Galatians 4

IIIE. Passing from slavery to sonship (3:19-4:7) Summary: Believers are now sons of God and heirs of the promise; therefore, going back to the Mosaic law would be senseless since they have now obtained what the law could never grant. vv. 1-3: In terms of inheritance, what’s the difference between a slave and a son who is a minor? NOTHING. This was the situation of Paul and his fellow Israelites under the old covenant.

IIIE. Passing from slavery to sonship (3:19-4:7) legalism: (1) adhering to the Law as opposed to the Gospel; the doctrine of justification by works (2) strict adherence to law or prescription, especially to the letter rather than the spirit.

IIIE. Passing from slavery to sonship (3:19-4:7) incarnation: embodiment in flesh The period of infancy refers to … when the Mosaic law was in force. According to Paul, the reign of the law has ended because… of the coming of Christ.

IIIE. Passing from slavery to sonship (3:19-4:7) v. 4: Jesus was fully human and lived under the law. How is He the exception (compared to everyone else who lives under the law)? He lived obediently to God’s law (all others violated God’s will). v. 5: What happens to those who are redeemed from slavery to sin? adopted as God’s children.

IIIE. Passing from slavery to sonship (3:19-4:7) vv. 6-7: Because Christians are now sons and “of age,” they can receive the inheritance, beginning with… the promised “Spirit of his Son” (proof that Galatians are truly God’s adopted sons) The Spirit confirms, authenticates, and ratifies the Galatians’ sonship. v. 7: Since believers are adopted sons, they are also heirs. The promises of Abraham are theirs.

IIIF. Passing from idolatry to the true God (4:8-4:11) vv. 8-11: The Galatians are in danger of returning to false gods (v. 8), to worldly principles (vv. 9-10)  like returning to their paganism. Paul apparently thinks that devotion to the Mosaic law is just another form of paganism! (trading liberty for slavery, freedom for bondage) Is the Galatians’ desire for bondage rational?

IIIG. Appeal to the Galatians’ knowledge of Paul (4:12-4:20) Summary: Paul no longer lives under the Mosaic law, and the readers should not do so either. Be like Paul! v. 12: Paul urges the Gentiles here to live as he does so that they are not enslaved to the law. Irony? How did Paul become like the Gentiles? (think about the Mosaic law)

IIIG. Appeal to the Galatians’ knowledge of Paul (4:12-4:20) v. 17: The false teachers have been flattering Galatians, but only to receive flattery back. They want to form an exclusive club of people who observe Jewish ceremonial laws, keeping out any who will not give in to their demands. vv. 19-20: Tone?

IIIH. The gospel in the OT (3): Abraham’s sons (4:21-4:31) Summary: Believers are children of the free woman, not the slave woman. Since they are now free in Christ, they must not return again to slavery (living under the law). v. 23: The son of the slave woman Hagar (i.e. Ishmael) was born in accord with natural processes, whereas the son of Sarah (i.e. Isaac) was born in accord with God’s promise.

IIIH. The gospel in the OT (3): Abraham’s sons (4:21-4:31) What lay behind Abraham and Sarah’s attempt to have a child via Hagar? a lack of faith – a human attempt to fulfill the promise (Genesis 16). The birth of Isaac, however, could not be attributed to human effort. The Judaizers saw themselves as descendants of Isaac, but Paul corrects them: Judaizers as the descendants of Ishmael and the Galatian converts as sons of Isaac

IIIH. The gospel in the OT (3): Abraham’s sons (4:21-4:31) v. 24: The link between Hagar and Sinai is… slavery. Just as Hagar was Sarah’s slave and Ishmael did not receive God’s covenantal promises, so too Israel’s life under the law was marked by slavery to sin. v. 25: Recap: According to Paul, how does the law enslave people? It demands obedience and does not grant any power to keep its precepts. It slays but does not grant life.

IIIH. The gospel in the OT (3): Abraham’s sons (4:21-4:31) v. 26: Paul contrasts the earthly Jerusalem with the Jerusalem above (free); believers are citizens of the heavenly city. v. 27: Isaiah 54:1 is introduced, showing that the Galatian Gentile Christians are the children of the Jerusalem above, for they are the children of the barren woman from whom no children were expected.

IIIH. The gospel in the OT (3): Abraham’s sons (4:21-4:31) The child borne by Hagar came naturally, and it seemed to Abraham and to Sarah to represent the fulfillment of the promise. Nevertheless, it was the miraculous child, Isaac, who was the true fulfillment of God’s promise. v. 29: Ishmael persecuted Isaac. What is “the same now”? Judaizers were persecuting the Galatian Christians Therefore, the “evangelistic” work of the Judaizers in Galatia was actually persecution.

IIIH. The gospel in the OT (3): Abraham’s sons (4:21-4:31) v. 30: Paul’s reminder: those who put themselves under the Mosaic covenant will not receive the inheritance. He is encouraging the Galatians to remain in the sphere of the promise, for only those who are children of Sarah will receive the inheritance.

Homework Read Galatians 5.