What I am saying is this: As long as the heir is a young child, he is no different from a slave. Although he is owner of everything, 2 he is still under guardians and managers until the day set by his father. 3 So also, when we were younger children, we were enslaved under the basic principles of the world. 4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son to be born of a woman, so that he would be born under the law, 5 in order to redeem those under the law, so that we would be adopted as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts to shout, “Abba, Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son. And if you are a son, then you are also an heir of God through Christ.