Key Ideas

1-2. In ancient Israel a child is the property of the father, just like a servant. Both are under his authority, neither is free. When the father dies, the child-heir is still like a servant of the household until he comes of age or the time set by the father.

 3. Paul says that before Jesus came, the law was the “guardian” that held place until the children had come of age and received their full inheritance.

 4. When the time was right, Jesus came, and was subject also to the law.

 5. The purpose of Jesus’ coming was the free us from the slavery and subjection of these insufficient and incomplete rules and to make us heirs – people above the rules.

 6. One of the benefits of that divine adoption is the Spirit, which, as John’s Gospel says, will “guide us into truth.” See (John 14:17;16:13.)

 7. Now our relationship has changed from servant (with no hope of inheritance) to children. As children, we become heirs.

 8. Before coming to the knowledge of Christ, the non-Jewish people were “slaves” to their own cultural and societal living.

 9. But once we know God, once we’ve experienced true freedom and life, how can we possibly turn back to serve anyone or anything but God?

 10. Evidence of their turning back is in their strict observance of Jewish religious days, months and years.

 11. Paul is alarmed not only that they are reverting to portions of Judaism, but that all his work is coming undone.

 12. The Galatians are tempted to re-embrace the legal system they once renounced. Paul urges them to be free as he is free.

 13. Paul alludes to some bodily ailment (see 2 Cor. 12:7) that however difficult did not keep him from preaching the gospel.

 14. The ailment was of such a nature as to be repellent to others, but, the Galatians did not despise Paul even for his infirmity.

 15. Essentially Paul asks, "What happened to your enthusiastic reception of me and the gospel? At one time you would have done anything for me - even given me your eyes,” but not it seems that they have turned against him and his message.

 16. Freedom has always been a difficult concept; the idea of rules is comforting because it gives us a measuring stick on how we’re living, but the truth of the Gospel is that the measuring stick is an illusion and separates us from truth and love.

 17. "They" refers to Judaizers who have ulterior motives. They want to turn the affections of the Galatians to themselves.

 18. Whether present or not, Paul says zeal for good is always good. Zeal for evil is always evil.

 19. Paul's care and concern for the Galatians is so great that he likens it to birth pangs on their behalf. His wish is that they will fully embrace their faith in Christ without the law.

 20. Paul expresses his wish that if he were there things could be worked out with the reprimand. As it is, he is puzzled by their behavior.

 21. Paul warns that they might not even know what they are getting themselves into.

 22. See Gen 16-18. The slave wife = Hagar. The free wife = Sarah.

 23. Ishmael was born after the flesh. Isaac was a child of promise.

 24-26. Paul is doing some theology here to demonstrate how Christ’s coming and the new covenant have been written into the history of Israel from the beginning. The law, given to Moses, was a “guardian” that would lead them to the previous promise given to Abraham, freedom. However, the Jews missed the handoff to Christ and so have kept themselves in slavery by holding to the law of Moses. Those who have accepted Christ have become children of the promise to Abraham.

 27. This poem from the prophet Isaiah epitomizes the difference between holding to the promise by faith (childless woman), and attempting to make oneself righteous by following laws (woman who lives with her husband).

 28. Here begins the threefold application of the allegory: First, those who by faith accept Christ are the children of promise (like Isaac).

 29. Second, those who cannot accept by faith that Jesus is fulfillment of the law will always try to enforce the law on those who follow Christ in faith.

 30. Third, followers of the old Law will be unable to experience the freeing nature of God’s love through Jesus and so will inevitably separate themselves from that gif, by their inability to accept.

 31. Here is the conclusion: those who accept Christ will discover the freedom of love and the promise of God to Abraham of blessing and being a blessing to others.

Scripture

1 Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had. 2 They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set. 3 And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world.

4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” 7 Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

8 Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. 9 So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world? 10 You are trying to earn favor with God by observing certain days or months or seasons or years. 11 I fear for you. Perhaps all my hard work with you was for nothing. 12 Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to live as I do in freedom from these things, for I have become like you Gentiles—free from those laws.

You did not mistreat me when I first preached to you. 13 Surely you remember that I was sick when I first brought you the Good News. 14 But even though my condition tempted you to reject me, you did not despise me or turn me away. No, you took me in and cared for me as though I were an angel from God or even Christ Jesus himself. 15 Where is that joyful and grateful spirit you felt then? I am sure you would have taken out your own eyes and given them to me if it had been possible. 16 Have I now become your enemy because I am telling you the truth?

17 Those false teachers are so eager to win your favor, but their intentions are not good. They are trying to shut you off from me so that you will pay attention only to them. 18 If someone is eager to do good things for you, that’s all right; but let them do it all the time, not just when I’m with you.

19 Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives. 20 I wish I were with you right now so I could change my tone. But at this distance I don’t know how else to help you.

21 Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says? 22 The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife. 23 The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise.

24 These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them. 25 And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law. 26 But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother.

27 As Isaiah said,

“Rejoice, O childless woman, you who have never given birth! Break into a joyful shout, you who have never been in labor! For the desolate woman now has more children than the woman who lives with her husband!”

28 And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. 29 But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.

30 But what do the Scriptures say about that? “Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” 31 So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.

word study

Not much better off (diapherō) not better, or different from, be of equal value.

 Slaves (doulos) a slave; subjugatio or subservience

 Obey (hypo) under, beneath, below

 Guardians (epitropos) and (oikonomos) a commissioner; domestic manager; guardian; a house manager; overseer; agent.

 Set (prothesmios) fixed beforehand; a designated day.

 Basic spiritual principles (stoicheion) orderly in arrangement; basal; fundamental.

 World (kosmos) orderly arrangement; the world.

 Right time (pleroma) completion; end of a period.

 Buy freedom (exagorazo) to buy up; ransom; to rescue from loss.

 Spirit (pneuma) a current of air; breath; blast; breeze; a spirit; vital principle; Holy Spirit.

 Heir (klēronomos) one who receives by lot, an heir

 Knew (oida) to know, i.e. get knowledge of, understand, perceive; the force and meaning of something which has definite meaning

 Gods (theos) a deity; Divinity.

 Certain days (hēmera ) "the day" is regarded as the time for abstaining from indulgence, vice, crime, because acts of the sort are perpetrated at night and in darkness; Months (mēn) the time of the new moon, new moon (the first day of each month, when the new moon appeared was a festival among the Hebrews)

 Fear (phobeo) frightened; to be alarmed; in awe of; revere.

 Mistreat (adikeō) to act unjustly or wickedly, to sin, to be a criminal, to have violated the laws in some way

 Tempted (peirasmos) adversity; trial with a beneficial purpose.

 Cared (dechomai)  to receive favorably, give ear to, embrace, make one's own, approve, not to reject; to receive. to take upon one's self, sustain, bear, endure

 Telling (alētheuō) to teach the truth; to profess the truth

 Truth (aletheuo) what is factual; verifiable; true.

 Eager (zēloō) to be the object of the zeal of others, to be zealously sought after

Shut you off (ekkleio) to shut out, to turn out of doors; to prevent the approach of one

 Good (kalos) proper; beautiful; virtuous.

 Fully developed (morphoo) to fashion; to make. Literally, until a mind and life in complete harmony with the mind and life of Christ is formed in you.

 Law (nomos) a law or rule producing a state approved of God; by the observance of which is approved of God; of the Mosaic law, and referring, acc. to the context. either to the volume of the law or to its contents

 Says (akouō) to attend to, consider what is or has been said; to understand, perceive the sense of what is said

 Slave wife (paidiske) a girl; a female slave or servant.

 Freeborn wife (eleutheros) unrestrained; not a slave; exempt.

 Human attempt (sarx) denotes mere human nature, the earthly nature of man apart from divine influence, and therefore prone to sin and opposed to God

 Promise (epaggelia) divine assurance of good.

 Illustration (allegoreo) allegory; literal and figurative comparison.

 Covenants (diatheked) a contract; a divisory will.

 Received (eis) denoting entrance into, or direction and limit

 Never given birth (steiros) sterile.

 Promise (epaggelia) a divine assurance of good.

 Persecuted (dioko) to pursue; to drive away; put to flight.

 Share (klēronomeō) to receive the portion assigned to one, receive an allotted portion, receive as one's own or as a possession to become partaker of, to obtain