by grace to those who trust in Him. We can’t work for salvation, and we can’t work to keep it. Salvation is a gift received by faith. That’s good news! That’s the gift of Christmas.
3. Through Jesus, We Receive Spirit-Sealed Sonship
“That we might receive adoption as sons”
If the Father planned our salvation and the Son purchased it, the Spirit personalizes it.
Paul writes, “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Gal. 4:6). The language of verse six is tender and intimate. God’s Holy Spirit does not simply improve us; He lives within us! He does not merely reform us; He assures us. He does not simply teach us; He testifies within us. As believers in Jesus, we stand as adopted sons and daughters of the living God.
What “Sonship” Meant in the First Century
In Paul’s day, “sonship” did not serve as a sentimental term. Sonship constituted a legal status declaring a child had come of age and now possessed full rights, privileges, and inheritance. Fathers would set a date when children moved from minor status to adult sonship.
Before Christ, humanity lived under the guardianship of the law and stood immature, incapable of righteousness, and spiritually impoverished (Galatians 4:2-3). At the moment of salvation, however, God publicly and permanently adopts believers in Jesus as His sons and daughters.
Our sonship in God through Jesus changes everything! A servant obeys out of fear, but
a son obeys out of love. A servant has a detached master, but a son has a father. A servant earns wages, but a son receives an inheritance. A servant is poor, but a son is rich. God’s Holy Spirit, living within every believer, reminds us of the riches we possess as sons of God through Jesus.
The Riches of Our Sonship
Scripture describes our spiritual wealth through Jesus in vivid terms. As believers in Jesus, we possess “the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7; 2:7), “the riches of His glory” (Philippians 4:19; Colossians 1:27), “the riches of His goodness” including His kindness, forbearance, and patience (Romans 2:4), and the riches of His wisdom and knowledge (Romans 11:33; James 1:5). Jesus even promises the rich blessing of answered prayer to those who abide in Him (John 15:7). Additionally, Paul reminds us that all of these riches are found in Christ, “In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).
Not only do we enjoy spiritual wealth through Jesus today, there’s more on the way in the age to come! Roman adoption involved two ceremonies. A private ceremony would precede a public one. Spiritually, the first ceremony has been completed. The Spirit lives in us, our papers are sealed, and our sonship is certain. However, the second ceremony is coming. When Christ returns, believers will receive resurrected bodies, perfect righteousness, and an inheritance “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading”
(1 Peter 1:4). One day, we will be like Jesus, and our adoption will be complete. Christmas assures us that God keeps His promises.
Celebrating The Greatest Gift
Our world measures wealth by possessions, accomplishments, and circumstances. But Scripture measures wealth by grace, redemption, and sonship. Those who are in Christ are not spiritually middle-class. We’re not spiritually “barely getting by.” Through Jesus, we are spiritually blessed. Jesus is the greatest gift we could ever receive. Because God gave us His Son at Christmas, we are lavishly, eternally, and immeasurably rich!
The apostle Paul captured the heart of Christmas in a single phrase tucked away in Galatians 4:4: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son.” That simple statement contains the entire message of Christmas, the entire sweep of Scripture, and the entire hope of the gospel. Christmas is not merely a season; it is the story of God sending His greatest gift at the perfect time, in the perfect way, to be received by the most undeserving people.
And that means something astonishing for every believer: In Christ, you are spiritually rich—richer than you could ever imagine.
This is the message we need in December, particularly in a season during which we become tempted to measure ourselves by what we lack rather than by what we have been given. But like George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life, sometimes we forget. Sometimes we need a reminder that the riches God has given us far outshine the circumstances we face.
If you follow LMBC’s Rooted Bible reading plan, be on the lookout for the December 10 reading, particularly the fourth chapter of Galatians:
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. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ (Galatians 4:4-7 NKJV)
Galatians 4:4–7 offers a powerful reminder of just how God richly blessed believers through the gift of His son, Jesus. In just four verses, Paul shows us that Christmas reveals three unshakeable truths that explain why Jesus is, truly, the greatest gift.
Why Is Jesus the Greatest Gift?
1. Jesus Was Sent by Our Sovereign Father
“When the fullness of time had come”
Christmas began long before the manger scene in Bethlehem. It began in the heart of a sovereign God whose redemptive plan was unfolding long before Mary ever wrapped the newborn Jesus in strips of cloth and laid Him in a manger.
Before the curse, before the fall, before sin fractured the world God made, Adam and Eve walked in unbroken fellowship with their Creator God. Made in His image, entrusted with dominion, and placed in a world filled with goodness, they lived as beloved children in the Father’s presence. However, the fall changed everything. Sin shattered fellowship with God and others, scarred creation, and plunged humanity into spiritual lostness. Like wrapping a newly restored classic car around a tree, the separation brought about by sin was devastating. What God designed as beautiful became bent and broken.
Nonetheless, right in the middle of judgment, God whispered hope. Genesis 3:15 promised a coming “seed” who would crush Satan and reverse the curse of sin. With a single verse, the first Christmas promise appears in Scripture. From that moment on, the entire Old Testament becomes the search for the seed orchestrated by God Himself.
Tracing the Seed Through History
Paul’s phrase “the fullness of time” in Galatians 4:4 is loaded with centuries of divine preparation by a sovereign God. Scripture traces the coming Redeemer through the patriarchs and prophets:
- Through Abraham (Genesis 22:18).
- Through Isaac, not Ishmael (Genesis 26:2-5).
- Through Jacob, whose descendants would fill the earth (Genesis 28:14).
- Through Judah, from whom the scepter would not depart (Genesis 49:10).
- Through David, whose throne would be established forever (2 Samuel 7:12).
- Through a virgin (Isaiah 7:14).
- As Mighty God and Prince of Peace, (Isaiah 9:6).
- As the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53).
- And finally, Scripture leaves no doubt: “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who is Christ” (Gal. 3:16).
The World Was Prepared
During the Intertestamental Period, the time between the Old and New Testaments, God, with meticulous care, arranged the stage for the coming of Jesus. Take a moment and consider the drastic political and societal shifts that occurred before and during the time of Jesus, and how God, in His great sovereignty, brought them about to prepare the world for the message of Jesus. The Roman Empire brought unprecedented peace, allowing the gospel to spread rapidly. The influence of Hellenism (Greek culture and ideas) gave the world a common language, allowing the New Testament, originally written in Greek, to flourish. Religious restlessness, from Jewish legalism to Greek philosophy to pagan superstition, created a hunger for truth. Roman taxation, despised by the Jewish people, funded the roads on which Paul himself would later travel to reach new cities and provinces with the gospel. Finally, Caesar Augustus, in a seemingly ordinary administrative edict, ordered the Roman census. In His sovereignty, God allowed this census to occur, which moved Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, fulfilling prophecy when Jesus was born there.
From a heavenly viewpoint, each of the previously mentioned events perfectly synchronized with God’s redemptive plan and timetable. From an earthly viewpoint, however, these events looked ordinary and disjointed. Among other things, the story of Christmas and the events leading up to Christ’s birth serve as a reminder that we often see God’s plan best in hindsight. Christmas stands as a reminder that God never loses control of the world. From the rise and fall of empires to the intimate details of our lives, God’s timing is flawless, His purposes never fail, and His plan is always on schedule.
2. Jesus Is Our Sufficient Savior
“God sent forth his son”
Christmas not only reveals the sovereignty of the Father but also the sufficiency of His Son, Jesus. In Galatians 4:4-5, Paul writes, “God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law.” Each phrase is a treasure trove of truth about Jesus.
“God sent forth His Son” — Jesus is fully God.
The verb Paul uses, exapostellō, pictures a royal commissioning. God the Father did not send an angel, a prophet, or a heavenly warrior. He sent His own Son, eternally divine, the agent of creation, and the image of the invisible God. The baby born in Bethlehem was not merely from God; He was God!
“Born of woman” — Jesus is fully human.
The eternal Son stepped into time through the same doorway every person enters the world. Jesus took on flesh. He grew, He learned, He got tired, He wept, He experienced temptation, and He felt pain. He became a human, wrapped in flesh, in order to become a substitute on the cross, taking on our sin. This timeless truth fulfills Genesis 3:15, as God promised the seed born of a woman would crush the serpent’s head. Christmas is the beginning of the great victory that Jesus won at the cross on our behalf.
“Born under the law” — Jesus is perfectly righteous.
Jesus did not come as a detached observer. He entered our world under the same law that condemns us. But unlike us, He fulfilled the law completely. During His earthly ministry, Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). Where we failed to obey, He succeeded. Where we sinned, Jesus lived victorious over sin, making Him uniquely qualified to redeem us. Only someone who was God could conquer sin, death, and hell. Only someone who was human could substitute in our place. Only someone who was sinless could die in our place. No one else in history meets those qualifications. Not even Clarence the angel!
“To redeem those under the law” — Jesus is our Redeemer.
Redemption in the ancient world involved paying a price to free someone from the power of another. Across the Roman Empire, enslaved people were regularly purchased and set free by a benefactor. At the arrival of Jesus, humanity was enslaved to sin, to the law’s accusations, and to spiritual powers we could not defeat or escape. However, thirty-three years after His birth in Bethlehem, Jesus paid the price for our sin in full. The manger exists because the cross was coming. Christmas points to Calvary!
The redemptive work of Jesus carries implications for our understanding of salvation. Because our pardon was purchased by Jesus on the cross, salvation is by grace, not effort. It is by faith, not works. It is by Christ alone, not by Christ plus anything else. Jesus gives eternal life entirely by grace to those who trust in Him. We can’t work for salvation, and we can’t work to keep it. Salvation is a gift received by faith. That’s good news! That’s the gift of Christmas.
3. Through Jesus, We Receive Spirit-Sealed Sonship
“That we might receive adoption as sons”
If the Father planned our salvation and the Son purchased it, the Spirit personalizes it.
Paul writes, “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Gal. 4:6). The language of verse six is tender and intimate. God’s Holy Spirit does not simply improve us; He lives within us! He does not merely reform us; He assures us. He does not simply teach us; He testifies within us. As believers in Jesus, we stand as adopted sons and daughters of the living God.
What “Sonship” Meant in the First Century
In Paul’s day, “sonship” did not serve as a sentimental term. Sonship constituted a legal status declaring a child had come of age and now possessed full rights, privileges, and inheritance. Fathers would set a date when children moved from minor status to adult sonship.
Before Christ, humanity lived under the guardianship of the law and stood immature, incapable of righteousness, and spiritually impoverished (Galatians 4:2-3). At the moment of salvation, however, God publicly and permanently adopts believers in Jesus as His sons and daughters.
Our sonship in God through Jesus changes everything! A servant obeys out of fear, but
a son obeys out of love. A servant has a detached master, but a son has a father. A servant earns wages, but a son receives an inheritance. A servant is poor, but a son is rich. God’s Holy Spirit, living within every believer, reminds us of the riches we possess as sons of God through Jesus.
The Riches of Our Sonship
Scripture describes our spiritual wealth through Jesus in vivid terms. As believers in Jesus, we possess “the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7; 2:7), “the riches of His glory” (Philippians 4:19; Colossians 1:27), “the riches of His goodness” including His kindness, forbearance, and patience (Romans 2:4), and the riches of His wisdom and knowledge (Romans 11:33; James 1:5). Jesus even promises the rich blessing of answered prayer to those who abide in Him (John 15:7). Additionally, Paul reminds us that all of these riches are found in Christ, “In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).
Not only do we enjoy spiritual wealth through Jesus today, there’s more on the way in the age to come! Roman adoption involved two ceremonies. A private ceremony would precede a public one. Spiritually, the first ceremony has been completed. The Spirit lives in us, our papers are sealed, and our sonship is certain. However, the second ceremony is coming. When Christ returns, believers will receive resurrected bodies, perfect righteousness, and an inheritance “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading”
(1 Peter 1:4). One day, we will be like Jesus, and our adoption will be complete. Christmas assures us that God keeps His promises.
Celebrating The Greatest Gift
Our world measures wealth by possessions, accomplishments, and circumstances. But Scripture measures wealth by grace, redemption, and sonship. Those who are in Christ are not spiritually middle-class. We’re not spiritually “barely getting by.” Through Jesus, we are spiritually blessed. Jesus is the greatest gift we could ever receive. Because God gave us His Son at Christmas, we are lavishly, eternally, and immeasurably rich!
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