4 Now what I am saying is this: As long as an heir is a child, he is no better off than a slave, even though he owns everything. ² Instead, he is placed under the care of^[a] guardians and servant managers until the time set by the father. ³ It was the same way with us. While we were children, we were slaves to the basic principles of the world.^{[b] 4} But when the appropriate time had come, God sent his Son, born by a woman, born under the Law, ⁵ in order to redeem those who were under the Law, and thus to adopt them as his children. ⁶ Now because you are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our^[c] hearts to cry out, “Abba!^[d] Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if you are a child, then you are also an heir because of what God did.