Galatians

Salvation by grace! Justification by faith! Sanctification by faith!

The Appeal To Stay Away From Legalism

-Because legalism is bondage – 4:8-11

-Because of their personal relationship – 4:12-20

-Illustrated in Hagar and Sarah – 4:21-31

Allegorical contrast between Promise & Law

Verse 21 – “…do you not listen to the law?” From Genesis, part of the Torah, Paul contrasts the Sarah-Isaac and Hagar- Ishmael relationships. He seeks to prove the Judaizers wrong from their own source document.

Verse 22-23 Two contrasts:

Son of the bondwoman - Son of the free woman

Born of the flesh - Born of the promise

Abraham and Sarah devised a fleshly scheme. However, scheming and true Biblical faith are mutually exclusive. If we trust God and His promises, we will not scheme!

Verse 24 “This is allegorically speaking…”

Paul is not denying the historicity of the persons and events or advancing an allegorical method of interpretation. He is allegorizing the historical facts because they illustrate his point about the distinctives of law versus grace.

Principle:

Law is not only incapable of adding anything to what grace provides, it is also counter-productive.

A believer turning to law for spirituality is like a banker turning to a beggar for financial support!

(see charts in pdf notes.)

Verses 28-30 – Three Applications:

1. Believers are born supernaturally and are part of God’s promise.

2. Legalists always persecute those living in liberty.

3. Christians should exclude legalists from their midst.

POINT: Those in accord with the flesh will antagonize those in accord with the Spirit.

Legalism gives vent to the flesh!

Legalism gives the flesh a chance to look good!

CONCLUSION: There is only one way to be children of God – through the free woman, that is through the faithpromise principle!