In Matthew 17:24-26 Christ is revealed as the Son of God. Verse 24 says, “When they came to Capernaum, those who take up the temple tax came to Peter and said, Does not your Teacher pay the temple tax?” To this question Peter said, “Yes” (v. 25a). The temple tax was a Jewish poll tax for the temple, equal to half a shekel (Exo. 30:12-16; 38:26). Peter had received the revelation concerning Christ’s being the Son of God (Matt. 16:16-17), and he had seen the vision of the Son of God (17:5). But here, in application, he was put to the test by the temple-tax gatherers’ question. He failed in his answer by forgetting the revelation he had received and the vision he had seen. He forgot that the Lord was the Son of God who did not need to pay the temple tax for His Father’s house.
When Peter came into the house, “Jesus anticipated him, saying, What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth receive custom or poll tax, from their sons or from strangers? And when he said, From strangers, Jesus said to him, So then the sons are free” (vv. 25b-26). The sons of kings are always free from paying custom or poll tax. The temple tax was not a tax paid to the secular government. It was collected for the purpose of meeting the expenses of the temple of God, God’s house on earth. According to Exodus 30 and 38, every Israelite had to pay a half shekel to care for the Lord’s house. Because Jesus is the Son of God, there was no need for Him to pay this tax. When the Lord Jesus said that the sons are free, He was indicating that He, as the Son of God, was free from paying the temple tax.
The Son of God frees the believers from the obligation of keeping the law. Apart from Christ, the Son of God, we are under the obligation to keep the law. But since we now have the Son of God and are in Him, He sets us free from the obligation of the law.
Galatians 2:4b and 5:1 speak of the believers’ freedom from the law. In Galatians 2:4b Paul refers to “our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus.” Freedom here is freedom from the bondage of the law. Because we are free in Christ, we are no longer obligated to the law and its ordinances, practices, and regulations. Those who try to keep the law place themselves under slavery and thus serve the law as slaves. The Son of God has freed us from all such obligation.
In 5:1 Paul says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not be entangled with a yoke of slavery again.” The freedom here also denotes freedom from the slavery of the law. Christ has set us free through His redeeming death and life-imparting resurrection that we may enjoy this freedom and grace. To “stand fast” is to stand fast in the freedom from the slavery of the law, not deviating from Christ. The Greek word here translated entangled may also be rendered “held ensnared.” To deviate from Christ to the law is to be entangled or held ensnared. The “yoke of slavery” is the bondage of law, which makes the law-keepers slaves under a binding yoke. Christ, the Son of God, has set us free from this yoke.
It is by being in Christ as sons of God that the believers are freed from the obligation of the law. We are sons of God in Christ, the Son of God. Because we are in Him, we are freed from the law.
Galatians 3:26 and 27 indicate that the believers are sons of God by being in Christ. “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” To believe is to believe into Christ (John 3:16), and to be baptized is to be baptized also into Christ. Faith in Christ brings us into Christ and makes us one with Christ, in whom is the sonship. We must be identified with Christ through faith so that in Him we may be sons of God. By both faith and baptism we have been immersed into Christ; we have thus put on Christ; and we have become identified with Him. We and Christ have been joined in a marvelous organic union. Because of this union, we are sons of God.
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