“But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5)

Here in two little verses in Galatians 4 we find one of the best explanations of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and what it does for us:

— “But when the fullness of time came” — Why did Jesus come when He did? It was “the fullness of the time” in God’s plan. He had prepared the way with the Old Testament prophecies and teachings so that our “spiritual vocabulary” and understanding would be ready to receive Him when He came.

— “God sent forth His Son, born of a woman” — Here we see the gift of God in Jesus: “for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” (John 3:16) It also reveals, with amazing depth for such a short passage, just who He was: “His Son/born of a woman” — indicating both the Deity and Humanity of Christ, each of which was necessary for our salvation.

— “born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law” — This describes the perfect life that He lived, and His sacrifice on the cross, which paid the price for our sins, that we might be brought back to God.

— “that we might receive the adoption as sons.” — This is the benefit we receive from this gospel: adoption into the family of God, just as John 1:12 says: “as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God”!

Galatians 4:4-5 may deserve more attention than they often get in Christian circles. They are packed full of theology, and reveal so much about what God did for us in Jesus.