In the Fullness of Time Salvation Secured through the Virgin Birth

We’ve been tracing the promise of God through Advent, and today I held up the reason and timing behind it all: in the fullness of time the Father sent His Son—born of a woman, born under the law—to redeem and adopt us. Paul’s picture in Galatians is vivid. In the Roman world, an heir was treated like a slave until the father’s appointed day arrived. Then, in a public act, everything changed—status, access, authority—through adoption. That is what the Father has done for us in Christ. History isn’t random; it’s His story. At the precise moment He set, God secured our redemption and our full legal standing as sons and daughters.

We’re tempted, like the churches in Galatia, to trade sonship for slavery—to relate to God by performance rather than by grace. I pressed the warning with two paths from Luke 15: the younger brother’s rebellion and the older brother’s self-righteousness. Both are slavery. Both keep us far from the Father’s heart. And both miss the point of a gift. You don’t pay your parents back on Christmas morning; you receive. So much of our exhaustion and anxiety comes from trying to settle a bill that Christ already paid.

The virgin birth isn’t a once-a-year slogan—it’s the linchpin of our salvation. By the Spirit’s miracle, a sinless body was prepared for Jesus so He could live under the law and fulfill it in our place, then shed His blood as the spotless Lamb. He didn’t just make forgiveness possible; He purchased us out of slavery. His perfect obedience is credited to us, not because we feel it, but because God declares it. Your feelings don’t settle the case; the Judge’s verdict does.

And the Father doesn’t leave us to whisper “Abba” on our own. He sends the Spirit of His Son into our hearts to cry it for us. That’s how adoption is lived—moving from fear and hiding to confident repentance, from striving to rest, from suspicion to trust. The audition is over. The inheritance is yours in Christ. Come to the Table remembering—not paying God back, not proving yourself—but receiving again what you could never earn.

Key Takeaways

• 1. God’s timing secures our adoption God is not improvising; He appointed the moment when the Son would step into our slavery, fulfill the law, and change our legal standing. Adoption means real access, real authority, and a new name, not a spiritual “trial period.” Live as someone whose status has already publicly shifted from slave to son or daughter. [12:50]
• 2. Beware both forms of slavery Open rebellion and polished self-righteousness are equally enslaving because both keep control in our hands. One chases pleasure; the other chases performance, but neither rests in the Father’s gift. Freedom begins where receiving replaces earning. [26:44]
• 3. The virgin birth is indispensable By the Spirit’s work, a sinless body was prepared so Jesus could be born under the law, fulfill it perfectly, and die as the spotless Lamb. This is not abstract doctrine; it’s the only way redemption could be accomplished. If He is not sinless, we are not saved. [30:51]
• 4. The Spirit cries “Abba” in us God doesn’t merely teach us new words; He gives His Spirit to voice our sonship from within. When our feelings are thin, the Spirit’s cry remains strong, anchoring us in the Father’s love. Assurance rests on His indwelling presence, not our emotional weather. [37:49]
• 5. Live as heirs, not anxious workers Sons and daughters serve from joy, not fear; they run to the Father when they sin, they don’t hide. Even discipline changes meaning—from punitive payback to training in love. Your inheritance in Christ is present tense; start spending it in trust and obedience. [42:27]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:42] - Expectant faith in a doubting world
• [01:43] - Why God chose miraculous means
• [02:14] - Fullness of time and the virgin birth
• [04:14] - Roman adoption: from child to heir
• [05:37] - Galatians context and the danger of drift
• [07:56] - The “paying back” gift trap
• [09:42] - Reading Galatians 3–4: sons by faith
• [12:50] - A theological diamond: Galatians 4:4
• [14:26] - Born of a woman: Genesis 3:15
• [21:29] - Why life under the law is slavery
• [23:00] - Two slaves: prodigal and elder brother
• [29:53] - Free in Christ, not performers
• [30:51] - Why the virgin birth is necessary
• [37:24] - The Spirit’s cry: Abba, Father
• [40:12] - Living as heirs, not in fear
• [43:27] - Come to the Table: remember and receive

1. In Galatians 4:4–5, trace the movement of God’s rescue: What did God do? Through whom? Under what condition? For what purpose?
2. In Galatians 4:6–7, who is sent into our hearts, what is cried, and what legal change is announced?
3. In the Roman adoption picture, what changed on the father’s appointed day regarding status, access, and authority? ([04:52])
4. Two paths were named as slavery in Luke 15 terms. What are they, and how do both keep control in human hands? ([26:44])

1. Why would “born of a woman” (Gal. 4:4) be tied back to Genesis 3:15, and how does that connection steady confidence that God’s plan and timing are not random? ([14:26])
2. If life “under the law” is slavery, how does that expose both the rebel and the rule-keeper as sharing the same root problem of self-rule? ([26:44])
3. Adoption in Christ is not a trial period. How should “full access” and “authority” change the way someone approaches prayer, repentance, and spiritual warfare? ([04:52])
4. If assurance rests on the Spirit’s cry of “Abba” rather than on emotional highs, how should a believer respond on days when feelings are thin or accusing? ([37:49])

1. Where are you trying to “pay God back” right now—serving, giving, or obeying to settle a bill in your heart? What would it look like this week to receive instead of earn? ([07:56])
2. In a current relationship or decision, do you tend to act like the younger sibling (chasing pleasure) or the older sibling (chasing performance)? How can you take one specific step from either slavery into sonship this week? ([23:48])
3. The virgin birth is not a slogan; it is necessary for a sinless Savior and real redemption. How might this shape the way you talk about Christmas with a child, friend, or coworker this week? What simple words would you use? ([30:51])
4. When you sin this week, what will “running to the Father” look like in practice—who will you confess to, what Scripture will you pray, how will you turn quickly instead of hiding? ([40:12])
5. Think of a present hardship. If you are an adopted son or daughter, how could you reframe this moment as loving training rather than payback? What next faithful step fits that mindset? ([41:53])
6. The Spirit cries “Abba” in you. What daily habit could help you listen for that cry—morning prayer, breath prayers, Scripture memorization—and how will you start it this week? ([37:49])
7. Your inheritance in Christ is present tense. Name one concrete way you will “spend it” in trust and obedience—bold witness, generous giving, forgiving someone, or serving without fear—because your status is secure. When and how will you do this? ([42:27])