Galatians 4:21-5:6

Context: Today we are in the book of Galatians. Galatia was a city within Asia Minor where Paul found himself preaching the Gospel to the pagans there in Galatia. And they heard and believed and were redeemed and were growing tremendously in the Gospel until the Judaizers come. These Judaizers were those who professed to be Christians yet they taught that for the Gentiles to truly be saved they had to obey the Law and be circumcised! And so Paul, full of concern and anger towards this situation, writes this letter addressing this serious problem.

The New American Commentary brings us up to speed by summarizing Paul’s previous arguments against the legalists as so:

Galatians (3) The Personal Application (4:28–31)

He first pointed the Galatians back to Abraham, who was declared righteous before God by faith alone (3:6–9). Next he demonstrated by means of a long parenthesis the primary purpose and true function of the law (3:10–25). What was true of the Jews was no less true of the Gentiles, although their servitude was expressed as bondage to the elemental spirits rather than to the Mosaic covenant (3:26–4:11). On the basis of his personal love and intimacy toward them, Paul pleaded with the Galatians to “become like him” in their reliance on God’s grace as the only basis for their salvation (4:12–20)

And this brings us to where we are today where Paul is saying, “If you really want to keep the Law, let me tell you how it applies to you in this situation.”

The Historical Background (22-23)

The difference in mothers (22)

Ishmael, a slave woman, gave birth to Ishmael. So he was born into slavery.

Sarah, a free woman, gave birth to Isaac. So he was born into freedom.

The difference in births (23)

Ishmael was born according to nature.

There was nothing supernatural about the birth of Ishmael, he was simply the result of the union between Hagar and Abraham.

Isaac was born supernaturally through the promise of God.

But Isaac was the result of the union of Abraham and Sarah, but Sarah was so old there was no way she could possibly have a child unless God intervened, and He did just as He promised. Isaac’s conception was not normal, but supernatural!

And we can see the connections that Paul is making coming up very clearly. It is that everyone is born into bondage until in the fulfillment of God’s promise, he is set free. So everyone is one of the two. You’re either an Ishmael, living out what you are by nature, a slave. Or you are an Isaac, freed by the grace of God through the supernatural new birth by the work of the Spirit.

The Symbolic Meaning (24-27)

Now, why would Paul use this story? Doesn’t it support the Jews who are the descendants of Abraham? Doesn’t that back their stance that everyone who isn’t with us isn’t worthy? Well, the purpose of this story is that the Jews have understood it wrongly. It is not merely the blood descendants who are the true sons as they’ve always thought, but it is the sons of faith who have been born of the Spirit who is the true seed of Abraham.

What Paul is doing here is establishing the identification of these false teachers with Hagar and Ishmael (24-25) and connecting these believers in Galatia with Sarah and Isaac (26-28)

Paul develops his argument that these Judaizers are illegitimate sons in four steps.

He identifies Hagar with the covenant from Mt. Sinai and the children of Hagar with the children of the Sinaitic Covenant.

Why does that matter? Well, Hagar was a slave and that means that the child that she has would also be born into slavery as well. And if Hagar represents Mt. Sinai then all who are under that covenant are also bound by slavery as well as Paul explains in Galatians 3:9-4:10.

He defends his connection by pointing out that just as Hagar and Ishmael are the ancestors of the Arabians, they are fine representations of Mt Sinai because that is where the mountain is.

Paul identifies the children of Hagar as the false teachers in Galatia by corresponding Mt. Sinai to the city of Jerusalem.

These Judaizers would not doubt identify themselves with the pride of the Jews, being Jerusalem. Just as you and I take pride in where we're from. So by making this connection Paul is making a clear point in his argument.

Paul defends this correlation by drawing attention to the fact that both the children of the covenant from Sinai and the children of Jerusalem are both enslaved.

Walter Hansen said, “Since the Sinaitic covenant enslaved all who relied upon it and tried to regulate their lives by it (see 3:19–4:11), it followed that Mount Sinai and Jerusalem could be equated on the basis of this common characteristic of slavery”

Now that Paul has identified those of faith in Galatia with Sarah he now draws a contrast between the physical Jerusalem, whose children are in slavery, and the Jerusalem above, which is free.

In Jewish prophesy the Jerusalem above was the fulfillment of all of God’s promises where they would experience the perfect rule of God in peace and harmony in the new creation. But Paul doesn’t act as though this is a future place, but a present estate where believers are already citizens. And since she is where our citizenship lies we can rejoice that She is our mother!

This is significant because these Judaizers would boast of the legalistic rules pouring out of the earthly Jerusalem but there was no reason for the citizens of Heavenly Jerusalem, who have tasted freedom in Christ, to bind themselves to the enslavement of legalism.

Spiritual Confirmation (27)

Here Paul goes forward with proof of the truths that he has laid out by taking them to Isaiah 54:1

“Sing, O barren, You who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, You who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate Than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord.”

This prophecy is one of assurance to Israel during her barren time of Babylonian captivity that there will be a day where she will have more children than ever before! The Jews thought this would be a time where there would be a massive revival of the restoration of Israel and tons of Gentiles becoming members of the Jewish nation and accepting the sign of circumcision. But what Paul sees as the fulfillment of this prophecy is that:

The Church of Christ shall prosper amidst the stagnancy of Judaism. (27)

It is almost as though Paul is beckoning to the Galatians to see that they are a part of God’s active work in the world and to stand firm and not to fall to the lies of the Judaizers

Whenever you read the book of Acts or any of the Bible for that matter, and you wonder how amazing it would be to be a part of God’s work you can rejoice because you are a testimony to God’s active work in saving His people. And you are linked hand and hand with our forefathers as you share in the fellowship of the Gospel.

I love how John Stott summarizes this allegory. He says, “Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, born of two mothers, Hagar and Sarah, who represent two covenants and two Jerusalems. Hagar the slave stands for the old covenant, and her son Ishmael symbolizes the church of the earthly Jerusalem. Sarah the free woman stands for the new covenant, and her son Isaac symbolizes the church of the heavenly Jerusalem. Although superficially similar, because both were sons of Abraham, the two boys were fundamentally different. In the same way, Paul is arguing, it is not enough to claim Abraham as our father. The crucial question concerns who our mother is. If it is Hagar, we are like Ishmael, but if it is Sarah, we are like Isaac.”

The Personal Application (28-5:6)

Our likeness to Isaac in the new birth. (28-29)

Walter says, “Just as Isaac was born as the result of a promise, so were we gentiles born as a result of the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham and His promise through the prophet Isaiah.”

Our likeness to Isaac in persecution. (29)

Luther’s comment on this text is very much to the point: “As soon as the word of God appears, the devil becomes angry; and in his anger he employs every power and wile to persecute it and wipe it out completely. Therefore it cannot be otherwise than that he should stir up endless sects and offenses, persecution and slaughter, for he is the father of lies and a murderer (John 8:44); he plants his lies in the world through false teachers, and he murders men through tyrants.… If someone does not want to endure persecution from Ishmael, let him not claim that he is Christian.”

Just as Christ faced the rejection of His people, and Paul faced most persecution at the hands of the religious so too should we expect persecution from the hands of the lost religious world. As we preach the sovereign grace of God, men who love their autonomy will burn with anger against our message of unmerited grace.

Our likeness to Isaac in our inheritance. (30-31)

We may be despised of men but we are the sons and daughters of God. Romans 8:17

Romans 8:17 NKJV

17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

We have inherited the promises of the Old Testament in Christ

We are Abraham’s seed, born through the promise, children of the free woman. We are citizens of the Heavenly Jerusalem above, the Israel of God, and the true circumcision. As a believer we face the pain of persecution but we bask in the privileges of our inheritance.

This inheritance, in short, is eternal life within the presence of God. It is unhindered beholding of His glory and fellowship with Him, forever free from the bondage of sin.

Our likeness to Isaac with the casting away of Ishmael. (30)

5:1, We must stand fast. Why so seriously?

Because Christ plus anything equals nothing.

It is not the surgical operation of circumcision which condemned them, but the heart behind it which we see in Acts 15:1 1 And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

They were declaring that Christ alone was not sufficient to save them and that Christ plus the Law is needed.

But you and I cannot add anything to Christ or we will lose Him totally. It is placing all of your eggs in one basket, all of your hope in one redeemer. It is Christ alone or not at all.

So, are you resting in your works?

Holding to our obedience to the Law for our justification places us apart from the grace found in Christ and puts us under the stern judgment and bondage of the Law.

5:4-5, We, as believers, eagerly await our final deliverance from sin. Resting wholly in Christ finished work.

Luther said, “Having been justified by grace, we then do good works, yes, Christ Himself does all in us.”

Conclusion:

1.) Rest in Redemption Accomplish and Applied

2.) Rejoice in Your Inheritance

3.) Remain Standing in The Freedom That Christ Has Given.