Liberated- Part 13

Introduction- Galatians 4:21-31

Last week we considered the exhortation to the believers in the churches of Galatia from Paul to “be as I am”—indicating the liberty which characterized his life and ministry since he had come to faith in Christ.

Paul knew what it was to live under the bondage of the law and his desire was that the Galatians would not choose this path because he well understood it would cripple their spiritual growth.

Paul also reminded them of their former reception of him and his ministry among them and questioned them as to why they now treated him as though we were their enemy when he had not changed.

The previous passage reveals the deep care and concern which Paul had for them which motivated him to firmly address the errors which had taken hold among them.

In the passage before us today Paul gives an analogy drawn from the experience of Abraham to illustrate the distinction between law and liberty.

The Elements of the Allegory

This passage opens with Paul addressing the believers in the churches of Galatia who have embraced the errors of the false teachers—and who as a result now desire to be under the law.

Paul has already endeavored to show them that their embrace of the law represents not a progression in their spiritual lives but a regression.

Now through the use of this allegory, he will attempt to help them to more clearly see what it is that they are embracing and why it is that they should reject being brought under the law.

Paul takes historical events which they were likely all familiar with and uses them as an allegory to illustrate his point.

It is important to understand that this usage of the historical events recorded in Genesis allegorically does not change the fact that these are actual events.

The ideas which will be drawn from these events were not originally intended to be seen in them but now Paul sees them as a fitting illustration of the principles which he has attempted to express to the believers in the churches of Galatia.

Paul will use the experience of Abraham and his two wives and their sons to demonstrate the distinction between being under law and being under grace—having liberty in Christ.

The wives mentioned here are Sarah and Hagar which were both married to Abraham but whose experiences were vastly different.

Paul pictures Sarah and Hagar as symbols of tow covenants—Hagar being the Mosaic Covenant (the law ) and Sarah representing the Abrahamic Covenant (grace).

Their sons are seen as representative of the product of these covenants—Ishmael being the product of the Mosaic Covenant and Isaac being a product of the Abrahamic Covenant.

Each of these are then further seen as representative of a specific grouping of people—Ishmael being representative of what Paul refers to as “the Jerusalem which now is”—the religious Jews who remain under the law—Isaac being representative of what Paul refers to as “the Jerusalem which is above”—those who have come out from under the law and who are now living in the liberty which is found in Christ.

All this is designed to help the believers in the churches of Galatia understand the distinctions which exist between these two groups so that they might recognize to which they belong.

The Contrast

There are multiple points of contrast which are given in this illustration which relate to the experience of those who are in bondage to the law and those who have been set free by Jesus Christ.

The first point of contrast concerns the nature of Hagar and Sarah—Hagar was a bondmaid—she was essentially a female household slave—while Sarah on the other hand was a free woman—as the legitimate wife of Abraham she had never been enslaved but had always and only known freedom.

This is why Hagar is seen as a representation of the law—because the law brings only bondage—as long as one is under the law he can never be truly free for the law brings constant condemnation and guilt.

No matter what Hagar might do or how well she might behave herself she could never be truly free—being a bondmaid she would remain in bondage.

Sarah on the other hand is representative of the covenant of grace—she had never been in bondage and enjoyed all the benefits and privileges of one who is free.

The two sons—Ishmael and Isaac—were the product of these two women—Ishmael being born of Hagar and Isaac being born of Sarah.

The experience of the sons is directly connected with that of their mothers.

Ishmael would be born a slave while Isaac would be born free as a son and the legitimate heir of Abraham who would enjoy all the privileges and benefits of genuine sonship.

This is meant to illustrate the fact that those who embrace the law live as slaves while those who embrace grace will live free.

Distinction in Birth

The first point of emphasis here is that one son was born after the flesh while the other son was born by promise.

The circumstances surrounding each son’s birth could not be more different from one another.

It is not difficult to understand why it is said of Ishmael that he was born “after the flesh” considering the nature of his conception.

God had long before promised Abraham and Sarah that He would give them a son and that this son would be the heir through whom all the promises God had made to them would be fulfilled.

Yet after waiting for 10 long years with no sign of a son, Abraham and Sarah devised a plan whereby Abraham might have a son.

Sarah suggests that Abraham marry here handmaiden—an Egyptian named Hagar—and that he should go in unto her that she might then conceive a son.

To this Abraham agrees and Hagar does indeed conceive a son who is named Ishmael and yet God makes it clear that the promises are not to find their fulfillment in him.

Ishmael’s birth was the product of the fleshly scheming of Abraham and Sarah and their own human efforts to secure the promises of God.

On the other hand some 15 years later at 90 years of age Sarah did finally conceive a son who would be named Isaac and in whom God would declare His promises would be fulfilled.

Isaac’s birth was a supernatural birth and was not after the flesh because Sarah and Abraham were well beyond the child bearing years humanly speaking.

This is an illustration of the fact that the law is after the flesh and that those who are under the law cannot secure the promises of God through the works of the flesh.

Isaac’s supernatural birth is an illustration of the new birth which is the product of faith in Christ and is a supernatural birth where the flesh contributes nothing at all but God Himself brings about this birth through which the promises of God find their fulfillment.

Distinction in Experience

The next point of distinction is with regard to the experience of Hagar and Ishmael compared to that of Sarah and Isaac.

The two covenants which Hagar and Sarah represent produce two very different experiences in the lives of those who are subject to them.

The first which is represented in the allegory by Hagar is the covenant which came at Mount Sinai—this is obviously a reference to the Mosaic Covenant or the law.

It is said here that this covenant “gendereth to bondage”—this means that it produces only bondage or slavery.

This is said then to be representative of the “Jerusalem which now is”—this is a reference to the current state of Judaism and those who adhere to it.

Judaism had by this time become a system of rigid law keeping where men had even added their own traditions and interpretations to the law which God had supplied making it utterly impossible to adhere to every point.

The result is that those who sought righteousness and justification through strict adherence to the law were left in bondage and all those which embraced such a system would find themselves in bondage too.

Generations of Jews had now spent their lives in bondage to the law desperately trying but always failing to please God and to earn His favor through the works of the law.

At this point Paul speaks of the “Jerusalem which is above” this is the idea of the spiritual Jersualem and this is what is meant when Paul speaks of Gentile believers being “Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Ch. 3 Vs. 29).

This “Jerusalem” includes all those who have come to God by faith and who have simply believed His Word and have through faith received His promises.

Paul includes himself and the Gentile believers in the churches of Galatia in this “Jerusalem which is above” stating that she is the mother of us all.

This is pictured in the allegory by Sarah who is the mother of Isaac—the child of promise who is born free and who is a recipient of the promises of God.

This Jerusalem which is above is said to be free—no longer being subject to the bondage of the law having been set free now to live unto Christ.

Those who belong to this number are no longer under the law but are now under grace and now know the liberty which is found in Jesus Christ.

Isaac was a son and was the rightful heir and there was nothing which he could do to cause him to be cast out—on the other hand Ishmael may have been a son in some sense but he was yet a slave meaning his sonship was contingent upon his behavior.

Genesis 21:8–14 “And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son. And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.”

There was tension from the start between Sarah and Hagar and ultimately Hagar and Ishmael would be cast out because he mocked Isaac and because he was not to have any inheritance in Abraham.

Paul also quotes a verse from Isaiah 54:1 “Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.”

In this context the idea is that more children shall be produced through the covenant of grace than were ever produced through law—this being true because of the inclusion of the Gentiles now in the promises of God.

The “Jerusalem which now is” was limited in it inclusion of only those who would embrace the laws and traditions of the Jews whereas the “Jerusalem which is above” will include all those who will simply place their faith in Christ.

Cast Out The Bondwoman (Vs. 28-31)

The final section of this passage directs the believers in the churches of Galatia in their response to those who would bring them into bondage to the law.

Paul first states plainly that he as well as the believers to whom he is writing should consider themselves to be “children of promise”—theirs is a supernatural birth through simple faith in Christ and the promises of God are theirs by birth not through adherence to law.

Paul then goes on to describe the fact that those who are born of the flesh—those who remain under the law—are in the habit of persecuting those who are born after the Spirit—just as Ishmael mocked Isaac.

Those who are now under the law are still intent upon persecuting those who are free in Christ even now attempting to bring them in bondage under the law to steal away the liberty which is theirs in Christ.

Paul then encourages the believers in the churches of Galatia to cast out the bondwoman and her son because they will not be heirs of the promises of God with them.

This is essentially Paul challenging them first to reject the idea that the law has anything to add to their Christian experience and also by implication would mean that they should cast out those who have sought to bring them into bondage to the law.

He closes this section with a simple reminder that they are not children of the bondwoman but of the free—they are children of promise who are heirs with Christ.

Conclusion

The use of allegory is an effective means for further expressing the ideas which Paul has sought to express to the believers in the churches of Galatia.

It is undoubtedly Paul’s hope that these believer would see in the contrasting experiences of Isaac and Ishmael the distinction between life under the law and life under grace so that they would then recognize the error of the false teachers and reject it.

You and I must do the same—we must reject the bondage of law in favor of the liberty which is ours in Christ.

We must recognize that the works of the flesh can add nothing to our Christian experience—rather we must yield to the Spirit that we may live unto Christ.

We who have believed are children of the promise not because of our works but because we have believed on Jesus.

We have been set free—let us never return to bondage.