Galatians 4:21-5:1
Paul is against the Jewish-Christian missionaries who pervert the Gospel. He brings an emotional appeal with spiritual underpinnings to convince his parishioners to fully embrace the freedom that is found in Christ Jesus who has given us Holy Spirit. Paul now shows us that God’s law-free intention to bring the Gentiles into the Kingdom of God is found in the Torah.
Abraham has two sons, one born of a slave woman Hagar (son, Ishmael) and the other born of a free woman Sarah (son, Isaac). The Promise of the Messiah Savior comes through the free woman Sarah, Abraham is her husband, and He is the One who has been Promised for salvation by God. Through Christ Jesus will come the New Jerusalem.
Israel’s law, the Torah, is not just anybody’s law– it is the law of those who have been adopted into God’s Kingdom and are receivers of the Promise found in the Messiah Christ Jesus. Paul directly opposes the missionaries’ interpretation of Torah. In a right reading of Scripture, Scripture illuminates the witness of the law-free Gospel for both Gentiles and Jewish-Christians.
Paul asks his listeners, and us, to hear and understand that there was a gracious Promise from God to us which frees us from the law, which we cannot do perfectly/we are not righteous/we fall short of perfectly achieving all laws. Salvation through Christ’s Jesus’ death on the Cross and Resurrection cleanses us from sin, our unrighteousness, and our spiritual failures.
Jesus gives us salvation so that we become like-Christ by the Power of the Holy Spirit– Holy Spirit perfect in Love, Truth, Mercy, and Justice. Then Paul instructs the Christians to cast out those who pervert the Gospel– the law as a package, he instructs. For, the missionaries had come to them teaching that circumcision and food laws must be obeyed– they picked out a few laws and said the Christians must obey. Paul directs us to stand firm that the law is replaced now by Holy Spirit guidance; freedom given to us by Christ Jesus.
21 Tell me, you who desire to be subject to the law, will you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and the other by a free woman. 23 One, the child of the slave, was born according to the flesh; the other, the child of the free woman, was born through the Promise. 24 Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One woman, in fact, is Hagar, from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the other woman corresponds to the Jerusalem above; she is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,
“Rejoice, you childless one, you who bear no children,
burst into song and shout, you who endure no birth pangs;
for the children of the desolate woman are more numerous
than the children of the one who is married.”
28 Now you, my friends, are children of the Promise, like Isaac. 29 But just as at that time the child who was born according to the flesh persecuted the child who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also. 30 But what does the Scripture say? “Drive out the slave and her child; for the child of the slave will not share the inheritance with the child of the free woman.” 31 So then, friends, we are children, not of the slave but of the free woman. 5 1 For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 4:21-5:1
I am unspeakably grateful for Holy Spirit!
Thank you for your comment Jennifer. Our gratitude joins with your gratefulness to Christ for giving us Holy Spirit’s anointing and the outpouring of blessings which come to us from Holy Spirit.
Yes and amen! Many blessings 🙂