In this chapter, Paul starts off in verses 1 - 7 by explaining to the Galatian churches that in Christ Jesus they become sons and heirs of God and are no longer slaves to sin through the law.
He then goes on in verses 8 - 20 to tell them of his concern and fears for them because they have been deceived by false teachers trying to entice them back into the slavery of the law and into serving them (the false teachers) and their selfish ambitions.
And from verses 21 – 31, Paul tells them once again of the difference between the covenant of the law and the covenant to the promise. The promise being greater than the law – the promise leads to eternal life in Heaven and the law to eternal death in Hell!
1 Corinthians 15:56 (NKJV)
56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Note: in the body on this article the verses from Galatians Chapter 4 are in italics, the explanation of the verse/s follows in straight text with additional scriptures shown in bold italics.
Sons and Heirs Through Christ
1 Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, 2 but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
In verses 1-7 above, Paul explains to us that in Christ Jesus we are no longer slaves to sin (the law) but we become sons and daughters of God and co-heirs with Christ of all God’s promises. We are set free from the law of sin and death by the blood of Jesus who died for our sins, and we are now partakers of His inheritance. We are now children of God and siblings of Jesus!
In these verses, Paul uses an illustration taken from the life of a typical Jewish family of the time to explain our inheritance in Christ Jesus.
Verse 1: When an heir in a Jewish family is still a child, he is treated like a slave in that he has no authority or responsibility to act on his father’s behalf even though one day when he reaches adulthood, he will be master of all!
Verse 2: In a Jewish family the heir, when he is still a child, he is placed under the tutelage of guardians or stewards. In modern day life this is like being placed in the hands of a personal tutor or a governor until one comes of age.
Verse 3: In this verse, Paul uses first person speech to include himself and give the sense that he and the Galatian churches and we today are in this together. Prior to receiving our salvation and freedom through the grace of God in Christ Jesus, we are born into and enslaved by the sin of the flesh just like Israel was a slave to the sin of the law.
1 Corinthians 15:56 (NKJV)
56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Verses 4 and 5: In these two verses Paul explains that when the law had accomplished God’s purpose (God’s timing is perfect) which was to expose man’s sinful life and ways, He sent His Son to redeem us, Jesus Christ the Messiah! Only Jesus was able to live a sinless life and was appointed by God out of love to sacrifice Himself on the cross in order that mankind can be saved! Our salvation is found in no one else and in no other thing!
1 Corinthians 5:21 (AMP)
He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness].
Acts 4:12 (NKJV)
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Verses 6 and 7: In verse 6 Paul explains to us that because we, in Christ Jesus, are now sons and daughters of God, he has sent his Holy Spirit into our hearts to lead and guide us in our Christian walk to maturity. This reveals that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (the full Godhead) are intimately involved in our salvation as individuals. And because of this we are no longer slaves to sin but are sons and heirs of God through Christ!
Luke 24:49 (AMP)
Listen carefully: I am sending the Promise of My Father [the Holy Spirit] upon you; but you are to remain in the city [of Jerusalem] until you are clothed (fully equipped) with power from on high.”
John 16:13-15 (AMP)
13 But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth [full and complete truth]. For He will not speak on His own initiative, but He will speak whatever He hears [from the Father—the message regarding the Son], and He will disclose to you what is to come [in the future]. 14 He will glorify and honor Me, because He (the Holy Spirit) will take from what is Mine and will disclose it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Because of this I said that He [the Spirit] will take from what is Mine and will reveal it to you.
Paul’s concern for the Church
In verses 8-20, Paul expresses his deep concern for the Galatian churches as they have turned away from the true gospel of faith in Christ Jesus alone and were being sucked back to the slavery of sin by returning to the law at the urging of false the prophets and teachers that had risen among them.
8 But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. 9 But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years. 11 I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.
Verse 8: Paul reminds them of what they were like before the came to know Jesus. They were idol worshippers. They worshipped and followed the worthless things made by the hands of men and by chasing after the things of the flesh – money, power and so on! The things of the flesh are worthless in the lives on men! People who live to gratify the needs of the flesh (our sinful nature), cannot please God!
Verse 9: In this verse he (Paul) shows them that he is amazed and perplexed that after coming to know Jesus, they are now returning to their old ways of bondage to sin in the law! He uses the word ‘beggarly’ to describe the things that they have turned back to. Beggarly is translated from the Greek word ‘ptóchos’ and the expanded meaning refers to someone who is poor and destitute and has the spiritual connotation of someone ‘lacking any kind of true spirituality and good sense’ that they had in Christ Jesus. The Galatian churches were returning to the path of spiritual death and destruction!
Verse 10: In this verse Paul points out that they have gone back to the observance of law with its special days and times of festivals. They were observing these special times, thinking that they would gain additional merit before God and be extra pleasing to Him. But Paul had already made it clear to them previously that works could not be added to faith as grounds for either justification or sanctification – only faith in Christ Jesus alone can do this!
Verse 11: Here Paul expresses his fear that they were tuning away from Jesus and their salvation despite all his efforts to teach them the truth of faith in Christ Jesus alone!
This is the same problem that the Church faces today with the myriad of false prophets and teachers that have emerged in modern day churches and congregations. These people are leading many others on the road to apostasy, the great turning away of believers that the Bible warns us about in the end times! Those that turn away from the true gospel, the things of God are described by the Bible as being wicked and unbelieving!
12 Brethren, I urge you to become like me, for I became like you. You have not injured me at all. 13 You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first. 14 And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. 15 What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?
Verse 12: Paul encourages the Galatians to become like him now, as he was once like them but after his conversion, he was set free from the sin of the law and but did not return to it or try and incorporate it into his freedom in Christ Jesus. Paul says a similar thing to us in 1 Corinthians – imitate or follow him as he follows Christ!
Verses 13 and 14: In these two verses, Paul reminds the Galatian churches of their good relationship with him and particularly referring to his first visit to them when he preached the gospel to them when he was not well and incapacitated, but despite this, they received him in love as if he were an angel. You can read about Paul’s first visit to Galatia in Acts 13 and 14.
Verses 15 and 16: Paul asks the Galatians two questions in these two verses, one question in each verse, in my first visit: “What was the blessing you received?” and “Have I now become your enemy because I tell the truth?”
By the first question he is reminding them that they had accepted the true gospel at first without prejudice and wants them to think about this. By the second question he is asking them not to see him as their enemy because out of his love for them, he is telling them the truth! He is urging them to think clearly about what he is telling them about their deviation from the true gospel to follow the false teachings of the false prophets and teachers that have infiltrated their numbers!
17 They zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them. 18 But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you. 19 My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, 20 I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you.
Verses 17 – 20: In these four verses, Paul draws a ‘good’ and ‘bad’ word picture for us. The bad is in verse 17 where he tells the Galatians that they have been deceived by the misdirected enthusiasm of the false teachers. Their evil motives are to draw the Galatians away from the true gospel to follow them so that the Galatian church can in turn lead others astray.
In verse 18 he tells them that it is only good to be zealous for the good things of Christ, and not only when he (Paul) is with them but when he is away from them as well!
In verse 19 and 20 Paul gives them the good picture and starts off by calling them his little children, a term of endearment and love. He tells them that he is teaching them the gospel all over again and will continue to do so until Christ is unshakably embedded within again! A good father figure to the young Church!
He goes on to say that he would have preferred not to be harsh with them but has had to in order to remind them of the true gospel because he fears for their spiritual wellbeing.
Church! Sometimes we need to hear a harsh word as long as it’s Biblical truth to shake us out of religious complacency and error taught by the many false prophets and teachers that are prominent in the World today, including those that are on social media. The Bible tells us to test the spirits! If what is being taught at your church does not line up with the Word of God, then get out of there!
Let us be like the Bereans and search the Word to make sure that what we are being told, what we are watching and what we are listening to is the truth according to the Bible, the inerrant Word of God!
In verse 11 of Acts 17 above, Paul describes the Bereans as being “of more noble character” and it is my belief that here he is not referring to a noble birthright but rather to their spiritual character which infers to me that they were of a Godlier character than the Jews in Thessalonica. This would explain why they received the gospel message with great eagerness and were zealous in proving it against the Word of God that had already been written in the Old Testament! They wanted to believe that their Messiah had come!
We need to be wary of those Churches that turn themselves into multi-million dollar businesses through music, books and entertainment programmes, and then use the money to feather their own nests and lord it over others. They are leading many to destruction and are thieves and robbers – ravening wolves in sheep’s clothing! We don’t see their like in any of the New Testament Bible teachings and especially not from Jesus! God blesses many men and churches with monetary wealth, but it is like every gift from God, it is to be used to bless others and not to lavishly overindulge on oneself!
Two Covenants
In verses 21-31 of our text, Paul gives us a biblical illustration of the difference between law and grace from the life of Abraham and the difficulties he went through with his two wives, Sarah and Hagar and two sons, Isaac and Ishmael.
Paul uses this account as he knows that the Galatian Jews will know the story well. It is an excellent example of the contrast between the Mosaic Covenant which is the Law and the New Covenant of faith in Christ Jesus, and the contrast between works of the flesh and faith in Christ Jesus. The allegory also provided him with the opportunity to explain Biblically why the Galatians should cast out those men who were trying to bring legalism (the false prophets and teachers) into the gospel of truth of faith in Christ Jesus alone!
Verse 21: Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?
In verse 21, Paul says if you desire to go back to the old covenant of the law, do you not hear the law? Now, ‘hear’ in this verse is translated from the Greek word ‘akouó’, (pronounced ak-oo'-o – Strong’s 191) and means in this context to not only hear with the ears but to fully understand with your mind what it means as well. So, he is actually asking the Galatians, “Do you fully understand the spiritual meaning of the law?” Paul wants them to know and understand the bondage and sin they would be returning to after once being set free from the law through faith in Jesus.
Verse 22: For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman.
In verse 22, Paul brings us back to the story of Abraham who believed God in faith, and it was accredited to him as righteousness. It was to Abraham that God promised that all nations would be blessed through him.
To seal his point to the Galatians about the bondage that the law brings, Paul refers them to the account of Abrahams two oldest sons, Ishmael and Isaac.
Verse 23: But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise,
In verse 23, Paul continues with the story of Abraham and now refers to the way in which Abraham’s two oldest sons were born.
God had promised Sarah a son even though she was old and past the age of childbearing. But Sarah had become tired of waiting and started scheming in the flesh (of her own mind) how a son could be born to her and Abraham. This she achieved by encouraging Abraham to have sex with her Egyptian slave woman, Hagar. This happened and Hagar gave birth to a son, Ishmael. Thus, Ishmael was born according to the scheming of the flesh from a slave woman.
Ishmael was born of the flesh by the scheming of Sarah who was unable to be patient and obedient and wait for God’s promise that he would give her a son. Ishmael was not the son of the Promise, he was a son of the flesh!
Isaac on the other hand was the son of the Promise, he was born of the Spirit when God opened Sarah’s womb when she was very old and passed the age of chidbearing!
24 which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— 25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— 26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27 For it is written:
“Rejoice, O barren,
You who do not bear!
Break forth and shout,
You who are not in labor!
For the desolate has many more children
Than she who has a husband.”
In verse 24 - 31 Paul explains the prophetic symbolism of the births of Ishmael and Isaac that was relevant to the Galatians at that time and that is also relevant to the Church today – they are representative of two covenants.
The birth of Ishmael is of the covenant of the law (verses 24 – 27), starting with the 10 Commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai, and as we’ve already learnt, the law leads to slavery or bondage which is what Hagar signifies.
Paul explains too that Hagar is also representative of Jerusalem which, at the time of his writing, was in bondage to Rome and of course the law! Today, Jerusalem is still in bondage to the law and to today’s world systems as it was to Rome in those days and as was much of the world at the time!
In verse 26, Paul refers to the new Jerusalem from above (the Heavenly Jerusalem) which is free of bondage and and sin that God has prepared for his bride. This also refers to the freedom of the offspring of Sarah the free woman and wife of Abraham. It is through the line of Isaac that Christ is born and it is through belief in Christ Jesus that that man has freedom from the law!
I believe that the question Paul is also posing here, both to the Galatians and the Church today is, “Are you going to follow the present Jerusalem with its bondage and sin or are you going to follow the heavenly Jerusalem which is freedom by faith in Christ Jesus alone?
In verse 27, Paul quotes a passage from Isaiah 54:1. This quotation prophesied the changing fortunes of Israel and, which Paul applied to Sarah’s history. So, from Abraham came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as immeasurable as the sand on the seashore - and Sarah, the barren, desolate woman thus became the mother of multitudes.
28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. 29 But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.” 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.
In his closing statement to this chapter, verses 28 – 31, Paul makes four very important points that not only applied to the Galatians at the time but also applies to the Church today, those who are born-again!
1. We are children of The Promise, born-again according to the Spirit! Verse 28.
2. We will face persecution because we belong to Jesus! Particularly from false prophets and teachers! Verse 29.
3. We are co-heirs with Jesus of all God’s promises! Verse 30.
4. We have true freedom in Christ Jesus – freedom from the law of sin and death!
My concluding thoughts on Chapter 4
The false teachers (the Judaisers) that had infiltrated the Galatian churches believed that faith alone in Jesus Christ was not enough for our salvation and our walk to Christian maturity. Unfortunately, they were drawing the Galatians away from the gospel of faith in Christ Jesus alone that he had first taught them and consequently they were no longer in line with God’s love, grace and mercy.
What really concerned Paul was that the eternal destinies of people are jeopardized when grace is clouded over by legalism. In addition, Christianity is extremely unattractive when presented with a works based legalistic flavor. Legalism repels, while grace attracts. Fortunately, for the Galatians and for modern readers, Paul tackled this legalistic distortion head on.
Praise God that the born-again Christian is set free from the curse of the Law and control of the Law by the blood of Jesus that covers our lives. Christians must repent of and cast off the yoke of legalism and a works-based theology (“Cast out the bondwoman and her son”).
To attempt to mix Law and grace is to attempt the impossible and negates the Christian walk of faith in Christ Jesus. To live by grace, through faith in Christ Jesus alone, gives one a free and fulfilling Christian life and enables us to walk our path to maturity.
The key to living the life of faith in Christ Jesus is The Holy Spirit, to live life in the Spirit – Romans 8, please read this whole chapter for yourselves. And it is this key that Paul will share in the closing “practical” chapters of this letter. Meanwhile, you and I need to beware to not let legalism and works creep back into our lives.
Prayer
Dear Father
In the name of Jesus, I pray that you would continually fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me wisdom and discernment so that I will not be led astray by the errant teachings of false prophets and teachers. Reveal to me, I pray, the wolves in sheep’s’ clothing that I may not stray from your path – Jesus Christ and Him crucified! Lord, I pray that you would keep my ears and my heart ever attentive to the voice of your Holy Spirt! I pray, Lord, that you would teach me your ways that I may bring glory to Jesus. Amen!
Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself. My word is flawed the Bible is not!
Verse 8: Paul reminds them of what they were like before the came to know Jesus. They were idol worshippers. They worshipped and followed the worthless things made by the hands of men and by chasing after the things of the flesh – money, power and so on! The things of the flesh are worthless in the lives on men! People who live to gratify the needs of the flesh (our sinful nature), cannot please God!
John 6:63 (NKJV)
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
Romans 8:5-8 (NKJV)
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Verse 9: In this verse he (Paul) shows them that he is amazed and perplexed that after coming to know Jesus, they are now returning to their old ways of bondage to sin in the law! He uses the word ‘beggarly’ to describe the things that they have turned back to. Beggarly is translated from the Greek word ‘ptóchos’ and the expanded meaning refers to someone who is poor and destitute and has the spiritual connotation of someone ‘lacking any kind of true spirituality and good sense’ that they had in Christ Jesus. The Galatian churches were returning to the path of spiritual death and destruction!
Verse 10: In this verse Paul points out that they have gone back to the observance of law with its special days and times of festivals. They were observing these special times, thinking that they would gain additional merit before God and be extra pleasing to Him. But Paul had already made it clear to them previously that works could not be added to faith as grounds for either justification or sanctification – only faith in Christ Jesus alone can do this!
Verse 11: Here Paul expresses his fear that they were tuning away from Jesus and their salvation despite all his efforts to teach them the truth of faith in Christ Jesus alone!
This is the same problem that the Church faces today with the myriad of false prophets and teachers that have emerged in modern day churches and congregations. These people are leading many others on the road to apostasy, the great turning away of believers that the Bible warns us about in the end times! Those that turn away from the true gospel, the things of God are described by the Bible as being wicked and unbelieving!
1 Timothy 4:1-2 (AMP)
But the [Holy] Spirit explicitly and unmistakably declares that in later times some will turn away from the faith, paying attention instead to deceitful and seductive spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 [misled] by the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared as with a branding iron [leaving them incapable of ethical functioning],
Hebrews 3:12 (AMP)
Take care, brothers and sisters, that there not be in any one of you a wicked, unbelieving heart [which refuses to trust and rely on the Lord, a heart] that turns away from the living God.
12 Brethren, I urge you to become like me, for I became like you. You have not injured me at all. 13 You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first. 14 And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. 15 What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?
Verse 12: Paul encourages the Galatians to become like him now, as he was once like them but after his conversion, he was set free from the sin of the law and but did not return to it or try and incorporate it into his freedom in Christ Jesus. Paul says a similar thing to us in 1 Corinthians – imitate or follow him as he follows Christ!
1 Corinthians 11:1 (NKJV)
Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.
Verses 13 and 14: In these two verses, Paul reminds the Galatian churches of their good relationship with him and particularly referring to his first visit to them when he preached the gospel to them when he was not well and incapacitated, but despite this, they received him in love as if he were an angel. You can read about Paul’s first visit to Galatia in Acts 13 and 14.
Verses 15 and 16: Paul asks the Galatians two questions in these two verses, one question in each verse, in my first visit: “What was the blessing you received?” and “Have I now become your enemy because I tell the truth?”
By the first question he is reminding them that they had accepted the true gospel at first without prejudice and wants them to think about this. By the second question he is asking them not to see him as their enemy because out of his love for them, he is telling them the truth! He is urging them to think clearly about what he is telling them about their deviation from the true gospel to follow the false teachings of the false prophets and teachers that have infiltrated their numbers!
17 They zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them. 18 But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you. 19 My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, 20 I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you.
Verses 17 – 20: In these four verses, Paul draws a ‘good’ and ‘bad’ word picture for us. The bad is in verse 17 where he tells the Galatians that they have been deceived by the misdirected enthusiasm of the false teachers. Their evil motives are to draw the Galatians away from the true gospel to follow them so that the Galatian church can in turn lead others astray.
In verse 18 he tells them that it is only good to be zealous for the good things of Christ, and not only when he (Paul) is with them but when he is away from them as well!
In verse 19 and 20 Paul gives them the good picture and starts off by calling them his little children, a term of endearment and love. He tells them that he is teaching them the gospel all over again and will continue to do so until Christ is unshakably embedded within again! A good father figure to the young Church!
He goes on to say that he would have preferred not to be harsh with them but has had to in order to remind them of the true gospel because he fears for their spiritual wellbeing.
Church! Sometimes we need to hear a harsh word as long as it’s Biblical truth to shake us out of religious complacency and error taught by the many false prophets and teachers that are prominent in the World today, including those that are on social media. The Bible tells us to test the spirits! If what is being taught at your church does not line up with the Word of God, then get out of there!
1 John 4:1-6 (AMP)
Beloved, do not believe every spirit [speaking through a self-proclaimed prophet]; instead test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets and teachers have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know and recognize the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges and confesses [the fact] that Jesus Christ has [actually] come in the flesh [as a man] is from God [God is its source]; 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus [acknowledging that He has come in the flesh, but would deny any of the Son’s true nature] is not of God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and is now already in the world.
Let us be like the Bereans and search the Word to make sure that what we are being told, what we are watching and what we are listening to is the truth according to the Bible, the inerrant Word of God!
Acts 17:10-12 (NIV)
10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
In verse 11 of Acts 17 above, Paul describes the Bereans as being “of more noble character” and it is my belief that here he is not referring to a noble birthright but rather to their spiritual character which infers to me that they were of a Godlier character than the Jews in Thessalonica. This would explain why they received the gospel message with great eagerness and were zealous in proving it against the Word of God that had already been written in the Old Testament! They wanted to believe that their Messiah had come!
We need to be wary of those Churches that turn themselves into multi-million dollar businesses through music, books and entertainment programmes, and then use the money to feather their own nests and lord it over others. They are leading many to destruction and are thieves and robbers – ravening wolves in sheep’s clothing! We don’t see their like in any of the New Testament Bible teachings and especially not from Jesus! God blesses many men and churches with monetary wealth, but it is like every gift from God, it is to be used to bless others and not to lavishly overindulge on oneself!
Two Covenants
In verses 21-31 of our text, Paul gives us a biblical illustration of the difference between law and grace from the life of Abraham and the difficulties he went through with his two wives, Sarah and Hagar and two sons, Isaac and Ishmael.
Paul uses this account as he knows that the Galatian Jews will know the story well. It is an excellent example of the contrast between the Mosaic Covenant which is the Law and the New Covenant of faith in Christ Jesus, and the contrast between works of the flesh and faith in Christ Jesus. The allegory also provided him with the opportunity to explain Biblically why the Galatians should cast out those men who were trying to bring legalism (the false prophets and teachers) into the gospel of truth of faith in Christ Jesus alone!
Verse 21: Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?
In verse 21, Paul says if you desire to go back to the old covenant of the law, do you not hear the law? Now, ‘hear’ in this verse is translated from the Greek word ‘akouó’, (pronounced ak-oo'-o – Strong’s 191) and means in this context to not only hear with the ears but to fully understand with your mind what it means as well. So, he is actually asking the Galatians, “Do you fully understand the spiritual meaning of the law?” Paul wants them to know and understand the bondage and sin they would be returning to after once being set free from the law through faith in Jesus.
Verse 22: For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman.
In verse 22, Paul brings us back to the story of Abraham who believed God in faith, and it was accredited to him as righteousness. It was to Abraham that God promised that all nations would be blessed through him.
Genesis 15:6 (NIV)
Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
Genesis 22:18 (NKJV)
18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
To seal his point to the Galatians about the bondage that the law brings, Paul refers them to the account of Abrahams two oldest sons, Ishmael and Isaac.
Genesis 16:1-4 & 15 (NKJV)
Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. 3 Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. 4 So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes.
15 So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.
Genesis 21:1-3 (NKJV)
And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him—whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac.
In verse 23, Paul continues with the story of Abraham and now refers to the way in which Abraham’s two oldest sons were born.
God had promised Sarah a son even though she was old and past the age of childbearing. But Sarah had become tired of waiting and started scheming in the flesh (of her own mind) how a son could be born to her and Abraham. This she achieved by encouraging Abraham to have sex with her Egyptian slave woman, Hagar. This happened and Hagar gave birth to a son, Ishmael. Thus, Ishmael was born according to the scheming of the flesh from a slave woman.
Ishmael was born of the flesh by the scheming of Sarah who was unable to be patient and obedient and wait for God’s promise that he would give her a son. Ishmael was not the son of the Promise, he was a son of the flesh!
Isaac on the other hand was the son of the Promise, he was born of the Spirit when God opened Sarah’s womb when she was very old and passed the age of chidbearing!
Genesis 21:1-2 (NKJV)
And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
24 which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— 25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— 26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27 For it is written:
“Rejoice, O barren,
You who do not bear!
Break forth and shout,
You who are not in labor!
For the desolate has many more children
Than she who has a husband.”
In verse 24 - 31 Paul explains the prophetic symbolism of the births of Ishmael and Isaac that was relevant to the Galatians at that time and that is also relevant to the Church today – they are representative of two covenants.
The birth of Ishmael is of the covenant of the law (verses 24 – 27), starting with the 10 Commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai, and as we’ve already learnt, the law leads to slavery or bondage which is what Hagar signifies.
Paul explains too that Hagar is also representative of Jerusalem which, at the time of his writing, was in bondage to Rome and of course the law! Today, Jerusalem is still in bondage to the law and to today’s world systems as it was to Rome in those days and as was much of the world at the time!
In verse 26, Paul refers to the new Jerusalem from above (the Heavenly Jerusalem) which is free of bondage and and sin that God has prepared for his bride. This also refers to the freedom of the offspring of Sarah the free woman and wife of Abraham. It is through the line of Isaac that Christ is born and it is through belief in Christ Jesus that that man has freedom from the law!
Revelation 21:1-4 (NKJV)
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
I believe that the question Paul is also posing here, both to the Galatians and the Church today is, “Are you going to follow the present Jerusalem with its bondage and sin or are you going to follow the heavenly Jerusalem which is freedom by faith in Christ Jesus alone?
In verse 27, Paul quotes a passage from Isaiah 54:1. This quotation prophesied the changing fortunes of Israel and, which Paul applied to Sarah’s history. So, from Abraham came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as immeasurable as the sand on the seashore - and Sarah, the barren, desolate woman thus became the mother of multitudes.
Genesis 22:15-18 (NKJV)
15 Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— 17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. 29 But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.” 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.
In his closing statement to this chapter, verses 28 – 31, Paul makes four very important points that not only applied to the Galatians at the time but also applies to the Church today, those who are born-again!
1. We are children of The Promise, born-again according to the Spirit! Verse 28.
Romans 9:6-9 (NKJV)
6 But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, 7 nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” 8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. 9 For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.”
2. We will face persecution because we belong to Jesus! Particularly from false prophets and teachers! Verse 29.
John 16:33 (AMP)
I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]
Romans 8:15-17 (NKJV)
15 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.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
4. We have true freedom in Christ Jesus – freedom from the law of sin and death!
Romans 8:2-3 (AMP)
2 For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do [that is, overcome sin and remove its penalty, its power] being weakened by the flesh [man’s nature without the Holy Spirit], God did: He sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful man as an offering for sin. And He condemned sin in the flesh [subdued it and overcame it in the person of His own Son],
My concluding thoughts on Chapter 4
The false teachers (the Judaisers) that had infiltrated the Galatian churches believed that faith alone in Jesus Christ was not enough for our salvation and our walk to Christian maturity. Unfortunately, they were drawing the Galatians away from the gospel of faith in Christ Jesus alone that he had first taught them and consequently they were no longer in line with God’s love, grace and mercy.
What really concerned Paul was that the eternal destinies of people are jeopardized when grace is clouded over by legalism. In addition, Christianity is extremely unattractive when presented with a works based legalistic flavor. Legalism repels, while grace attracts. Fortunately, for the Galatians and for modern readers, Paul tackled this legalistic distortion head on.
Praise God that the born-again Christian is set free from the curse of the Law and control of the Law by the blood of Jesus that covers our lives. Christians must repent of and cast off the yoke of legalism and a works-based theology (“Cast out the bondwoman and her son”).
To attempt to mix Law and grace is to attempt the impossible and negates the Christian walk of faith in Christ Jesus. To live by grace, through faith in Christ Jesus alone, gives one a free and fulfilling Christian life and enables us to walk our path to maturity.
The key to living the life of faith in Christ Jesus is The Holy Spirit, to live life in the Spirit – Romans 8, please read this whole chapter for yourselves. And it is this key that Paul will share in the closing “practical” chapters of this letter. Meanwhile, you and I need to beware to not let legalism and works creep back into our lives.
Prayer
Dear Father
In the name of Jesus, I pray that you would continually fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me wisdom and discernment so that I will not be led astray by the errant teachings of false prophets and teachers. Reveal to me, I pray, the wolves in sheep’s’ clothing that I may not stray from your path – Jesus Christ and Him crucified! Lord, I pray that you would keep my ears and my heart ever attentive to the voice of your Holy Spirt! I pray, Lord, that you would teach me your ways that I may bring glory to Jesus. Amen!
To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!
Jesus the Name above all names!
Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself. My word is flawed the Bible is not!
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