All around the world different cultures mark the transition from boy to man with various rites of passage. It is the moment a young man tests his metal against the elements and proves himself worthy of maturity. In Galatians 4 Paul continues to highlight the wonders of belief in Christ by describing saving faith like coming of age… salvation is like moving from boyhood where we are enslaved to the rules of the house to full sonship where we are given freedom in the house and a share in the inheritance. And the good news is that we did not have to pass a test or prove ourselves worthy… because Jesus did it for us.
Galatians 4:1-7
I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. 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.