As a child, did you ever wonder what it would be like to be born into royalty? Those of us who came from poorer backgrounds probably spent quite a bit of time daydreaming of what it would be like to be rich.

We may not come from wealthy families, but the Bible makes it clear that because of our relationship with Christ, we are made into a spiritual nation of descendants through faith. As Paul writes in Galatians 3:29, "if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." When we trace our true heritage, we find our identity no longer rooted in Europe or Asia or Africa. By grace we can trace our true lineage back to Christ, the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham. And because of this special relationship, we are now heirs of the very kingdom of God.

What is an Heir?

A child of six or seven who receives a large inheritance is, technically speaking, a very wealthy person. Yet until this child reaches the age of majority, as stipulated in the will left by his parents, he is no different in practical position than a hired servant in the home. Certainly all the physical needs of the heir will be met, but he will have no authority to decide how his inheritance will be handled until he comes of age.

The life situation of an heir has not changed considerably since the time of Paul. Paul wrote, "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" (Galatians 4:1,2). Paul explains that the heir found himself under the authority of a steward who had been given full responsibility to manage the estate. Typically, a guardian also would be appointed to oversee the child's upbringing and to teach him right and wrong until he grew to adulthood.

In Roman society, a boy was considered an infant until he was seven years old. From this time until age 17, a small, purple band would encircle his robe, identifying him as a child. At age 17 he would be given another robe without the purple band to indicate he should be considered a man. Still, not until he reached the age of 25 did he enjoy the legal right to get involved in business affairs.

Things were somewhat simpler in Jewish culture. At age 12, a boy would go through a ceremony known as a bar mitzvah, in which he would become a full-fledged "son of the covenant." The father of the boy would stand and offer a prayer of thanks that he was no longer responsible for his son's actions. The boy in turn would offer a prayer accepting personal responsibility for himself as a man.

Paul uses this well-known transition to adulthood to illustrate the relationship of the law to God's people. When Israel was placed under the law, it was made heir of the promises of God. Yet as long as the nation was under the law, the promises of their glorious inheritance would not be fulfilled. They awaited the day called "the fulness of the time" when God would make good on every promise through the provision of His Son. Until that time, Israel was much like a small child under the governing control of the law.

The Bondage of the Law

The law covered nearly every contingency of day-to-day life, from diet to business transactions to marital relationships. The law exercised strict oversight over God's people until the time they would "graduate" from childhood to adulthood, when at last they could enjoy the full benefits of the inheritance promised to them. The promise of a new and wonderful relationship with God through the coming of the Messiah had been given to Israel, and yet this promise could not be fulfilled until the time appointed by the Father.

The law provided a framework for both individuals and even an entire society to live in order and harmony. If such external guidelines are all we have in our relationship with God, however, we find ourselves in a form of bondage. That is why Paul wrote, "Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world" (Galatians 4:3).

The law can never take us into the rich, full, free life that the Holy Spirit wants for us.

When Paul refers to the "elements of the world," he is speaking of what we would call the basics of life. The law of Moses was quite effective concerning these kinds of foundational "do's and don'ts" of daily living.

I have always found it ironic that the first church council (described in Acts 15) dealt so strongly with the question of a complex code of behavior governing the life of believers. Even though they concluded that believers were no longer obligated to slavishly follow a code of external behavior, there are still many churches today that seek to impose similar control over their people.

I grew up in a church that believed it had a divine mandate to tell women how they should dress and what was appropriate or inappropriate in hairstyles. The leaders also seemed to believe they had a revelation about God's opinions on makeup. As children, we were given endless commands about what we could or could not do. I wouldn't go so far as to say the church put us back under the law of Moses, but it did lay such a heavy load of condemnation and bondage on me that I wasn't able to bear up under its weight. I was constantly repenting because I simply couldn't live up to the standards they had set up.

The law could never take us into the rich, full, free life that the Holy Spirit wants for us. It only brings guilt, condemnation, and frustration. Fortunately, the law is not the end of the story.

When the Time Came

In Paul's day, the legal procedures governing the granting of an inheritance were very precise. When a child reached the age specified in a will for majority, there was no longer a need for a guardian or a steward to exercise oversight. The heir could receive what was promised directly when he came of age in "the fulness of the time."

Paul had that in mind when he wrote, "When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law" (Galatians 4:4). Since Jesus has come, we can experience the fullness of blessing God has promised. But there is another shade of meaning to this notion of "the fulness of the time." Have you ever wondered why God allowed his people to live under the law for nearly 1,400 years before He sent His Son? To be honest, we may never fully understand God's timing. His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. But if we take a brief look at history, we may see many obvious reasons why the timing of Jesus' arrival on the human scene was especially opportune.

First, Christ was born in an era of unprecedented peace. For over 13 years before the birth of Christ and throughout His lifetime, the gates to the temple of Janus in Rome were closed. Whenever Rome went to war, this temple would be crowded with worshipers praying to Janus for victory. But in Christ's era, the classic Pax Romana was firmly in place.

Rome also had made huge strides forward in transportation, creating a well-designed system of roads stretching across the empire. And Greek, a clear, expressive, and remarkably specific language, had become the universal tongue under Roman rule.

All these factors contributed to the rapid spread of the gospel in the first century. It may well be that God waited for this strategic moment so that the message of His love and forgiveness for all mankind might enjoy a worldwide impact.

Notice as well that Paul spoke of Christ being "sent" by the Father, implying not only the eternal preexistence of Christ, but also that Jesus came with a specific purpose in mind. Jesus was sent into this world to complete the redemption of humanity. He came to establish a new covenant whereby man could relate to God in intimacy and enter into the fullness of His promised blessings.

Paul also tells us that Jesus was "made of a woman, made under the law." This reference to the Virgin birth strongly alludes to the first promise of the Messiah given in Scripture. In Genesis 3:15, God promised that the seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent, destroying the works of death and separation from God that Satan had brought about in the Garden of Eden. Jesus also was "made under the law," a reminder that Christ was born a Jew and was sent first to redeem the Jewish people. He came that the people of God might finally achieve spiritual adulthood and enjoy the whole of their spiritual inheritance. Only through Jesus would they receive their inheritance from the heavenly Father.

What a Dad!

I often miss a dear, departed saint by the name of Iva Newman who was involved at Calvary from the beginning. This godly woman walked with God more years than I have lived. I used to love to hear her pray. "Now, Father dear..." she would say. Oh, how I loved that! She enjoyed a close, beautiful, intimate fellowship with God. She related to God as her "Father dear."

Did you know that the death and resurrection of Christ has won for you that same kind of rich, close relationship? That was Paul's point when he wrote, "Because Ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying Abba, Father" (Galatians 4:6).

In this passage we see a marvelous picture of the involvement of the entire Trinity in the life of the believer: God the Father sends forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts. A parallel passage found in Romans 8:15,16 tells us that the Spirit of God Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the sons of God. This kind of relationship is possible only if we experience a complete spiritual rebirth. As Jesus Himself put it, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again" (John 3:6,7). When we are born again spiritually, we are given the power to enter into a wonderfully intimate relationship with God, typified by Paul's use of the term "Abba."

Abba is an endearing term for "father." It's an Aramaic word; and if you visit Israel even today you'll constantly hear the little children calling out, "Abba! Abba!" They're saying, "Daddy! Daddy!"

Jesus often used the term. No doubt His disciples heard Him use it so frequently in His prayer life that they did not translate the word into Greek. They preserved the Aramaic expression because they wanted to capture the same warmth and intimacy Jesus shared with His Father.

It is God's intent that we come to know Him as our loving Father, even as our Dad.

How wonderful it is to know that God wants the same loving, personal relationship with us in our walk with Him! Too often we are prone to see God as a great, distant, all-powerful Creator, but it is God's intent that we come to know Him as our loving Father, even as our Dad.

Some see this kind of familiarity as disrespectful, yet it is God Himself who calls us to such a level of intimacy. I recall a time when I had the opportunity to meet with a group of Italian believers for a prayer meeting. For my benefit they were praying in English, but even then they kept referring to God as "Papa." At first I thought this was getting just a tad too informal; but a moment's reflection made me reconsider. There was a depth of love and closeness in that expression that rang true to Scripture.

How remarkable it is that God now welcomes us into His presence as dearly loved children and not fearful, cringing slaves. Isn't this the way a relationship between a father and his children should be? When my children come to visit they don't stand at attention, salute, and quiver in fear as they talk with me. They don't approach me with all kinds of pretentious formality and say, "Oh, exalted father, grant this humble request of your child this day." Usually it's more like, "Hey Dad, I need five bucks. I don't have time to explain; just give it to me now and I'll fill you in later!"

God desires that our time with Him be relaxing and restoring to our hearts. He wants us to feel at home with Him and to be free and open in our relationship. We might as well feel that way since our lives are an open book before Him anyway. He knows us better than we know ourselves.

God doesn't want us to have a cold, aloof, arms-length relationship with Him. God wants us to know His love personally in the very depths of our heart. Whatever expression that communicates such closeness is completely acceptable, whether that is "Father," "Dad," or even "Papa."

The Ideal Dad

God is our Father in the purest, truest, most holy sense. He is our Father in an ideal way. God help us, our corrupted culture has destroyed the father image in the hearts of many children. That's tragic. I thank God for my godly father, who always has helped me relate to God in a very close, glorious way. I feel sorry for people who can't relate to the fatherhood of God in their lives because of some corrupted example.

Whatever your experience has been, God wants you to relate to Him in that closest kind of fellowship, that intimacy, and to know him as a loving, righteous Father, a holy and pure and caring Father. His Spirit within our hearts cries out, "Abba! Daddy! Father!"

God is able to bestow upon us His love, lavishing us with His kindness and His goodness, that we might come to love Him more and more. This is the purpose of God for man. Your life will never be complete until the purposes of God have been accomplished in you - until you relate to God in that close, personal way, until you say, "Oh, Abba!" and feel it from your heart.

Dads, do you remember the first time your child said, "Daddy"? It's very distinguishable. You understood it completely. My own little girl was so smart. The first word she said was, "Daddy." That's right - clear as can be. I turned, I screamed, I shouted, "What?" I was sad that nobody else was around, because who would believe me? I tried to get her to say it again and she gave me the sweetest, most knowing smile - but she wouldn't repeat it. Still, I heard it! Soon she was saying it in front of everybody and I was so thrilled.

On that day when we first say, "Oh, Abba!" and He hears us, God is thrilled. It's the beginning of a relationship where from the heart we can say, "Hey, that's my Abba. That's my Daddy." The wonder is that this is just the beginning of the richness of our fellowship with God.

Heirs of God

As incomprehensibly great as it is to enter into a relationship with God as our "Abba," that is not the end of the story. Paul tells us, "Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God" (Galatians 4:7). By coming into this relationship with God as His adopted sons, His Spirit now in our hearts crying, "Oh, Abba," we have become heirs of God. We are heirs of God's eternal, glorious kingdom.

Our Father loves us so much he has generously made us His heirs, and this spiritual inheritance is intended by God to be a very real and present blessing in our lives.

Some make the mistake of thinking that a believer has to wait until heaven to enjoy his inheritance, but nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible tells us that the earmarks of the kingdom of God are righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). We can cash in on these wonderful blessings in the here and now. The peace of God which passes all understanding can keep our hearts and minds right now. Our soul can overflow with joy unspeakable and full of glory right now. We can experience a liberating freedom from guilt and fear because we have been declared completely righteous by our believing in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

That's Not All, Folks

These are just a few of the elements of our glorious inheritance that already are ours because God has made us joint heirs with Jesus. We can enter into the place of highest blessing because of the wonderful love and grace of our heavenly "Dad."

And yet, that is not all. Jesus said there is coming a day when He will say to those on His right hand, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34). I'm an heir of God; I'm the adopted son of the King. So if my Father is the King of the universe, that must make me Prince Charles!

It also makes you a prince or a princess. It makes you an heir of the kingdom - the kingdom that God wants you to share with Him and to enjoy, world without end. And then will the purposes of God for man be accomplished, when man is restored into this full, complete, intimate fellowship with God.

Our hearts can overflow with thanksgiving for the warmth and security we now feel in knowing of God's limitless love and concern for us. What strength there is in the sure knowledge that He will take care of us, watch over us, and keep us in His love. We can live with confidence and be sure that we have a Father who is for us, solidly behind us every step of the way, granting us tremendous resources that we might walk with Him in newness of life.

Our "Abba" is committed to keeping us from falling and to present us faultless before His presence with exceeding joy (see Jude 24). He has granted us sonship and an incorruptible inheritance through Jesus Christ our Lord. Not because we deserve it. Not because we’ve earned it. All of this has been made possible only through His rich mercy and grace.

How wonderful it is that when we are born again we discover that, in a unique way, we have become both spiritually wealthy and members of royalty in the best and truest sense of the term. Because we are children of God, we have been made princes and princesses of the kingdom. Because of what Christ has done for us, we will receive an inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled and will not fade away - and it is waiting for every one of us to enjoy for all eternity.