And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba Father. Galatians 4:6
I remember how angry my grandmother was one day at the news that a particular preacher had been invited to come and preach at the charismatic church that she attended. What was wrong with the man? ‘He’s a Jesus Only!’ she declared, her head shaking with revulsion, as though being a ‘Jesus Only’ was one of the worst things she could accuse a person of. The man apparently belonged to a particular branch of Pentacostalism that believes there is only one Person in the Godhead, and totally rejects the doctrine of the Trinity. It is true that the word ‘Trinity’ does not appear in our Bible. Opponents of Christianity are quick to point that out, including the cults. But if the word isn’t there, the doctrine definitely is. And our text today is a shining example of that doctrine presented in one brief verse. And it is particularly exciting for us because it reveals not only the relationship among the Persons in the Trinity, but also the relationship of the Trinity to us.
The relationship between the Father and the Son goes beyond our ability to grasp, other than to know that the Father’s greatest delight is in His Son and the Son’s greatest desire is to honour and obey the Father. The expression ‘Abba Father’ is a term of endearment, such as a loving child would use to express affection to a parent. When we think of the Lord Jesus expressing His love for His Father, we are so thankful that our salvation has enabled us to express that same love to our Father. The very thought of this should cause us to bow in reverent thanksgiving.
Our salvation has also brought us into the blessing of having the Holy spirit take up residence within us. This is the seal that marks us as God’s children, the earnest of our inheritance (Ephesians 1:14). His presence is our enabling power to serve our Lord, our Encourager, our Comforter, and our Guide. Beside all this, as our text reveals, the Spirit’s role is also to produce in our hearts a loving response to our God. Some of the more ‘liberal’ translations of the Bible render the word ‘sons’ as ‘children’. But that word misses the great truth of sonship, the reality that our relationship with God the Father through God the Son brings us into an inheritance. We are ‘heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ’ (Romans 8:17).
Our relationship with each of the Persons of the Trinity is eternal and infinite. And it remains unchanged regardless of our awareness and appreciation of it all. Amazing! – Jim MacIntosh