Galatians 4:21-31 - Free or Slave?

Tell me, You Under the Law, Do You Not Know it?

Galatians 4:21–23 ESV

Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise.

The distinction the Slave woman and the Free woman / The Son of the Flesh vs. Son of Promise

Understood Allegorically: Two Covenants (Explain)

Why did God give the law? ( we need to get this right )

Many people think God Gave the Law to instill more rules to follow (Dictator)

Some say God gave the Law to further prove how badly we sin against God (Rigged)

(we dont need the law to know how bad we are, we see it in Genesis 3 and 4 and Onward)

All of these ideas are wrong: God gave the Law because of relationship, with the people of Israel as in Exodus 19:5-6 (Loving Father)

Rephrased “What was the purpose of the law?” Relationship … if Jesus himself fulfills the Law because he is the Law (the word made flesh) what was the purpose of Jesus? Relationship … if it is true of the Law, it is more true of Jesus

Of all the people who should understand: the Jews / Jewdizers Should have known the purpose of the Law … not by works but relationship **

Religion of works vs. religion of Grace // Religion of Flesh vs. Religion of promise

The Son of Flesh (Sin and Death)

Galatians 4:24–27 ESV

24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written, “Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband.”

Those who are a slave, are a slave to sin (they are not free) they are of the flesh

John 8:34, Romans 6:16, Galatians 5:1, Romans 7:4, Romans 6:7 (Rom 6/Gal 5)

Do you serve sin? Or do you serve a Savior?

By the works of man and its works. It leads to death

The Son of Promise (Freedom and Life)

Galatians 4:28–31 ESV

28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” 31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.

The son of Promise, It is us, but it was also Christ (the son of promise in Sarah’s bloodline) (Gen 21:1-3) (1 Cor 3:21-23) (Eph. 1:3)

29 - so it also is now … Those born in the flesh persecute those born of the promise / born of the spirit (ever since Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, even more so Christ promises it to us, etc.) (Matt 5:11) (1 Peter 2:20-21)

Those who are of the slave woman … much more a slave to sin is cast out and shall never ever have an inheritance, and never have life

So brothers, we are not children of slave but of the free woman

It began in relationship it will end in relationship … It is not a curse, it is a blessing, it is not death it is true life … to be in christ is to be in life **