Over the last week I have seen a few times on social media statements something to the effect of what my title is saying this morning. The sad thing is there are many who truly believe this to be the case. I think on their lives and how difficult it must be. To rely on what I do or don’t do to be sure of my salvation is a weight Jesus never asked me to carry. This example serves to help us understand this next important section of Paul’s letter to the Galatian Christians who were being led astray by false teachers.
“Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 23 His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise. 24 These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children.” (Galatians 4 v 21-25)
Paul starts with a rhetorical question but will answer it later on. Though he believes in the historical story of Hagar and Sarah (in Genesis 12, 16 and 21) he is taking the story he says figuratively. He is using Hagar’s story to compare it with Sarah’s to attack the false belief disrupting the gospel message that the work of Christ is enough for salvation and approval by God.
The Jews held to being the children of Abraham through the birth of Isaac; they were heirs of the promises of God; they were under the Law received on Mount Sinai; and their focus was the Temple in Jerusalem. They also held to the belief that the Gentiles needed to be like them.
However Paul takes the 2 stories and uses them to show that though they think they are living out the line of Sarah in fact because of their desire to work and perform they are actually living out the lifestyle of the people they hate, the Hagar descendants.
Ishmael was born because Abraham could not wait for the promise of Isaac through Sarah and took her slave, Hagar.
He worked it out himself. He still believed in the promise but he believed in himself to fix the problem, not God. The result was that everyone was impacted by that terrible decision.
Paul was saying to those who were getting circumcised and becoming ‘Jewish’ to satisfy others that they were indeed properly converted should heed the truth that he is giving.
In theory the Jews are children of Abraham, by Sarah, they are Isaac’s people. However, in practice they are children of the slave Hagar, they are Ishmael’s people.
Why? They are relying on their own ability to get the approval of God, the move of God, the miracles and promises of God.
Culturally they are Sarah’s but by their lifestyle they belong to Hagar, the people they actually hate. That’s the result of wanting to be under the law and wanting to be seen to be righteous, when in effect they already are because of Christ.
Missions Paul 