The Scriptures teach that whoever you are following and whoever you are becoming like that person is your “mother” or “father.” In Revelation 2 Jesus warns the church of Thyatira because they have made “that woman Jezebel” their spiritual mother. She calls herself a prophet, and she leads the servants of Jesus into sexual immorality and idolatry. Jesus equates devotion to her teachings and prophecies as “adultery” against Him. Then He warns, “I will cast her on a bed of suffering and make those who follow her suffer intensely, and I will strike her children dead….” ……Her children They are her children because they are “like” her, following her ways and teachings.
In Galatians 4, Paul pressed the Galatians to understand that they were children of the free woman. They were not like and did not belong to the slave woman – but the free woman. And as such, they were not to turn and follow the Law of Moses.
We are covering four points today: 1) Children of Promise, 2) Children of Persecution, 3) Children Purged, and 4) the Children’s Parent
CHILDREN OF PROMISE (v28)
Paul states to the Galatian believers that they, as Christians, are children of promise. Verse 28 says, “….”
Understand Paul is continuing his analogizing. He says Galatian Christians are like Isaac, the free son born to Sarah the free woman. How are they like Isaac? They, as Christians are children of promise, like Isaac was. Before Isaac was born, God promised the childless Abraham and Sarah that they would have a son. That was God’s promise to them. They were long past the years of being able to have children, and during the years when they could have children they were unable to have children. So God’s promise required God’s power, and God’s intervention to overcome their natural infertility. And God came through and God enabled a 90 year old Sarah to become pregnant. As the 100 year old Abraham and the 90 year old Sarah held baby Isaac, they looked at the flesh and blood proof of God’s faithfulness to fulfill His promise. Isaac was a child of promise.
But Isaac was not the only child God promised to Abraham and Sarah. In Genesis 12:3 God told Abraham, “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Paul explains in Galatians 3 that the meaning of that promise included the people throughout history after Abraham who would believe God like Abraham did. Look at 3:6-7 with me…
The NT explains that the children of Abraham were of two types: the physical descendants who are of his flesh, and those who are his spiritual children because they have his faith.
The point here is that Christians are promised children like Isaac. Just like Isaac was born physically by the power of the Spirit (v29b), so too are Christians born by the Spirit, but spiritually. This is the NT teaching of regeneration, or being born again. Titus 3:5 says, “God saved us by the washing of REBIRTH and renewal BY THE HOLY SPIRIT…”
As Christians we experience a rebirth, RE-GENERATION, a new spiritual birth and life we didn’t have before, until the Holy Spirit entered us upon faith in Jesus Christ. See the connection: Isaac the free son was born by the Spirit’s power, Christians as free sons of God are born also by the Spirits power. Isaac was born physically, Christians spiritually. Your spiritual life is the work of the Spirit of God. You are children born by the power of the Spirit, and you are therefore the promised children of Abraham, and his wife Sarah, the free woman. You are free, Christian.
CHILDREN OF PERSECUTION (29)
Paul then turns to the persecution that the Galatian believers were facing in verse 29. He likens it to the persecution that Isaac experienced from his older half-brother, Ishmael. Verse 29 says, “…..”
Turn to Genesis 21:8-10 with me. Ishmael was mocking Isaac. The slave son was mocking the free son. Paul takes this historical event and uses it as an analogy to compare it with the pressure and persecution the Galatian believers were experiencing too, as he says in verse 29. The Galatians were under pressure.
- 2:3-5 shows the way Judaizers put pressure on Christians
- 4:17 shows how zealous the Judaizers were to pressure the believers
- To see this in action in Galatia turn with me to Acts 13:50 (Pisidion Antioch)….14:2 (Iconium) and 19 (Lystra)…..
It is a general rule that believers are rejected and persecuted by their own people. Their own people in the flesh, I mean. Jews are particularly persecuted by Jews, and Gentiles by Gentiles. Turn to 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 with me to see Paul point this out to Gentile Christians….
APPLICATION: Expect rejection. Expect rejection at home, in your family, in your friend groups, in your hometown. Expect that when you accept Christ you will be rejected by those who are closest to you.
- What did John 1:11 say about Jesus? “He came to that which was his own but his own did not receive him.”
- Which is why Jesus said in Mark 6:4, “A prophet is without honor in his own town.”
- And many of you in here know exactly what Jesus described when he said in Matthew 10:34-36, “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. A man’s household will be divided.” He was talking about the division within families that would happen because some in the family stand with Jesus and others don’t.
Expect rejection.
CHILDREN PURGED (30)
Thirdly, we see in verse 30, the children that are purged, “…..” Here again Paul refers back to Sarah’s demand of Abraham to evict Hagar and her son Ishmael. Turn with me to Genesis 21:8-10 again…
Its very simple: Sarah was outraged over Ishmael’s treatment of Isaac and she got him and his mother thrown out because of it. Her words are important: “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.” Paul changes the last words for his point, which is still accurate, “never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” Sarah will not allow what belongs to Isaac to be shared with Ishmael. The entire inheritance will go to who it’s supposed to: the free son, Isaac.
What is Paul doing with this ancient historical drama? He is using it as an analogy to show that those who are spiritual slaves today under the law of Moses will not have any share in the inheritance promised to Abraham. Instead of an inheritance, they will have the same destiny as their spiritual mother, Hagar – they will be thrown out. As slave children of the slave woman there will be nothing of the inheritance that will be given them.
Remember the inheritance as we’ve explored it throughout this study. It includes:
- The Holy Spirit (3:14; 4:6)
- Righteousness & justification (2:16, 21)
- Eternal Life (Rom. 4:17?)
- The world (Rom 4:13)
- Redemption (Gal 4:5)
- Adoption/sonship (3:26; 4:5-7)
- Children of Abraham (3:7, 29)
- Blessed (3:9)
It is not Abraham’s children by flesh who receive the inheritance along with Abraham. It is his children by faith. This includes those physical descendents, the Jews, who believe, along with Gentiles who believe like Abraham but are not of his flesh (Rom 4:11-17)
APPLICATION: The Law of Moses will not make anyone an heir. The Law of Moses will not make anyone free. The Law of Moses will not bring anyone into the Abrahamic blessings. The Law of Moses only enslaves, condemns, and ultimately anyone under it will be cast out forever. The destiny of those who live by the Law of Moses is that of purging. They may persecute the free children now, but they will be thrown out in the end and have no part of the kingdom and all the Abrahamic blessings.
CHILDREN’S PARENT (31)
Finally we see the children’s parent, verse 31, “…..”
By telling the Galatians they are children of the free woman, he is asserting that they are not under the law and they are not obligated to it. But it presses even further in that they should not in any way submit themselves to the law of Moses. The Law of Moses is an entirely different covenant than the one that they were part of as Christians – all Christians are part of an entirely different covenant. The Law of Moses makes slaves – they are part of a covenant that has made them free: “God sent His Son,” verse 4 says, “born under the law TO REDEEM THOSE UNDER THE LAW….”
The law of Moses is incompatible with their spiritual freedom. And therefore, being they are spiritual children of the free woman, this is another reason that he marshals out in making his argument that they should resist those false teachers who are Judaizers, that they should stand firm in their freedom from the Law, and not yield to pressure or persecution – and being children who are spiritually free and have the free woman for their mother, they will indeed be the recipients of all that God has promised and take part in that inheritance because of their faith in Jesus Christ – not by following the Law.
APPLICATION: EFC, you are not children of Hagar the slave – you are children of the free woman, you are children of promise, born by God’s power and by His Spirit, and you are heirs of the promise with your spiritual father Abraham.
APPLICATION: Take Communion today as a testimony of your freedom, as a statement that you are not under the Old Covenant, and that you have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, and are now members of a New Covenant. The Abrahamic Covenant gave the promises, the Mosaic Covanent showed the fault of people to be worthy of those promises, and the New Covenant cleanses sinful people to become partakers of the Abrahamic promises. The Mosaic Covenant and the Law show you your sin, the New Covenant is what brings forgiveness for your sin. If you have not moved on from the Mosaic to enter into the New, then do not take Communion today. If you have not taken Christ to be your Savior and begun to rely on Him for your salvation then do not take Communion today. But if you have, then eagerly come to the table.