Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. The heir owns everything but has no freedom. He's bound by rules, by guardians, by restrictions. He's not treated like a master. He's treated like a child. Paul is describing the condition of those under law.
I was raised in a rigid religious culture where every behavior was controlled. Where to sit, what to wear, what to read, who to spend time with. My parents owned the house and made the rules. I was their child, but I was also confined. I thought when I became an adult, I'd be free. But I brought that same spirit into my own spirituality. I thought being God's child meant being controlled.
Paul says no. God's children are heirs, not servants. The restrictions of childhood are meant to pass. The tutors and governors are meant to be temporary. When you come of age, you're treated as a son or daughter, with freedom. That's what it means to be in Christ. Not more constraints. Maturity. Freedom. Inheritance. I'm still learning what that freedom means, but at least I can see that the constraints were never the point.
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