Slave or Free?

“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. Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 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."

(Gal 4:21-27 ESV)

Our tendency is to believe that we are the children of God. We believe so because of our actions. The people of God, we believe, are those who live according to God’s law. And those who do not live according to his law are clearly not his children.



We tell ourselves, therefore, that if we’re to be assured of our salvation, we have to pay attention to our life and see if we’re obedient to God’s law. We have to pay attention to our life to see if we’re growing in faith. If we are good people, then we are God’s children. If we are avoiding outward sin, then we are God’s children. But if we fall into sin, or if we struggle with sin, we are not his children.



This is the mindset that Paul is addressing in the above passage. And he does it in a way that would have made the Jews of his day cringe. In fact, he does it in a way that makes many of us cringe. He addresses it by looking at the two children born to Abraham by two different women.



The son of the slave woman, he says, was born according to the flesh. In other words, he was born in the natural way. His conception is easily explained by our knowledge of the birds and the bees.



The son of the free woman, however, was born through a promise. Sarah, you recall, was past the age of childbearing. It’s safe to say, I believe, that she was way past the age of childbearing. But God had promised to Abraham a son, who would be born of Sarah. And, in their old age, God miraculously enabled this pregnancy and birth.



He goes on to say that the present Jerusalem corresponds with Hagar, the slave woman, and is therefore in slavery. But the new Jerusalem, the heavenly Jerusalem, is free. And she is the mother of those who believe.



This, then, put the Jews in a place they never expected to find themselves. It was also putting those who clung to their own righteousness in a place they never expected to find themselves. Paul was classing them not with the free woman, but with the slave woman. They were classed with the slave woman because they sought to attain salvation by the law rather than the promise of God.



The child of God, then, is not the one who seeks salvation by the law. It’s not the one who seeks salvation by his own obedience. He is the one who seeks salvation by the promise of God. He is the one who seeks salvation through faith.



As Christians, this gives to us a true assurance of salvation. It does so because, if we measure our spiritual state by our obedience to the law, we’ll always come up short. But, through faith in Jesus, we can be absolutely certain. We can be certain because it’s not dependent upon us in any way, but upon Christ himself. It’s dependent upon Jesus, who bore our sin on the cross, that we might receive his righteousness by faith.

Not About Us

“They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭4:17-20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

False teachers have always been found among the church. And that was no less true in New Testament times than it is today. There will always be teachers among us proclaiming that which is false, attempting to mislead those who are in Christ.

This is what Paul found among the Galatians. Although they had received the gospel and trusted in Christ, false teachers slipped in among them in his absence. And this upended their relationship with him.

While the primary test for any teacher is how well he holds to the truth of Scripture, we see something more in Paul’s description for which we ought to be on the lookout. We also see something to which we must pay attention in our own lives as we seek to carry out the Lord’s work.

Paul mentions that these false teachers make much of them. And this is something to which we all gravitate. After all, we all like to be made much of. But, to what end?

The false teachers, being described by Paul, made much of the Galatians. But they did so that the people would make much of them. Their aim, you see, was selfish in nature. Their ministry was not ultimately about the people, it was about themselves. They sought the attention and admiration of the people.

If this is the goal of teachers among us, we should flee. If their end is selfish in nature, if they are ministering for their own sake rather than for that of the people, we should run. And we should do so because this desire will corrupt their ministry.

We should, instead, follow those who seek the welfare of the congregation. We should follow those who desire the salvation of souls. We should follow those who minister with the attitude of Christ.

That being said, even faithful ministers possess a sinful nature. And this desire creeps in even among us. So, we must watch ourselves. We must confess and repent each time we see this desire welling up in our own heart.

Many pastors, for example, will use one church as a stepping stone to another. Their aim isn’t, so much, about ministry where they are currently serving. They simply want to move on to bigger and better. They seek more and more influence and, perhaps, more and more wealth.

Many of us aren’t content to shepherd a small flock. We want the mega-church. We want the book deals. We want the TV and radio programs. Ultimately, it’s all about us.

Ministry, you see, is not about us. It’s about Jesus. It’s about the congregation. It’s about the lost. And to faithfully carry out the ministry is not to be selfish, but selfless.

Lovers of Truth?

“Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?”

(Galatians 4:12-16 ESV)

We claim to be lovers of the truth. But is this true? Do we truly love the truth, or do we prefer, instead, to be fed the message we want to hear?



Paul had a very good relationship with the Galatians, initially. He’d come to them not purposely, but as a result of circumstance. He had ended up in Galatia due to a bodily ailment.



We aren’t told the exact nature of this ailment. But, ultimately, it doesn’t matter. He’d come to them as a result of this ailment. And, while there, he preached the gospel to them.



Their initial response to him was gracious. Although, he says, he was a burden to them, they did not despise him. Rather, they received him as an angel of God. They had received him as Christ himself.



However, as their attitude toward the gospel changed, so too had their response to Paul. They were listening to other teachers, who were distorting the gospel. As a result, it seems that their relationship with Paul had become contentious. And it led him to ask this question: “Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?”



Paul sought only to proclaim the gospel of Christ to the Galatians. But, at this point, they were not receptive to this message. They had begun to rely upon themselves. They had begun to rely on their obedience to the law.



This pitted him against the other teachers working among them. And, as their mindset had shifted, as their faith had shifted, it had pitted him against the Galatians themselves. Because he brought to them the truth, it seemed that he’d become their enemy.



We often see the same thing in our life of faith. We’ve been fed false teaching from a variety of sources. And, over time, we’ve come to accept that false teaching.



We’re so comfortable with it that we want to hear nothing else. And if someone brings to us the truth, we close our ears to it. We push that person away that we might maintain the status quo.



In the case of the Galatians, as well as our own, it’s essential that the truth be heard. It’s not merely a matter of preference. It’s a matter of life and death. It’s a matter of salvation and condemnation.



If we’re to be saved, we must believe the gospel. We must trust fully in Christ, and in Christ alone. Once we abandon that message, and once we begin trusting in anything else, we are lost. We have separated ourselves from the grace of God.

Returning to Slavery

“Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? You observe days and months and seasons and years! I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭4:8-11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Our natural tendencies, as humans, tend to remain the same. Even as we strive to improve ourselves, we tend to return to the same old habits again and again. Even as we learn and expand our knowledge, we tend to return to the same thought processes. We do so even though these tendencies are destructive and make no sense.

If our way of coping with stress is to use drugs and alcohol, that tendency remains. Even if we reduce our use of substances or eliminate them completely, that tendency rises to the surface when our stress level increases. We are tempted, once again, to return to this pattern.

If our tendency, in dealing with conflict, is to run and hide, that tendency remains. Even if we desire to deal better with conflict, and even if we improve our communication skills, this tendency rises to the surface when conflict erupts. We are tempted, again, to return to this pattern.

The same is true when it comes to our faith. Our natural tendency is to rely upon ourselves to attain salvation. Our natural tendency is to trust in ourselves. And this tendency never goes away.

Even when we come to faith, even when we receive the gospel, it’s a tendency that we fight. We learn that our salvation is attained only through Christ. We learn that we play no role in it whatsoever. And we place our faith in him. But, as time goes on, we begin to rely upon ourselves once again.

This is what was happening among the Galatians. Although they had come to faith in the gospel, they had again begun to trust in themselves. They had begun relying on their observation of ceremony and ritual.

This frustrated Paul to no end. It caused him to fear that he’d labored over them in vain. This fear arose because, if they began to trust in themselves and their own efforts rather than Christ, they would miss out on the blessing of salvation.

When the blessing they had received freely through Christ was so great, it made no sense to him that they would turn from it. It made no sense that they would return to the same slavery from which they’d been freed. It made no sense that they would seek once again to earn their salvation.

The same is true for us. Since salvation is found in Christ alone, and since it is received through faith alone, we cannot trust in ourselves. To do so is to miss out on the blessing Jesus came to provide. It means missing out on the grace of God.

From Slave to Son

“I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

(Galatians 4:1-7 ESV)

We live in a society where, we’re told, we can do anything we want to do. We live in a society where, we’re told, we can be anything we want to be. However, this is not typical.

In most of the world, status means everything. If you are of low social status, you aren’t likely to attain a high status. If you’re a person of high status, you will retain your status unless you do something to mess it up. And, no matter what we tell ourselves, this is also true, to an extent, right here in America.

The poor tend to remain poor. The rich tend to remain rich. Masters tend to remain masters, and slaves tend to remain slaves. And even though we do see some rare exceptions to this principle, it generally remains true.

Paul is using this reality in his discussion with the Galatians. Just as the Jews had lived under the guardianship of the law, just as their status was similar to that of a slave, although they owned everything, the situation of the Gentiles was similar. They were enslaved to the elementary principles, or to the elementary spirits, of the world.

What are these principles? Paul defines them in verses 9 & 10. They’re the observation of days and months and seasons and years. In other words, it’s the strict observance of festivals and sacrifices intending to, in this way, attain our salvation.

However, all of that changed with the coming of Jesus. When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son. In other words, when God deemed the time right, he sent forth his Son. And he sent forth his Son to redeem those who were under the law.

Jesus was born into the world that he might redeem us, that he might deliver us, from the law. God sent Jesus that he might pay the price, securing our release from our bondage to the law. And he did so that we might receive adoption as sons.

What we were unable to do for ourselves, Jesus did on our behalf. While we were unable to change our status, while we were unable to secure our release, Jesus did everything necessary to make it possible. And he did so by his death on the cross.

For this reason, we are no longer slaves, but sons. And because we are sons, we receive the blessing given to sons. God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. In other words, we receive the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

And the Spirit of God, dwelling within us, cries out to God in an intimate way. It cries out to God as the source of all blessing. It cries out to God in acknowledgment of the fact that he is our provider in all things.

Because of Jesus, we are no longer slaves. We are sons. And, because we are sons, we are heirs. We are inheritors of every blessing that God has to offer.

Heirs by Faith

“Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭3:23-29‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Growing up, many of us had babysitters. Perhaps we went to daycare. Or, at the very least, we went to preschool. Being separated from our parents, we learned that the people who cared for us, in their absence, had authority over us. But they only had authority over us until our parents returned.

This is the picture that Paul is using of the law. The people of Israel had all kinds of rules to which they had to submit. And they pointed the people to Christ. But they had authority only until Christ came.

They had the practice of circumcision. They had the sacrifices. They had the laws differentiating between the clean and the unclean. And these laws were good. They served their purpose of revealing to the people their sin and their need of forgiveness.

However, once Christ came, these laws were no longer necessary. This reality was seen clearly in Christ. So, just as we don’t need a guardian while our parents are present, neither were these laws necessary once Christ came. They were necessary until Christ came that we might be justified by faith.

No longer do these ceremonies and rituals mark us as the people of God. No longer do they set us apart from the rest of mankind. Jesus, himself, does this.

Having been baptized into Christ, Paul says, we have put on Christ. And there is no distinction between us. There is no distinction between Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female. We are all one in Christ. We are one people in and because of Christ.

We are a part of God’s people not because of the rules that are given us. And we are his people not because we follow these rules. We are his people by faith. We are heirs of his blessing by faith.

The Assurance of the Resurrection

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.”

(1Corinthians 15:20-24 ESV)

Easter is upon us. And regardless of whether we can join together in public celebration of Jesus’ resurrection, this remains true. He has risen from the grave, and this is of utmost importance for each of us.



The resurrection of Jesus assures us of the truth of the gospel. Because he’s risen from the grave, we know that the penalty of our sin has been paid. Because he’s risen from the grave, we know that the power of death has been defeated.  And, because he’s risen from the grave, we know that we too will, one day, rise.



Christ is the firstfruits, Paul tells us. He is the first to rise from the grave. And, as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.



When Jesus returns, Scripture tells us, the dead will be raised. Then comes the end. Then comes the end when we’ll dwell eternally with Christ in the new creation prepared for us.



This is our hope! And what a great hope it is. It in no way compares to our life in this world.



Many of us struggle as we near the end of our time in this life. Many of us struggle with the idea of death.  Many of us struggle with the idea of the end of the world. We want to hang on to this life. We want to hang on to that which is so familiar.



But what we are to receive is so much greater.  What we are to receive far surpasses the fallen world in which we now find ourselves. In fact, it’s beyond our comprehension.



Realizing this, letting go of what we now have is that much easier.  Reaching out for that which is to come is that much easier.  We can do so knowing that Christ has redeemed us and saved us from this world of sin and death.



I’m not suggesting that we squander the life God has given to us right here and right now. I’m not suggesting that we throw it away.  And I’m not suggesting that it’s of no value.



However, this life isn’t our goal. Jesus didn’t suffer and die, nor did he rise, that we might remain in this fallen world. He endured the cross that we might receive something far greater.

Why the Law?

“Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭3:19-22‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I’ve noted many times before our tendency to rely upon the law for salvation. I’ve noted our tendency to rely upon our own goodness and actions to justify us before God. And I’ve noted that this is true of not only those outside of the church, but also a majority within.

As we learn that we play no role in our salvation, as we learn that it is all the work of God, it leaves us with many questions. If this is true, we wonder, then why do our actions even matter? If this is true, we wonder, then why did God bother to give us the law in the first place?

This is what Paul addresses in the above passage. After making the point that the law does not annul or alter the promise of God in any way, and after making it clear that we are saved through faith in Christ, Paul asks a very natural question. He asks why the law is even necessary. He asks if the law contradicts the promise of God.

He tells us that the law was added because of transgressions. It was added because of sin until the coming of the Savior. And he tells us that Scripture imprisoned everything under sin.

We find, in Scripture, that there are three uses of the law. There are three functions that the law performs. And two of them are addressed by the words of Paul in this passage. 

First of all, the law is used in a civil sense. It’s used to govern mankind. In Israel, the law of God was the law of the land. And even today, a vast majority of our laws flow from the morality prescribed by Scripture. Because we are sinful, sin has to be restrained. And the fear of punishment can do just that.

Secondly, the law reveals to us our guilt. It reveals to us our sin, and the specific ways we’ve violated God’s will. It imprisons us by revealing to us that we can do nothing to save ourselves. And, in this way, it reveals to us our need for a Savior. In this way, it prepares us for the message of the gospel.

When Paul says that the law was given because of sin, this is what he’s talking about. Our sin, in this world, needs to be restrained so that we don’t harm our neighbor. But we also need to see our guilt that we might look to Jesus in faith.

The promise of God, then, is given by faith to those who believe. Those who understand what the law reveals to us, look for the salvation that’s been provided for us in Jesus. We cease all effort to earn God’s blessings and rest in his promise.