God Speaks
Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had. 2 They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set. 3 And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world.
4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” 7 Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.
8 Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. 9 So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world? 10 You are trying to earn favor with God by observing certain days or months or seasons or years. 11 I fear for you. Perhaps all my hard work with you was for nothing. 12 Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to live as I do in freedom from these things, for I have become like you Gentiles—free from those laws.
You did not mistreat me when I first preached to you. 13 Surely you remember that I was sick when I first brought you the Good News. 14 But even though my condition tempted you to reject me, you did not despise me or turn me away. No, you took me in and cared for me as though I were an angel from God or even Christ Jesus himself. 15 Where is that joyful and grateful spirit you felt then? I am sure you would have taken out your own eyes and given them to me if it had been possible. 16 Have I now become your enemy because I am telling you the truth?
17 Those false teachers are so eager to win your favor, but their intentions are not good. They are trying to shut you off from me so that you will pay attention only to them. 18 If someone is eager to do good things for you, that’s all right; but let them do it all the time, not just when I’m with you.
19 Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives. 20 I wish I were with you right now so I could change my tone. But at this distance I don’t know how else to help you.
21 Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says? 22 The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife. 23 The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise.
24 These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them. 25 And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law. 26 But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother. 27 As Isaiah said,
“Rejoice, O childless woman,
you who have never given birth!
Break into a joyful shout,
you who have never been in labor!
For the desolate woman now has more children
than the woman who lives with her husband!”
28 And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. 29 But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.
30 But what do the Scriptures say about that? “Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” 31 So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: The author of this blog is again indebted to Dr. Warren Wiersbe* for an understanding of the truths being conveyed in Galatians chapter 4. Chapter 4 discusses a series of contrasts:
- children vs servants The servants in a household where a parent is absent or has died have authority over the children until those children are old enough to make decisions on their own (a time set by the parent). The Jewish people were under the authority of the law until Jesus their Messiah came and fulfilled it.
- servants vs sons Servants obey their masters out of duty or fear, while sons obey their fathers out of love.
- embracing Paul and his message vs rejecting him and his teachings At first the Galatians joyfully received Paul and his teaching about freedom in Christ, but then the Judaizers tried to convince the Gentile believers that they must follow the Jewish religious laws in order to be “real” Christians, causing confusion.
- ordinary birth vs being born again by faith in the promises of God Paul gave Ishmael as an example of an ordinary birth to Abraham and Hagar. Abraham trusted God for 25 years before he received the son God had promised, Isaac. We must hold on to the promises of God, especially about salvation in Christ, no matter what happens.
*The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, by Warren W. Wiersbe, pp. 564-570.
Prayer: Thank You, Lord God for making those who believe heirs of all things in Christ Jesus. Until Christ came to earth, we were held in bondage under the constraint of the laws governing all mankind (even God-given ones like the Ten Commandments), but we could not and/or did not keep them. Then, at just the right time, “[You] sent [Your] Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” Now that, by faith, we are declared children of God, You have sent the Spirit of Your Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father.” Since we are no longer slaves, but adopted children, help us live as heirs by the faith and obedience given to us by You, the Triune God. Help us to honor the leaders, like Paul, that You have placed over us by being enthusiastic about what is good. Help us to reject and put away the attitudes and actions of the flesh and/or the law–like Hagar, child of slavery, and the old Jerusalem. Instead, help us to accept and put on the attitudes and actions of the Spirit and freedom in Christ–like Sarah, the child of the promise, and the Kingdom of God. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will thank God that He accepts me as His child by faith in Christ Jesus, not by obedience to the Jewish laws.
- I will exercise the authority I have been given as an adopted child of God and co-heir with Jesus Christ, especially in prayer.
- I will support and encourage those (like Paul) who teach the true word of God.
- I will research and memorize at least ten verses that convey the promises of God to His adopted children.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.