But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Galatians 4:4-7

I think it is safe to say that this year, Thanksgiving was at least at “little” different, right? Our family was spread over several thousand miles and so we all logged in to a Zoom call for a few minutes today. If you were able to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with family you probably noticed some of the similarities among your relatives. While each is different, each of our grandsons bear a strong family resemblance. For others it might not be so easy, but sometimes we notice the physical resemblance or maybe it is the laugh, or the style of cooking. The “family resemblance” is seen in a number of ways.

The same is true for us within the family of God. Galatians 4 begins by driving home the truth of our adoption as sons and daughters of God. The question is how strong is the family resemblance? Consider this quote from J.I. Packer’s, Knowing God –

“Christian living, springing from love and gratitude to God, is in contrast with the spurious ‘legal holiness’ that consisted merely of forms, routines and outward appearances, maintained from self-regarding motives… [Gospel holiness] is simply a matter of a child of God being true to type, [resembling the Father]… expressing one’s adoption in one’s life…