OUR FATHER WHO SETS US FREE FROM THE LAW

In the fourth chapter in his letter to the Galatians from verses 21 - 31, the Apostle Paul further challenged the inclination of the Galatians to revert to following the law as a suppliment for righteousness.

Paul wrote that if they truly wanted to follow the law, that they should actually listen to what the law is saying and he brought up the two sons of Abraham as the metaphoric principle.

The first son, Ishamael, was born when Abraham and his wife Sarah tried to remedy their childlessness by their own plan and involved Sarahˋs servant Hagar.

The second son, Isaac, was born when Abraham believed Godˋs promise to him inspite of seemingly impossible odds. 

The first was born by the action of the flesh and the second was born by the action of the Spirit. 

The first represents Mount Sinai where the law was given and the second represents Jerusalem where the promise was given and where the promise of the sacrifice of promised Son of God was fulfilled. At present, Jerusalem is in captivity along with her children but the spiritual Jerusalem is free and it is the city that ensconces us or governs all who have faith in the promise.

21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, 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.”

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.

Paul summarizes his argument by saying that we, believers in Christ, are children of the promise just as Isaac was and just as Ismael harassed Isaac, the children of the bondwoman persecute the children of the promise. In the end, the son of the bond woman was cast out and  was not counted as an heir. 

Paul then finalizes his counsel to the Galatians by asserting that they were children of the free woman and not subject to the bondage of the law as was the son of the slave.

Amen.

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