Many commentators have been tempted to read more into these words than the context

demands. There is no necessary reference to the Virgin birth, it rather emphasizes the

true humanity of the Redeemer. The sayings "man that is born of a woman" (Job 14: 1),

"among them that are born of women" (Matt. 11: 11) make no specific reference to the

individual mothers, but rather indicates something universal, something that is true of all

men. This universal fact would not exclude the fulfillment of the prophecy concerning

"the seed of a woman" made in Gen. 3:, it would most naturally direct the thought back

to that germ of all prophecy, and in so doing would travel back before Abraham and lead

back to Adam, thereby indicating that the Deliverer now come was akin to all men and

not related only to Israel. The added words "under law" revealed that the Redeemer was

fully qualified to deal with Israel's special case, and so reveals how fully the ruined state

of all men has been met by the gracious intervention of Christ. He thus came that He

might redeem; He came that those redeemed might receive, and as a result that they may

be enabled to cry "Abba Father".

As we have already seen, the word translated "redeem" is used in Gal. 3: 13 with

special reference to the curse of the law, so here He came to redeem them that were under

the law. Such receive "the adoption of sons". We gave some consideration to this

subject when dealing with Gal. 3: 15-17, showing that by "adoption' is meant the

appointing of the heir.

"Abba Father." Here we have Aramaic and Greek, Jew and Gentile expressing in

their own tongue this closest of all relationships. "Because ye are sons, God hath sent

forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." The two words come

together in Mark 14: 36 and in Rom. 8: 15. Rom. 8: is the chapter of sonship (for

structure that reveals this see Just and the Justifier) and "the Spirit" of which that chapter

speaks is in the main "the sonship spirit"--a precious truth, a priceless privilege, often

beclouded by confusing it with the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost and after. The structure

shows that the Apostle clinches his argument in its two developments with "IF".

This establishes the superiority of "promise" above "law".

Now, having looked at the condition of "bondage" that is associated with "law", and

the condition of "sonship" associated with "promise", Paul for the second time uses the

"IF" of argument.