The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-07-21
Dr.. Dickerson Delivers Series Of
DiscOufses on Galatians
MAKING PASSAGES CLEAR
Sermon Yesterday on sunshlp and
Helrshlp Through God-st. Paul
Uses Domestic Experiences to
illustrate the Situations.

AT TIE FIRST baptist church the ReV.
A. j. Dickinson. who has been for sew
eral weeks giving seine expositlons of
difficult passages in Galations in his
Sunday morning sermons, Yesterday
preached on the text $50 that thou art
no longer a bond servant but son; and
If a son then an heir through Cod" Gal,
Al a
lie showed how the apostle in this
enistle was expressing and illustrating j
his meaning by Graeco- Roman legal
TEN and procedures with reference to
adoption and inheritance. The difficulties
now attending mis- language grows out
of the ia Il that these laws and customs
so familiar to his Galatian readers were
! comparatively unknown to US until the
discovery of the Roman Syrion law book.
This digest Of Graeoo-Roman law of
about the year $50 A. D., in Syria and
Eastern Asia Minor, introduces us to
customs and procedures of Catalan law
and throws a flood Of light on the apos-
ties references in this eaistle In the
passage from which the text is taken
the apostle has In mind a Grecian fam
lily IN which the father Tor pater) has
died and the heir or son, has not come
of age and the whole household. widow,
brothers. sisters slaves and other de-
pendents are in the hands Of guardians
and stewards"
In the Grecian society In the east at
this time a father of a household pro-
vided In his will for an heir or successor i
to himself as head OF the house, and
designated guardians fer his person and
estate until he was fourteen, and after
that a steward to care for the estate
until he should come of age. The day for
his coming of age was also named by
the father During this period the affairs
of the household wei> administered
strictly according to law and matters
were under strict discipline and restraint
through the guardian and steward. 1t
was much like putting the household for
the time beirg into the hands of q re-
| ceiver Until the heirs become Of age
Everything, Including the infant heir
| himself, ere subject to these officers of
/ the law, who as guardians for the men,
bers of the household and stewards Of
the estate, administered affairs strictly
according to law, SO that the infant
Their. though he be lord of all, differeth
nothing from slave"
Future Matter Well Raised.
The future master of The house was
the common lot of those over whom he
is to serve as pater when he attained
| his majority. In Grecian nome there
were not the differences we are accus-
toned to make between the family and
the slaves. The wife. mother, children
and slaves were Of the same race, and
very mostly in the same relation TO the
/ head of the house, whom they all alike
| called fathers" So among the Greeks
the word father included also the relation
| Of master and husband" The young
master of the house had to share the
| discipline of the house over which he
was destined to preside. To the guard
ians and stewards he was much like any
| other subordinate or slave of the house
hold. Some of you older people can well
remember how nearly the slave boy and
his "young MASTER were 20 social equal
| ity In "old masters" house before slav-
| cry was abolished Then all life was
lived by me and my young master"
Now il such communion OF life existed
here, where slave and young master were
of different races, now much more inti-
mate ana strong would such a relation
| be where slave and young master were
of the same blood and usually the slave
had the best blood. So a Grecian house
was practically community of broth
ers, presided over by father When
the father died and the affairs went into
the hands OF the law until the heir be-
come of age money privileges and pre-
regations were taken from The members
Of the household. This privation they
all felt and would look with eager long
ing to the time when the mouse wouIo
again ne restored to the regime of q
father.
So the beginning of age of the heirs
would be a great feast day, a day of
emancipation from the iron rnle of law
/
| as expressed In the family relations 1t
was a day of redemption OF the house
from the rule of law and its adoption as
sons by the future head. The spirit of
| sonship was once more spread abroad
| in their hearts and one might hear again
the happy word Abba, father in the home.
So that each one was no longer d bond
servant but son, and IL a son and heir
| thought the new Master.
The Apostle uses this domestic expert
ence to illustrate great relations and sit
uations in Gods household. He tells us
that just as the infant heir was on par
with the slaves in subsection to the guar
dams and stewards of the law until the
time appointed of the father for him to
assume the station of pater families. SO
we also were held as minors in bondage
under the judgments of the world until
God set up his son. born and raised UP
with us under the law that he might re-
deem us who are under the law that we
might receive the adoption of sons. That
believers are sons in Christ is shown by 1
the fact that God has sent forth the
Spirit of His son in our l.earts calling out |
Abba, father.
So we are no longer slaves but sons.
illustrates Relations.
/. The Apostle describes our prechris-
tan state as a slavery to the rudiments
of the world under the law, by which
he clearly means a life of discipline i'm
posed by subjectng one to the rules, cere-
monies, ritual and legalism which char
acterized not only Judaism but also the
semi-Judaistic Anatoion --gious of Gal
alta Indeed every unchristian religion
not knowing God by personal acquaint-
ance, is a bondage to legalism, the only
cult human nature can produce for its re-
ligious devotIons. t-H
2. But the soul will not be satisfied to |
abide under such a restraint but longs
for a relation of sonship % God and per-
sonal fellowship with I'm. and redemp-
ton from the iron band of law. This God
has provided when he set forth his SON.
Jesus, as heir over his house, that
through Him we all might receive the
adoption of sons and have the spirit OF
His son sent forth in our hearts to cry
unto him, Abba, father.
3. To the Apostle if is irrational for
any who by as piritual experience OF SON.
ship has come to know God or rather to
be known by God, to turn back again
to the slavery of religion of ceremonies