Sermon Tone Analysis

One who is placed as a son is considered by the father to be mature.

Those who are not mature are referred to as inarticulate babblers because they lack in their mental capacity to act as a grown-up, Galatians 4:1-2.

This immaturity is describing one who is under law,

for while they are seen as inarticulate babblers they are under governors and tutors

and although being the heir, are treated just like all the other workers of the household.

Prior to the foundations of the world, the Godhead determined that those who would be placed into the Christ,

the new creation in which Christ is the head and the Church is the body, (2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 1:22-23)

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)

So that since someone is in Christ, a new creation, the archaic things have passed away, behold all things have become new

1 Corinthians 12:12 (NKJV)

For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ.

will have their bounds marked out to the placement of sons.

There are two words here that are often misunderstood due to poor translations.

Scripture is not using the words predestine or adoption.

The word translated as “predestine” actually means “horizon” and is used of plans that have been marked out (Acts 4:28), describing the boundaries set forth in them.

The Greek words for “adoption” do not occur in Scripture.

The word being translated as “adoption” means, “son placement”,

and is a specific term used in Roman culture to describe the time in which a child is placed as a son because the father is pleased with their training and maturity,

so they are no longer under governors and tutors.

Although typically a position of the first born male child, a female child could also be placed into this position.

It does not have anything to do with the sex of a person, it is referring to their position within the household.

As ones who are placed as sons, we are not under any law,

for we are expected to mature in our thinking and understanding so that we act in a wise manner,

living out the righteousness that we have in Christ in a pious manner while manifesting godliness through our actions.

It is by God’s desirous will that those who are placed into the Christ will always be sons before Him.

Never under law, always under grace and those who live out from faith.

When a person does not mature in their Christian life because they are not being taught or using the basic principles of the Christ, they are in a state of an inarticulate babbler.

There are eight different types of Christians described in Scripture that fall into two primary categories, carnal or Spiritual.

Those who are carnal focus on the desires of the flesh and therefore cannot mature (1 Corinthians 3:1-3).

They are often ensnared by Satan to do his will (2 Timothy 2:26),

or seek to show others how righteous they are by their works (Galatians 3:1-3).

Others will seek to masquerade as those under law (Romans 12:1-2),

become lovers of this present malignantly evil age (2 Timothy 4:10)

or the world system (1 John 2:15).

However, the Spiritual ones are maturing for they are able to discern the things of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:15)

and use wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:6).

They set the boundaries of their minds on the things above (Colossians 3:1-3)

while seeking to fulfill the desires from the Spirit (Romans 8:5)

by putting on the new man who is created in righteousness and piety of the truth (Ephesians 4:24).

Let us not become those, who even after plenty of time, are not maturing (Hebrews 5:12)

and again need to be taught the basic principles of the Christian life.

For they cannot handle the word of God (Hebrews 5:13)

and are inarticulate babblers who are tossed around by every wind of teaching.

Rather, let us through the exercising of our senses discern what is proper and wrong (Hebrews 5:14)

so that we are truly living out who we are in Christ,

maturing, and coming to a full experiential knowledge of the truth while living a life that measures up to the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:12).

We are sons of God, not children who are under governors and tutors.

By God’s desirous will we have been marked off to be the mature ones,

knowing and understanding Spiritual things while living out from faith.

Therefore, let us go on to maturity,

leaving behind the things of the inarticulate babbler,

which are based on manmade religions according to the principles of the world system through false humility and self-abasement,

while using the freedom we have in Christ to live righteously, properly discerning the desirous will of God in our lives and showing through our actions that we truly belong to Him.

Ephesians 1:3–5

Well-spoken of is the God even Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the One eulogizing us in every spiritual eulogy in the heavens in Christ, just as He has chosen us in Him from the foundation of [the] world, us to be holy and blameless before Him in love, having marked off our bounds to the placement of sons through Jesus Christ unto Himself, according to the good pleasure of His desirous will.