For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
—Romans 8:14-15

In the earthly life of Jesus there were three periods of “growing up”, if one may put it that way, which were separated by striking events. I would like to dwell on each of them in more detail. Jesus, being the Son of God, was born in a human body and became an infant. Scripture says: “And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.” [Luk.2:40] That is, from His birth until the age of 12 Jesus was a child [Greek paidion], who, as the prophet Isaiah says, does not yet “know to refuse the evil and choose the good.” [Isa.7:15]

When the Boy Jesus turned 12, an interesting event took place: He “got lost” in the temple. Here the Word of God no longer calls Him a child but a boy [Greek pais]. What is special about this event? You have probably heard of the Jewish concept of bar mitzvah. In Hebrew, bar mitzvah literally means son of the commandment. When a Jewish boy turns 13, he begins to live in subjection to the law of Moses. And what does bar mitzvah have to do with Jesus staying behind in the temple at the age of 12? Notice whom He was talking with there: “after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.” [Luk.2:46] Who are the teachers? Teachers of the law of Moses. And what was Jesus doing? Listening to them. In other words, from this moment on He began to live in obedience to the law. This is how the apostle Paul writes about it: “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law” [Gal.4:4] Jesus came under the law not at the age of 3 or 4 — the prophecy clearly says that the child does not know evil from good — but at 12. So it turns out that Jesus was born of a woman [a child] and came under the law [a boy]. The Greek word pais, translated here as boy, is most often translated in Scripture as servant. No wonder, since Scripture calls those under the law servants, in bondage to the elements of the world, that is, to the law. [Gal.4:3]

It is written that after His parents found Jesus, He “was subject to them… And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” [Luk.2:51-52] That is, from the age of 12 until about 30, Jesus lived in subjection to the law and to His parents. When Jesus was about 30 years old, another striking event took place: He was baptised in the river Jordan, the Holy Spirit came upon Him, and the Father said from heaven: “This is My beloved Son…” [Mat.3:17] Jesus was no longer a child or a boy [a servant], but had become a Son, spiritually grown up. From that very moment Jesus no longer lived in subjection to the law and to His parents, or, as Scripture says, “according to the flesh”, but began to live by the Spirit and was led by the Spirit. [Mat.4:1]

Perhaps all this may seem uninteresting, but the point is that when we received the Holy Spirit, we received the Spirit of sonship. Paul writes: “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’” [Rom.8:15]. The spirit of bondage is the spirit of the boy, or servant, living under the law. Why did Jesus come under the law? Paul writes clearly: “to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” [Gal.4:5] That is, when we receive the Holy Spirit, we are no longer children who don’t know evil from good, nor boys who live in subjection to the commandments, but spiritually grown-up, full sons of God. “Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” [Gal.4:7]