Lesson 4
REDEEMED FROM THE BONDAGE OF THE LAW
Galatians 4:1-31
Memory Verse: 4:4
Introduction:
“Law and grace are an impossible mixture, for salvation is wholly by faith in Christ and our sonship is immediately testified to in the heart by the incoming of the Holy Spirit, upon the basis of Christ’s finished work as the full satisfaction of the law. Let us not, therefore, fall again in bondage to the legality of the law, which is merely an element of salvation to reveal to us the inveterate [deep rooted] sinfulness of our nature and the impossibility of saving ourselves.” —Keith L. Brooks
Before beginning this lesson it would be well to understand the meaning of being a legalist and being guilty of legalism. When we contend for standards among God’s people, this is not legalism. When we preach proper dress, proper conduct and what the bible says about it, this is not legalism. Webster’s Dictionary says of legalism, “in theology, [is] the doctrine of salvation by good works.” This was what the Judaizers did when they came to Antioch and declared their false doctrine, Acts 15:1, “And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.” They also said they must keep the Law of Moses, Acts 15:5, “… saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”
I. REDEEMED AND MADE SONS vv. 1-7
A. Servants under Bondage, vv. 1-3.
1. A child had no more freedom than servants, v. 1; 1 Corinthians 14:20, “Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.”
2. A child was under tutors and governors, v. 2.
a. An overseer, “‘To commit, to entrust.’ So either an overseer or one in charge of children as here. It is common as the guardian of an orphan minor,” Matthew 20:8, “So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.” —A. T. Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament.
b. A tutor, the “one who has the care and tutelage of children, either where the father is dead (a guardian of minors), or where the father is still alive.”
c. The child could not enjoy the wealth of his father. “The young man, though he is free, though he is lord of all his father’s family, still resembles a slave; for he is under the government of tutors.” —Barnes Notes on NT
3. The Jews under the law were like children under the elements of the world. v. 3; Colossians 2:8, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” “Elements” or “rudiments” meant the elementary things, such as we might speak of the ABCs.
4. Legalism is not a step toward maturity, but a move back to childhood, Galatians 3:3, “Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?”
B. Sons under Redemption, vv. 4-7.
1. The great event of the ages, God sends forth His PREEXISTING Son, v. 4; Philippians 2:6, “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:”
a. At the right time, “the fulness of time.”
1) The time appointed by the Father, v. 2, “But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.”
2) It was the “set time,” Psalms 102:13, “Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.”
b. The right source, “God sent forth,” Zechariah 2:10, “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.”
c. The right person, “his son.” John 3:17, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
d. The right channel, “made of a woman,” Philippians 2:6-7, “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:”
e. The right place, “under the law,” Matthew 5:17, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”
2. The great purpose of the ages, v. 5; Galatians 3:13, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:”
a. To REDEEM those under the law. Redeem is “exagorazo,” meaning “To BUY a slave OUT OF” the market place.
b. So they might receive ADOPTION AS SONS, Romans 8:15, 23, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”
Note:The adoption here does not mean this is how we became sons, but it means placed as an adult son.
3. The great Godhead of the ages, v. 6.
a. Notice the Holy Trinity in this verse.
1) The Spirit of His Son, Romans 8:9, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
2) The Spirit of Jesus Christ, Philippians 1:19, “For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,”
3) The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and from the Son, John 15:26, “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:”
b. Notice the blessing of the indwelling Spirit, “into your hearts,” Romans 5:5, “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
c. Notice the tender cry, Romans 8:15, 26, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
Note: “Abba” is the Aramaic for “father,” and “father” is the Greek “pater,” which carries the idea of the MALE PATERNITY.
4. The great sonship of the ages, v. 7.
a. Now you are a SON of God, vv. 1-2, 5-6; Galatians 3:26, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
1) Not a child, but an ADULT SON.
2) IF YOU ARE A SON you have the HOLY SPIRIT that BEARS WITNESS to the fact, Romans 8:16, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”
b. If you are a son then you are an HEIR OF GOD through Christ, 2 Corinthians 6:16-18,“And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”
II. REDEEMED AND MADE FREE vv. 8-18
A. Why Give up your Freedom in Christ? vv. 8-14; Romans 8:15, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
1. They were turning again to bondage, vv. 8-9.
a. Before they were saved, they SERVED false gods, v. 8; John 1:10, “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.”
b. They were now GIVING UP that freedom, v. 9.
1) They were giving up the POWER of the gospel for the WEAKNESS of the law, Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
2) They were giving up the WEALTH of the gospel for the POVERTY of the law, 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”
3) The law could ONLY REVEAL a man’s WEAKNESS and BANKRUPTCY, Romans 8:3, “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:”
2. The proof of their return to bondage was in observing times and seasons of the Law, v. 10; Colossians 2:14-17, “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. 16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
3. Many professing Christians are in the SAME CONDITION TODAY.
4. Paul was deeply concerned about what they did, v. 11; Isaiah 49:4, “Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God.” Only a God-called preacher can understand the pain, when converts turn to legalism or to the world.
5. He calls upon them to return to the liberty and joy that they enjoyed when he first preached to them, vv. 12-14.
a. Paul had been received as an angel of God, v. 14; 2 Samuel 14:17, “Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee.”
b. Imagine Paul’s pain when he realized that the people now despised and rejected him, 1 Corinthians 4:10, “We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.”
B. Why Give up Your Blessings in Christ? vv. 15-18.
1. They once rejoiced in the blessing of knowing Christ. v. 15.
“Their willingness to give Paul their very eyes, makes us to believe that he had serious eye problems. This view is reinforced by Galatians 6:11, where he speaks of “large a letter,” which may refer to the large size of the handwriting.” —E. L. Bynum
2. Truth will sometimes make enemies, v. 16; 1 Kings 18:17-18, “And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? 18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.”
a. The kisses of the enemy, Proverbs 27:6, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”
b. Those with itching ears will turn away from the truth, 2 Timothy 4:2-5, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”
3. The legalists used affection to deceive, and the devil’s crowd continues to do this today, v. 17; Romans 16:18, “For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”
4. The Galatians needed to be zealous for the truth when Paul was not present, v. 18.
a. David was zealous for the things of God, Psalms 69:9, “For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.”
b. We need to be steadfast and unmovable in the things of God, 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
III. REDEEMED BY FREE GRACE vv. 19-31
A. The Allegory Declared, vv. 19-26.
1. A plea to the deluded justified believers, vv. 19-21.
a. “My little children,” Matthew 18:3, “And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
b. Paul expressing the birth pangs of sorrow, v. 19; 1 Corinthians 4:15-16, “For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. 16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.”
c. He desired to satisfy his doubts about them, v. 20.
1) Paul desired to be present with them, 2 Corinthians 11:2-3,“For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
2) He needed to remove his doubts of them, Philippians 2:16, “Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.”
d. It was incredible that they desired to be under law, v. 21.
1) How could any sane person desire to return to “weak and beggarly elements of religion?” v. 9.
2) Why would they desire to be under the “curse” again? Galatians 3:10, “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.”
2. Hagar and Sarah represent law and grace, v. 22. Abraham had two sons: Ismael = law; Isaac = grace.
a. The one by a bondmaid, Ishmael, the son of Hagar, Genesis 16:3-4, “And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. 4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.”
b. The other by a free-woman. Isaac, the son of Sarah, Genesis 21:1-2, “And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.”
3. Ishmael was born after the flesh, v. 23;
4. While Isaac was born after the promise, v. 23, Genesis 18:10, “And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.” It all boils down to asking them who their mother was.
B. The Allegory Explained, vv. 24-29.
1. It would be well to read Genesis 21:1-12. Here it is made plain that the law with its legalism always persecutes those who are under free grace. We can see that repeated in our day as well. An “allegory” is “to speak allegorically or in a figure.” Mr. Webster says that “it is the description of one thing under the image of another.”
“An allegory is properly a fictitious way of speaking; but here it designs an accommodation of a real history, and matter of fact, to other cases and things, and seems to intend a type or figure; and the sense to be, that these things which were literally true of Hagar and Sarah, of Ishmael and Isaac, were types and figures of things to come.” –John Gill.
2. Agar (Hagar) represents the covenant of law, v. 24. Let us compare the two covenants:
a. The OLD Covenant was LAW, which is represented by Hagar the SLAVE, who gave birth to Ishmael who was conceived after the flesh. This was the condition of earthly Jerusalem which was in bondage.
b. The NEW Covenant is GRACE, which is represented by Sarah the FREEWOMAN who gave birth to Isaac who was conceived miraculously. This was the condition of the heavenly Jerusalem which is free.
3. Jerusalem with her children (the JEWS) were UNDER this BONDAGE of the law, v. 25; The Arabs, it is thought, called Mt. Sinai Mount Hargar in Abraham’s time.
4. Jerusalem “above” represents the COVENANT of GRACE, v. 26; Colossians 3:1, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.”
5. The DESOLATE have many more children, v. 27, the quotation is from Isaiah 44:1; Isaiah 54:1, “Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.”
6. Saved Jews and Gentiles are the CHILDREN of PROMISE, v. 28; Galatians 3:29, “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
7. False religion and legalism will ALWAYS PERSECUTE those who believe the truth, v. 29.
8. This is why that BIBLE BELIEVERS CAN NEVER ENGATE IN ECUMENICAL ENDEAVORS with LEGALISTS, Genesis 21:9, “And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.”
C. The Allegory Blessings, vv. 30-31.
1. The only scriptural thing to do is to CAST OUT the children of the bondwoman, v. 30.
2. Let us explore the POSSIBILITIES of dealing with those that are under the bondage of legalism:
a. We can TRY to CHANGE them, but that DOES NOT WORK, John 3:6, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
b. We can COMPROMISE with them, but you CANNOT MIX LAW and GRACE anymore than you can mix oil and water. The Galatians were trying to do this, and Paul was correcting them.
c. We can do the SCRIPTURAL THING and CAST THEM OUT, Genesis 21:10, “Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.”
2. We must declare and enjoy the FREE GRACE OF GOD, v. 31.
a. We should stand fast in our freedom in Christ, Galatians 5:1, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
b. We are free indeed, John 8:36, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
–Lesson by E. L. Bynum; Revision by Art Davison