Read Galatians 4:21-5:12.

Introduction⤒🔗

Ehrich Weiss was the son of a Jewish rabbi born in Appleton, Wisconsin, in 1874. At an early age, Ehrich joined the circus and became a trapeze performer. By the early 1900’s, Ehrich had given up his trapeze act to become a magician and escape artist.

From the turn of the century until his death in 1926, Ehrich Weiss, who now went by his stage name, the Great Houdini, had an international reputation for his theatrical tricks and daring feats of extricating himself from shackles, ropes and handcuffs, and various locked containers. In a typical act, the Great Houdini would be shackled with irons and placed into a box that was then locked, roped and weighted. The box would then be lifted over the side of a boat and allowed to sink into the river. But the Great Houdini would always manage to free himself and re-emerge to the surface of the water, free from all his shackles and chains. In another exhibition, the Great Houdini allowed himself to be suspended, head down, about seventy-five feet above the ground, in which position he freed himself from a strait jacket.¹

But there was an occasion when the Great Houdini failed to escape. He had boasted that there was no jail that could hold him; thus he allowed himself to be secured in the cell of a small town jail. But to his astonishment, the great escape artist discovered that this was one jail cell from which he could not escape! Try as he might, Houdini could not pick the lock. When at last he admitted defeat, the sheriff opened the cell door and let him out. To his amazement, Houdini discovered that the cell door had not been locked; to his frustration, Houdini had been trying to pick open an unlocked door!

On that occasion, the Great Houdini had unwittingly allowed himself to be an unnecessary prisoner: trapped in an open jail cell. The Apostle Paul is urging these Galatian Christians not to allow the same kind of thing to happen to them: not to allow themselves to be entrapped in an unnecessary spiritual bondage.

Because Christ has set us free for a life of spiritual freedom, we must stand firm in our Christian faith and not subject ourselves to any form of unnecessary spiritual bondage.

Stand Firm in Your Christian Freedom, by Understanding the Scriptures←⤒🔗

The Apostle Paul now addresses those people who “desire to be under the law” (vs. 21a). He is addressing those who think that they can and must save themselves by their own personal use of the law.

Paul asks all such people a fundamental question: “Do you not understand the Law?” (vs. 21b) He is asking, Do you not understand what the law is really teaching?

At this point, it is important to understand what the apostle means when he refers to “the Law.” He is not using the term, “the law,” in the narrow sense of the commandments; that is to say, the moral, civil, and ceremonial body of laws recorded in the Old Testament. He is speaking about “the Law” in its broadest sense; namely, the first five books of the Old Testament. The Hebrew Scriptures were divided into three parts: The Law (consisting of Genesis-Deuteronomy); the Prophets (consisting of the historical books and the prophetical books); and the Writings (consisting of the poetical books).

Consequently, the history and promises recorded in Genesis are just as much a part of “the Law” as are the commandments recorded in Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy. If one is to truly heed the teaching of “the Law,” he must pay attention to the whole law; he must pay attention to the entire teaching of the first five books of Scripture.

When one begins to consider the Law in its broadest scope, one begins to see that its teaching is far different than may have been supposed. In its broadest scope, the Law does not teach that sinful man must try to save himself by his own efforts, seeking to bring his life into conformity with the commandments of God. On the contrary, the Law teaches that our salvation is dependent upon the work of the LORD and our trust in Him.

The Apostle Paul now directs our attention to a crucial passage from the Law: a passage found in the Book of Genesis, the first book of the Law. Paul points out that Abraham had two sons: “Abraham had two sons: one by the slave woman and one by the free woman” (vs. 22). The heretical teachers took confidence in the fact that they, by their Jewish heritage, were sons of Abraham. But, Paul cautions, one must be clear as to from which son he is descended: if someone tells you that they are a son of Abraham and they can make you an adopted son, it is vitally important to ascertain to which line of descent they are connected, of which son are they a descendent?

Each of the two sons of Abraham had a different status: Ishmael, who was the child of the slave woman, Hagar, had the status of a household slave. Isaac, the child of the free woman, Sarah, had the status of being the free son and rightful heir of the whole household; the heir of the covenantal promises.

Abraham’s two sons are also compared with regard to the source or origin of their birth: “the son by the slave woman was born by means of natural procreation; but the son by the free woman was born as a result of the promise Hof God]” (vs. 23). Ishmael was born “by means of natural procreation;” (i.e. he was born as a result of human effort). He was the son Abraham produced with his natural physical relationship with the slave woman Hagar. Isaac was born “as a result of the promise;” his birth was the result of the gracious working of God and His faithfulness to His promise. The LORD promised that He would give a son to Abraham and his wife, Sarah, and the LORD miraculously caused the couple to bear a son in their old age (cf. Gen. 17:15-16; Gen. 21:1-3).

In verses 24-27, the apostle presents the spiritual significance of these Old Testament persons and events:

These things contain a spiritual meaning. These [women] represent two covenants: one [represents the covenant] from Mount Sinai, she bears [children] for bondage, that one is Hagar. ²⁵Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and stands for the present [earthly] Jerusalem, for she is in bondage with her children. ²⁶But the Jerusalem that is above is free, she is our mother; ²⁷for it is written, 'Rejoice, O barren woman who has borne no children; burst with joy and shout aloud, you who have never experienced labor pains; for more numerous are the children of the single woman than of the woman who has a husband!'

Paul is teaching that the two women (Hagar and Sarah) who bore Abraham’s two sons represent, or illustrate, two different types of covenants. “Hagar represents Mt. Sinai,” (which was the place where the Ten Commandments were given). She is also identified with “the present [earthly] Jerusalem,” the home of the heretical teachers (i.e. the Judaizers) who were advocating personal adherence to the law as the way of salvation. Paul points out that Hagar bears children for “bondage;” because she was a slave woman, Hagar’s child inherited from her the status of slavery.

Thus, Paul connects the Judaizers (“the present Jerusalem”) with Mt. Sinai, (which the Judaizers interpreted to be a covenant of law), and bondage. His point is that the Judaizers’ misinterpretation of the Mosaic Covenant, (viewing it as a covenant of law), results in bondage. What the apostle wants the Galatians to understand is the fact that those who pursue the course of salvation by means of the law are consigning themselves to bondage. The commandments serve as prosecutor, demonstrating us to be lawbreakers, and as jailer, holding us in bondage for final sentencing, and eventually condemnation; just as Hagar’s son, Ishmael, was finally cast out. Sarah, it is implied, represents the covenant of promise the LORD made with Abraham, (note Gen. 15:1-6,17-18a).

Sarah is also identified with “the Jerusalem that is above;” (i.e. the heavenly kingdom of God). Furthermore, it is implied that Sarah bears children for freedom. Because she was Abraham’s wife, Sarah’s son would be born into a status of freedom and would be the heir of his father’s household. Also, because Sarah’s son, Isaac, was born as the result of the grace and power of God, her son represents all those who are spiritually born by the Spirit of God and inherit the kingdom of God; note John 1:12-13, “to all who did receive him [Jesus Christ], to those who believe on his name, to them he gave the right to become children of God; ¹³they were born, not by natural descent, nor by human will, nor by a husband’s desire, but by God.”

In verses 28-31, Paul applies these things to the Christian:

Now we, brothers, just like Isaac, are children of promise. ²⁹But just as it was then, [namely], the one who was born by natural procreation persecuted the one who was born by the Spirit, so is it [the same] now. ³⁰But what does the Scripture say? [It says], 'Expel the slave woman and her son; for by no means shall the son of the slave woman share the inheritance with the son of the free woman.' ³¹In conclusion, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.

Let us stand firm in our Christian freedom, by understanding the message of the Scriptures. The message of “the Law,” as revealed in the events recorded in the Book of Genesis, is that salvation is by faith: faith in the LORD, faith in His work on our behalf, and not by any performance of our own that we must offer unto God. When Abraham relied upon his own efforts to produce an heir by means of the slave woman, Hagar, the result was a child born into the status of slavery and one who was eventually cast out. Abraham was required to trust in the LORD to fulfill His divine promise, and the LORD miraculously did so by providing Abraham and Sarah with a son, Isaac, in their old age. Likewise, must we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for our salvation.

As a believer in Christ, the Christian is identified with Isaac, the child who was miraculously born by the Spirit of God and who possesses the sure promises of God (vs. 28).

For a Discussion of the Mosaic Covenant as presented in Exodus 24:1-11, see the accompanying Appendix

Stand Firm in Your Christian Freedom, by Understanding What Is at Stake←⤒🔗

In verse two of chapter five, Paul warns the Galatians, “if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you.” If the Galatians submit to the Judaizers’ demand that they be circumcised, then Christ will be of no value to them. That is to say, if one chooses the religion of salvation by works, (relying upon one’s compliance with religious ceremonies, such as circumcision, and one’s personal efforts to conform to the commandments of God), one is no longer trusting Christ for salvation; consequently, Christ and His work will be of no benefit to that individual.

By way of illustration: You have been traveling down the broad highway that leads to destruction. But now the Holy Spirit has begun to work in your heart: you realize that you are headed in the wrong direction; you become acutely aware of the fact that your course will eventually lead you to eternal agony and misery. You want to come back to God, you want to be restored to God, so you stop dead in your tracks and turn around. You want to take the road that will bring you back to God. But when you turn around, you discover that you are confronted with a fork in the road, and at the fork are two signs, identifying the two roads that stretch out before you. The one sign marks the road of “Salvation by Works, (i.e. Salvation by Human Effort),” the other sign marks the road of “Salvation by Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

As you approach this fork in the road you are met by two figures, each standing by one of the road signs. The one standing beside the road marked “Salvation by Human Effort” offers you religious ceremonies and the Ten Commandments, and urges you to “Try your best.” The other standing beside the road marked “Salvation by Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ” holds out to you His nail-pierced hands and says, “Come to Me, I died for you, trust in Me.” If you choose to accept the offer of the first figure and accept his counsel, then Christ is not going to be of any benefit to you; Christ will only be of value to you if you come to Him and trust in Him: “to all who did receive him...to them he gave the right to become children of God” (Jn. 1:12).

In verse three, Paul further warns his readers that if one chooses the way of “Salvation by Works” he is obligating himself to keep the whole law perfectly in order to be saved: “I testify again to every man who receives circumcision: you are under obligation to keep the whole law.” When you embark on the road of “Salvation by Works” you are in fact saying, “Dear God, I am taking it upon myself to do whatever will make me acceptable in Your sight. Tell me what I must do and I will try my best to do it.”

But we must listen to how God replies to such a man: “O sincere, but foolish man; what I must require of you is not merely compliance with some superficial religious ceremonies, (such as circumcision or baptism as a mere religious formality), and not merely abstinence from some obvious moral vices. What My holy nature demands is absolute conformity to all of My holy law!” Note Galatians 3:10, a passage in which the Apostle Paul is quoting Deuteronomy 27:26, “it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not abide by everything that is written in the book of the law, [being faithful] to do them.’” Since you are unable to render absolute, flawless obedience to all the commandments of God, you do not want to embark on the road marked “Salvation by Works,” because that course eventually leads to eternal disaster: condemnation.

In verse four, Paul states it bluntly: “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by the law; you have lost the [connection with] grace.” If you choose the course of “Salvation by Works” you are separated from Christ and separated from grace. If you travel that road you will find that you are left to yourself and to the justice of God. All along that road you will encounter signs that read, “Commandments strictly enforced. Violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.” You will not find Christ beside you and your pleas for mercy will go unheeded, because the justice of God cannot be denied or compromised.

Let us stand firm in our Christian freedom, by understanding what is at stake. The road marked “Salvation by Works” eventually leads to condemnation. The Judaizers were urging these Gentile Christians to become circumcised in order to be saved, but Paul warns them that submission to circumcision is just the first step on the road that requires a man to personally offer total obedience to God if he hopes to be saved. Note Romans 2:25, “Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised.”

But the road marked “Salvation by Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ” is the sure road of life; as Paul writes in Galatians 3:13, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.’” Note, also, Romans 8:1-4,

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ²because through Christ Jesus the law [or, the principle] of the Spirit of life set me free from the law [or, the principle] of sin and death. ³What the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature [i.e. the moral law was powerless to create obedience in sinful man, obedience that would have enabled men to meet the law’s demand of holiness], God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man [by His sacrificial death on the cross of Calvary, Jesus met the law’s demand of justice on behalf of all who trust in Him], ⁴in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit [by virtue of our union with Christ and by the work of the Holy Spirit in us, the law’s requirements of righteousness will be fulfilled in us].

Stand Firm in Your Christian Freedom, by Guarding against Teaching that Brings Bondage←⤒🔗

“You were running [the race] well,” declares the Apostle Paul in verse seven. These Galatian people had heard the gospel, they had put their faith in Christ Jesus, and they had been advancing along the road of “Salvation by Faith.”

But now the apostle must inquire, “Who hindered you?” He is inquiring, Who put up a roadblock in your path, who is persuading you to turn around and go back to that initial fork in the road and enter upon that other course marked “Salvation by Works”? The answer is well-known to the apostle: it is those men who were Pharisees, who acknowledged Jesus to be the Messiah by virtue of His resurrection, but who never understood the gospel and never left behind their old religion of self-effort. It was the Judaizers. Now they were seeking to pollute the Christian church with their poisonous teaching.

Paul cautions the Galatians: “This persuasion [or, teaching] does not come from the one who calls you” (vs. 8). Any teaching that minimizes the cross of Christ, (its necessity, its sufficiency, its centrality), is not of God. Any teaching that instructs us to rely upon ourselves rather than to rely wholly and solely upon Christ, is not of God.

Let us stand firm in our Christian freedom, by being on guard against teaching that brings us into bondage. Bad teaching is detrimental and damaging to our relationship with Christ. We must compare all teaching with the Word of God, as did the Bereans mentioned in Acts 17:11, “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” The Berean’s were comparing Paul’s teaching with the written Scriptures of the Old Testament. Upon doing so, they found his teaching to be in conformity with the Scriptures and, indeed, to be the fulfillment of the Old Testament Scriptures.

We must ever bear in mind the centrality of Christ’s cross. The Lord Jesus pointed out to His disciples that His cross and subsequent resurrection were the central theme of the whole Old Testament revelation: “Then [Jesus] opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Lk. 24:45­-47).

Conclusion←⤒🔗

The Apostle Paul insists: “It is for freedom that Christ made us free” (5:1). Christ redeemed us from the bondage of sin and the condemnation required by the law so that we might live in a state of spiritual freedom as children of God: free to have access and acceptance with God in Christ. Christ did not set us free in order that we might return to that former state of bondage or accept any new form of spiritual bondage.

Let us not be like the Great Houdini and unwittingly allow ourselves to become the unnecessary prisoners of any form of spiritual bondage.

Let us keep our attention focused on the Lord Jesus Christ and His cross, let us keep trusting in Him alone, and then we shall continue in that blessed state of spiritual freedom: freedom from the bondage of sin and condemnation; freedom from the impossible task of earning our own salvation by means of full compliance with the holy law of God.

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. To whom is the Apostle Paul speaking in Galatians 4:21? Did God intend for sinful man to seek his own salvation by placing himself “under the Law”? See Gal. 3:11; note Jn. 6:28-29,

Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not understand the Law? Gal. 4:21

To be “under the Law” means to place yourself under that form of religion in which you seek to merit your salvation by means of your compliance with God’s righteous demands.

Now [the fact] that no one is justified before God by the law is evident, because 'The just shall live by faith.' Gal. 3:11

²⁸Therefore, they said to him, What must we do so that we may perform the works God requires? ²⁹Jesus responded to them by saying, This is the work God requires, that you believe in the one whom he has sent. Jn. 6:28-29

2. Alluding to the first book of the Law, the Book of Genesis, what does Paul remind the Galatians (cf. Gal. 4:22a)? How did these two sons differ with regard to their social status (cf. Gal. 4:22b)? With regard to their birth (cf. Gal. 4:23)? With regard to their final destiny (cf. Gal. 4:30)? When we realize that the first five books of the O.T., the historical narratives as well as the commandments, formed the Book of the Law, how does this change our perspective on the place of the moral law within God’s covenant of grace? Viewed in the context of the broad perspective, is compliance with the moral law the means of salvation, or is it the purpose of salvation, realized in Christ and by reliance on the Holy Spirit? Note Rom. 8:3-4,

It is written that Abraham had two sons: one by the slave woman and one by the free woman. ²³However, the son by the slave woman was born by means of natural procreation; but the son by the free woman was born as a result of the promise [of God] ... ³⁰But what does the Scripture say? [It says], 'Expel the slave woman and her son; for by no means shall the son of the slave woman share the inheritance with the son of the free woman.' Gal. 4:22-23, 30

³...God...by sending His own Son...condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴so that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us... Rom. 8:3-4

3. Drawing a spiritual lesson from the lives of Abraham’s two sons, what does the Apostle Paul want the Galatians to understand? Is it sufficient to simply be a natural born son of Abraham, like Ishmael? What was his final destiny? Note, again, Gal. 4:30. Or, is it far more important to be a spiritually born son of Abraham, like Isaac? To share in Abraham’s fellowship with the LORD, can you simply depend upon your religious heritage, or must you be spiritually regenerated? As Isaac was physically born by the supernatural work of God, so must we be spiritually re-born by the supernatural work of God. What is the evidence of this work of God? See Jn. 1:12-13,

But to all who did receive him, to those who believe on his name, to them he gave the right to become children of God; ¹³[they] were born, not by natural descent, nor by human will, nor by a husband’s desire, but by God. Jn. 1:12-13

4. What was the relationship between Ishmael and Isaac (cf. Gal. 4:29)? Likewise, what is the relationship between legalistic, self-righteous men and those who confess their sins and place their faith in the Lord Jesus (cf. Gal. 4:29b)? Why is this the case? Do such men think very highly of themselves? See Lk. 18:9-12. Do such men resent and even hate being confronted with their true sinful condition? See Jn. 15:22, 24,

But just as it was then, [namely,] the one who was born by natural procreation persecuted the one who was born by the Spirit, so is it [the same] now. Gal. 4:29

He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:¹⁰Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.¹¹The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself [or, about himself], 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. ¹²I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' Lk. 18:9-12

If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin... ²⁴If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not have had sin; but now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father. Jn. 15:22, 24

Since the self-righteous Pharisees limited sin to actions, so long as they refrained from committing sinful acts, they, by their standard, would be “without sin.” But when the Lord Jesus revealed the depths of the Law’s requirements, that it pertains to thoughts and attitudes as well as actions (cf. Matt. 5:21-28), the Pharisees were exposed as sinners in the sight of God.

5. For what do we as Christians eagerly await? See Gal. 5:5. Is Paul referring to the final result of the process of sanctification in our lives, the hope of becoming completely conformed to the perfect righteousness of Christ our Savior (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18)? Or is he referring to the results and benefits of righteousness (cf. Rom. 14:17)? Or is he referring to both? Do you pray for the day when this hope in each of its aspects will be fulfilled?

...we, by the Spirit [and] by means of faith, are eagerly awaiting the hope of righteousness... Gal. 5:5

...we all...beholding...the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory...by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Cor. 3:18

The kingdom of God...is righteousness and peace and joy, the Holy Spirit. Rom. 14:17