Galatians 4: Contrast of Law & Grace
GALATIANS 4:15-31
Application: The believer's relationship to Christ in not characterized by bondage under the law but by freedom under grace. Live for Christ as free people.
HUMAN BEINGS GENERALLY SEEK WHAT IS MOST COMFORTABLE TO OUR PHYSICAL NEEDS.
IT IS HUMAN NATURE TO LEAN TOWARD A FAITH THAT THE KEEPING OF CERTAIN RULES ALLOWS US COMFORT.
THE LAW OF MOSES FOCUSED UPON SEEKING THAT COMFORT.
IT SAID THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN RULES LAID OUT CLEARLY AND THAT IF YOU ABIDE BY THOSE RULES, YOU WILL BE CONSIDERED
RIGHTEOUS & JUST BY GOD.
FROM THE TIME THE LAW WAS GIVEN UNTIL THE MESSIAH ARRIVED,
APPROX 1500 YEARS (430 YEARS AFTER ABRAHAM) THIS WAS THE TEACHING OF THE LAW.
BUT THE LAW NEVER OFFERED ANY SOLUTION TO THE CONTINUED PROBLEM OF SIN.
IT ALLOWED NO FORGIVENESS AND SIN ABOUNDED.
YEARLY ATONEMENT WAS PLACED UPON THE SACRIFICE OF BULLS & GOATS.
THE BLOOD OF THESE CREATURES WAS SAID TO ATONE BOTH FOR THE SIN OF THE PRIESTS & THE PEOPLE, BUT WAS TAUGHT TO BE TEMPORARY (ONCE A YEAR).
LAW KEEPING WAS ALWAYS A NEVER ENDING EFFORT TO GAIN GOD'S FAVOR AND WAS IN ITSELF BONDAGE BECAUSE NO MAN COULD KEEP THE LAW.
IN ACTS 15:10 PETER DESCRIBED THE LAW AS A YOKE ON THE NECKS OF THE DISCIPLES WHICH NEITHER THEIR FATHERS NOR THEMSELVES HAD BEEN ABLE TO BEAR.
THIS ENTIRE MATTER OF LAW KEEPING WHICH HAD BEEN EXPANDED INTO FULL LEGALISM HAD COME TO DISTORT THE TRUE MEANING OF GOD'S WORDS TO MOSES.
THE JEWS HAD COME TO IGNORE THAT EVEN IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN, GOD HAD PROMISED A REDEEMER WOULD COME TO DELIVER HIS PEOPLE.
THIS IGNORANCE HAD COME TO BE 100% FOCUSED UPON THE WORKS OF MAN AS OPPOSED TO THE WORKS OF GOD.
RIGHT NOW, LET'S ALL REMEMBER THAT THE LOVE OF GOD IS NOT BASED UPON ANY WORK WE MAY DO NOR IS IT BASED UPON OBEDIENCE.
GOD DELIVERED HIS CHOSEN PEOPLE FROM THE BONDAGE OF SLAVERY IN EGYPT MANY YEARS BEFORE HE COMMANDED THEM TO RECEIVE HIS LAW.
THIS TRUTH WAS PAUL'S MESSAGE AND IT IS STILL THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL TODAY.
THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO TO MAKE GOD LOVE US MORE.
THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO TO MAKE GOD LOVE US LESS.
VERSE 20 TODAY SHOWS US HOW SERIOUS IS THIS TRUTH.
THESE GALATIAN BELIEVERS WERE BACKSLIDING INTO LAW & LEGALISM AND PAUL WAS COMING TO DOUBT THEM.
THE ZEAL THAT THE FALSE TEACHERS BROUGHT TO THE CHURCHES IN GALATIA WAS SINCERE.
THEY BELIEVED STRONGLY & SINCERELY IN THE FALSE TEACHING THEY BROUGHT.
THEY WERE SINCERE, BUT THEY WERE SINCERELY WRONG.
IN VERSES 12-16 PAUL REMINDS THESE CHURCH MEMBERS OF THEIR WARM RECEPTION OF HIM AND THE GOSPEL AND WONDERS WHETHER NOW HE HAD BECOME THEIR ENEMY.
IN VERSES 17-18 PAUL ACCUSES THE FALSE TEACHERS OF HAVING IMPURE MOTIVES IN WOOING THESE MEMBERS.
IN VERSES 19-20 WE SEE PAUL WAS PERPLEXED AND ANXIOUS TO BE ONCE MORE WITH THESE MEMBERS HE LOVED SO VERY MUCH.
THESE WERE HIS SPIRITUAL CHILDREN AND HE WAS TENDER TOWARD THEM BUT WAS ALSO IN ANGUISH THAT THEY HAD COME UNDER PRESSURE TO REVERT BACK TO A TYPE OF FAITH THAT NEVER WAS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE THE SAFETY OF SALVATION.
THE TRUE GOSPEL IS BEING REJECTED AND REPLACED BY LAW & WORKS FROM WHICH PAUL'S PREACHING HAD DELIVERED THESE GENTILES.
FROM VERSE 21 UNTIL THE END OF THE CHAPTER, PAUL LEANS UPON THE PUREST PORTION OF THE GOSPEL, WHICH IS GOD'S ORIGINAL PROMISE AND THE CHRISTIAN FREEDOM WHICH HAD BEEN GIVEN BY JESUS AS THE KEEPING OF THAT PROMISE.
NOW PAUL USES THE OLD TESTAMENT IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE & COMBAT AGAINST THE FALSE TEACHERS.
NO MAN UNDERSTOOD THE OLD COVENANT BETTER THAN PAUL.
THIS WAS THE BEAUTY OF THE LORD CHOOSING HIM AS HIS APOSTLE TO THE GENTILES.
PAUL HAD STUDIED FOR MANY YEARS UNDER THE TEACHING OF ONE OF THE MOST RESPECTED RABBI TEACHERS, GAMILIEL.
PAUL DESCRIBED HIMSELF AS A PHARISEE AMONG PHARISEES.
NO MAN WAS ABLE TO “OUT PHARISEE” PAUL.
PAUL NOW PAINTS TWO WORD PICTURES FOR THE GALATIANS.
THE FIRST IS ONE OF HAGAR, THE HAND MAID OF SARAH WHO HAD BEEN GIVEN BY SARAH TO ABRAHAM TO PROVIDE A SON.
THE SECOND WAS OF SARAH HERSELF WHO HAD COME TO SUSPECT GOD WAS NOT FAITHFUL TO HIS PROMISE AND EVEN LAUGHED IN GOD'S PRESENCE AT THE PROMISE.
(HER PROMISED SON WAS NAMED BY GOD ISAAC WHICH MEANS LAUGHTER).
PAUL INTENDED THE GALATIANS TO IDENTIFY THEMSELVES WITH SARAH AND HER TRUE FAMILY WHICH INCLUDED THE CHILD OF PROMISE.
HE WANTED TO STEER THEM AWAY FROM THE CHILD OF THE FLESH, REPRESENTED BY HAGAR'S SON, ISHMAEL, WHO CAME TO LIFE BY
A WORK OF SARAH, NOT BY THE PROMISE OF GOD.
PAUL WANTS THESE BELIEVERS TO BEGIN AGAIN TO ACT LIKE THE CHILDREN OF PROMISE THAT THEY ARE AND TO RESIST ANY EFFORT TO TAKE THEM BACKWARD SPIRITUALLY TO THE SLAVERY OF THE LAW.
JUST AS A LOVING PASTOR SHOULD, PAUL WISHES ONLY GOOD FOR HIS CONGREGATIONS.
HE DRAWS THIS STORY FROM GENESIS 21 AND LINKS HAGAR WITH MT. SINAI AND THE LAW.
HAGAR HAD BEEN CAST AWAY WITH HER SON WHEN THE DELIVERY OF THE PROMISE ARRIVED, AND THEY HAD NO FULL INHERITANCE AS CHILDREN OF THE FLESH.
THE BLESSING OF INHERITANCE WAS THROUGH THE SEED OF PROMISE AND PAUL IS TELLING THESE BELIEVERS THAT THE SEED THAT HAD BEEN PROMISED SO LONG AGO WAS JESUS CHRIST.
IN VERSE 23 HE ASSURES THEM THAT THIS SEED WAS ACCORDING TO THE ONE SENT INTO FLESH FROM THE PROMISE AND IN VERSE 29 HE SHOWS THEM THAT THIS SAME SEED WAS ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT.
THIS ONE, JESUS, WAS SHOWN IN TYPE THROUGH ISAAC AS HE WAS SENT IN A MIRACLE GIVEN TO ABRAHAM & SARAH LONG AFTER THEY HAD PASSED CHILDBEARING AGE.
THEREFORE THERE WAS AFTER THIS MIRACLE PROMISE A NEW AGE, AND IT WAS REPRESENTED BY A NEW JERUSALEM TO COME FROM ABOVE.
THIS NEW JERUSALEM WAS FREE UNDER THE PROMISE.
THE OLD JERUSALEM, REMAINING BELOW WAS ALSO REMAINING IN BONDAGE, REPRESENTED BY THE ONE BROUGHT BY WORKS.
WITH THIS LANGUAGE OF SLAVERY & FREEDOM PAUL IS REMINDING THE GALATIANS OF THE NEW LAND TO COME, NEW JERUSALEM.
THOSE WHO RESIDE THERE WILL BE FREE FROM THE SLAVERY OF THE OLD LAND OF BONDAGE TO SIN.
GOD HAD LIBERATED HIS PEOPLE FROM SLAVERY IN EGYPT AND HAD DELIVERED THEM TO THE LAND PROMISED AND HE WOULD DO SO AGAIN, BUT ONLY THROUGH HIS MESSIAH.
IN VERSE 31 PAUL COMPLETES THE WORD PICTURE BY TEACHING THAT HIMSELF AND THE BRETHREN ARE NOT CHILDREN OF THE BONDWOMAN, BUT OF THE FREE WOMAN, A TYPE OF THE FREEDOM FROM BONDAGE GIVEN BY THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST.
THIS FREEDOM IS NOT FOUND BY SEEKING THE COMFORT OF THE FLESH GIVEN BY KEEPING RULES BUT IS A FREEDOM OF SPIRIT THAT GOD HAD LONG BEFORE PROMISED IN JERIMIAH 31 TO NO LONGER BE WRITTEN IN STONE TABLETS BUT IN THE INWARD PARTS, THE HEART, OF THOSE WHO COME TO FAITH.
TRUE FAITH IS NOT OUTWARD AFTER JESUS CAME.
IT IS NOT HOW WE KEEP RULES THAT BRING US TO SALVATION.
THE NEW COVENANT OF GRACE ALONE LEADS US TO SAVING FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST BUT IT IS NOT A SET OF RULES & REGULATIONS THAT WE OBEY & CHECK OFF TO GAIN ETERNAL LIFE.
WE CANNOT BEHAVE OUR WAY INTO HEAVEN.
PAUL WILL LATER TEACH THE CHURCH IN EPHESUS THAT LESSON EVEN STRONGER, SAYING THAT IT IS NOT OF YOUSELVES, AND IS THE GIFT OF GOD.
WE ARE GIVEN A GREAT LESSON OF THIS MATTER INSIDE THE BOOK OF ACTS, AND IT MAKES SENSE TO CLOSE WITH THAT LESSON TODAY.