Hyper Calvinists and Hardshell Baptists say that the above text gives the order of things (or ordo salutis) in salvation, and that Paul is saying --
"Because you are regenerated, the spirit has been sent to you." Or,
"The spirit has been sent to you because you are regenerated."
They say that the Arminian belief is that the spirit is received by faith before becoming sons, and the Hypers say that the above text shows such Arminian belief to be false. So, it becomes another debate on which logically comes first, faith or regeneration.
Not all Calvinists believe that regeneration or rebirth precedes faith. Even John Calvin wrote that sinners are born again by faith. Many other Calvinists since him have likewise affirmed such. I am a Calvinist and agree with the Arminians that faith precedes receiving the spirit of Christ, or precedes regeneration. The word "receive" is not in the above text, though it is implied, for the divinely sent spirit "enters" the heart. God sends the spirit of Christ the Son and is then received, which is what happens when you "send" anything to another person.
The question is whether the entering of the spirit of Christ alludes to regeneration (or rebirth) or to a post birth entering of that spirit. Earlier in Galatians he said:
"For you are all the sons of God through faith" (3: 26)
"Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" (3: 2)
Not reversing the above by saying --
"For you all are believers through being the sons of God"
"Did you come into possession of faith by having received the Spirit?"
In regard to the first passage, we ask -- "which comes first, believing or becoming sons of God"?
In regard to the second passage, we ask -- "which comes first, receiving the Spirit or the hearing of faith"?
These passages say that one becomes a possessor of the spirit of Christ by the hearing of faith, and this receiving of the spirit is regeneration. In fact if we combine Galatians 3: 26 with Galatians 4: 6 we would say --
"because you are the sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus, God has sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts."
Galatians 4: 6 cannot therefore contradict Galatians 3: 2 or 3: 26. The above paraphrase shows that the Hardshell view (that the text is intended to say that the Galatian believers had received the spirit of the Son of God because they were already sons of God) is not required. Their view makes Paul contradict himself, setting Galatians 3:2, 26 against Galatians 4: 6.
In our text (Gal. 4:6) the Greek word for "are" is "estes" and is a present tense verb. The Greek word for "sent forth" is "exapesteilen" and is an aorist tense. So, we may translate as --
"because you are presently the sons of God you have at some time had the spirit of Christ sent into your hearts."
Some take ὅτι ("because") to mean that being sons "caused" God to send the spirit of his Son into their hearts, but that is not necessarily so. Others, like I do, say that it simply is saying this:
“But that ye are sons, is certain by this, that God has sent forth.”
In Barnes' Notes on the Bible he says:
"And because ye are sons - As a consequence of your being adopted into the family of God, and being regarded as his sons. It follows as a part of his purpose of adoption that his children shall have the spirit of the Lord Jesus."
This interpretation says that one is first adopted into the family of God and this adoption is what causes the spirit of the Son of God to enter the heart. If this is so, then we must decide whether the entrance of the spirit of the Son denotes regeneration. If God adopts us to make us his sons, then why send the spirit of his Son into our hearts to beget us?
Vincent's Word Studies says:
"Because ye are sons (ὅτι)
For ὅτι in this sense at the beginning of a clause see Romans 9:7; 1 Corinthians 12:15; John 15:19; John 20:29. The emphasis is on sons. The spirit would not be given if ye were not sons. Others take ὅτι as demonstrative, as a proof that ye are sons; but examples of such usage are wanting. It is not a proof of the fact of sonship that the apostle is giving, but a consequence of it. Comp. Romans 8:16, where the witness of the Spirit attests the sonship."
I believe the demonstrative interpretation is correct, however. Others scholars also agree.
Even if we grant that the text says that people are sons of God before faith, that does not necessarily allude to regeneration. A.T. Robertson wrote in his commentary:
"Because ye are sons (οτ εστε υιο). This is the reason for sending forth the Son (Galatians 4:4 and here). We were "sons" in God's elective purpose and love. Hοτ is causal (1 Corinthians 12:15; Romans 9:7)."
That being possible, we may thus paraphrase -- "Because you are sons in God's elective purpose God has sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts to regenerate you."
That being so, it says basically what Paul said in Romans 8, and say in paraphrase --
"Because you are those who God has foreknown and predestinated sons, he has called and justified you."
With all this said, I rather think, based upon the context and the apostle's flow of thought, that it is this type of sentence:
"Because you are a man, God has given you XY chromosomes."
In this sentence we have made the tenses to be exactly as in Gal. 4: 6. In the above sentence we cannot say that a person was a man before he was given male chromosomes.
We could also paraphrase and give Paul's sense as:
"Because you are sons, God has (evidently or obviously) sent the spirit of his Son into your hearts."
So, those who think that Gal. 4: 6 proves conclusively that one is a child of God before he believes and receives the Spirit ought to look elsewhere. Besides we have these words of the apostle John which should show us not to take an interpretation of Gal. 4: 6 that contradicts them:
"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name." (John 1: 12 NKJV)
One does not become a child of God before he believes in Christ and receives him.
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