Galatians 4 bible study

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The Epistle to the Galatians Chapter 3:26-4:31 Abba, Father - Sons and Heirs 3:26 - 4:7 3. 26 - 27. For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

When we believe in Jesus Christ our relationship with God changes we become His children; as does our relationship with God's people (V29) and with those who are different from us (V28). We are baptized into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12: 13) by the Holy Spirit so we become part of His body. This does not refer to the baptism in water.

3.28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female — for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

Our relationship with those who differ to us, that is different in nationality, class or sex no longer prevent us from having a loving fellowship with each other in Christ. We are all equal, one in Christ and these barriers that are the cause of hate, envy, etc. in the world are broken down.

3.29. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to the promise.

We enter in to a special relationship with God's people those who belong to Christ and of Abraham's seed (as the father of the faithful). We take our place in the family of God and are brothers and sisters in Christ. As such we are spiritual heirs together of the promise (Rom. 4: 11- 12).

4.1 - 3. Now I mean that the heir, as long as he is a minor, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything. But he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. So also we, when we were minors, were enslaved under the basic forces of the world.

Paul takes an illustration from life to show that a child who is heir to his father's estate is under the supervision and guardianship of others until he is old enough to receive the inheritance and as such he is no different from a servant. So we were in bondage to the external requirements of the Law, this would refer more to the Jews than

the Gentiles. Nevertheless, Gentiles were in bondage to the moral law revealed in nature and conscience J. Wesley. (Rom. 1: 19 - 21).

4.4 - 5. But when the appropriate time had come, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we may be adopted as sons with full rights.

When the right time came God sent His Son Jesus Christ, the Deity of Christ, into the world born of a woman in the form of human flesh, the humanity of Christ, (Gen. 3: 15, Heb. 2: 14). Therefore, He was born subject to the Law just as all men. Christ came to redeem us from sin and our vain attempts to earn God's favour by keeping the Law J. Wesley. Therefore, we are no longer slaves but adopted by God through Jesus Christ into His family we are sons!

4.6. And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, who calls "Abba! Father!"

Because we are now Sons God has sent the Spirit of Jesus Christ into our hearts we are “born again of the Spirit of God (John 3:5)so now we are able to call Him Abba the Aramaic intimate term for father and we have the closest possible fellowship with the Father.

4.7. So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if you are a son, then you are also an heir through God. Believers are no longer a slave of sin but a son and as sons we have become heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ (Rom. 8: 17, James 2: 5).

Backsliding 4:8 - 10 4.8 - 9. Formerly when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods at all.

But now that you have come to know God (or rather to be known by God), how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless basic forces? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again?

Paul reminds the Galatians that before they came to know God they were held captive and served gods that were in fact not gods at all (Rom. 1: 25). He questions them on how it is that they can turn back to the weak worthless and beggarly things of the world, that is, the ideas and values of fallen man after they had come to know and understand God or rather that God had brought them into a knowledge of Himself. Why should they desire to be in bondage to these things again?

4.10. You are observing religious days and months and seasons and years.

In this particular instance they were being drawn back into the old ways of the Law and particularly the regulations of Judaism that concerned the keeping of special days, months, seasons and years (Rom. 14: 5 - 6).

4.11. I fear for you that my work for you may have been in vain.

Paul as any who has a concern and care for fellow believers was afraid that after all is efforts in proclaiming the gospel and of teaching and exhorting them in the truth that they would backslide and his work would be all for nothing.

A Love that is willing to give 12 - 15 4.12. I beg you, brothers and sisters, become like me, because I have become like you. You have done me no wrong!

Paul begs them to be even as he is a Jew who has been set free from the bondage of Jewish rituals and regulations and to truly except justification by faith in Christ. When he was with them they accepted him and the message he brought and did no harm to him as he ever laboured to build them up in the faith the truth and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, he urges them not to hurt him now by turning back.

4.13. But you know it was because of a physical illness that I first proclaimed the gospel to you, We are not given a description of the physical infirmity Paul suffered from but the Galatians would remember what it was. Although suffering in his body, this did not deter him from preaching the gospel to them (1 Cor. 2:3).

4.14. and though my physical condition put you to the test, you did not despise or reject me. Instead, you welcomed me as though I were an angel of God, as though I were Christ Jesus himself!

It would seem that whatever the sickness was it was apparently something that would normally cause people to despise and reject him but these Galatians received him as if he were an angel sent from God even as they would have received Jesus Christ! (Luke 10: 16).

4.15. Where then is your sense of happiness now? For I testify about you that if it were possible, you would have pulled out your eyes and given them to me!

He asks them what have happened to the blessings that they had enjoyed and found satisfaction in when he was present with them. So much so were they being blessed that they were ready and willing to give him their own eyes to replace his if this could be done! Some have thought that this was the physical condition that Paul suffered with while he was with them but he is only using his eyes as a metaphor meaning that because they thought so much of him they were prepared if necessary to give even their eyes to him. His physical sickness could have temporary affected his eyes.

An Insincere and a Sincere motive 16 - 20 4.16. So then, have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?

The truth that he is now writing comes from the same person whom they had loved and befriended he had not changed in his feelings towards them. So he asks if he had now become an enemy to them because of the truth he was telling (Eph. 4:15).

4.17- 18. They court you eagerly, but for no good purpose; they want to exclude you, so that you would seek them eagerly. However, it is good to be sought eagerly for a good purpose at all times, and not only when I am present with you.

The only reason the false teachers were flattering and making much of them was in order to draw them away from Paul and more importantly from the truth of the gospel. There is nothing wrong about being zealous, enthusiastic about something as long as it is for a good thing, especially for the gospel, and then not only when a person is with you but in their absence too.

4.19 - 20. My children — I am again undergoing birth pains until Christ is formed in you! I wish I could be with you now and change my tone of voice, because I am perplexed about you.

Paul expresses his tender love for the Galatians and his determination to do all that he is able to keep them from turning back from the faith and to grow in Christ so that they will know the reality of Him in their lives. He would like to be with them so that he can show his love and concern for he has doubts about how they will receive his letter and their thoughts about him.

Children of Promise 21 - 31 4.21.

Tell me, you who want to be under the law, do you not understand the law?

He now comes to the challenge of his letter by using the very thing they were turning to, that is the Law, in order to bring out the truth of the gospel.

4.22 - 25. For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. But one, the son by the slave woman, was born by natural descent, while the other, the son by the free woman, was born through the promise.

These things may be treated as an allegory, for these women represent two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai bearing children for slavery; this is Hagar. Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.

The recording of the incident which he puts to them is in Genesis 16: 15; 21: 2,9. Abraham had two sons because Sarah became impatient for God to fulfil His promise of giving her a son so she gave her servant Hagar to Abraham to have a son by. This is the bondwoman and her son was Ishmael; the son of promise born to Sarah was Isaac. The first son Ishmael was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfilment of God's promise whereas the second was born of the promise given by God. Paul says that this incident in the life of Abraham is representative of the two covenants of God. The one made and upheld by the Law given on Mount Sinai, this is liken to the bondwoman and her son. This corresponds to Jerusalem as it was in Paul's day or rather what it represented to the Jews. It was still in bondage because they continued to practice and uphold the Law instead of accepting Jesus Christ as their Messiah.

4.26 - 27. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written: "Rejoice, O barren woman who does not bear children; break forth and shout, you who have no birth pains, because the children of the desolate woman are more numerous than those of the woman who has a husband."

However, the heavenly Jerusalem, Christ's Kingdom (the Kingdom of Heaven) and all who have entered into it are completely free! Verse 27 is a quotation from Isaiah 54: 1 to encourage the Galatians to rejoice that they who were Gentiles and had no part of the nation of Israel and were therefore barren of spiritual life are now part of the Kingdom of God and that there were more Gentiles believers in Jesus Christ that Jews.

4.28. But you, brothers and sisters, are children of the promise like Isaac.

He compares the Christian to Isaac as he was the fulfilment of the promise of God given to Abraham and Sarah and so are all who believe and accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour (Acts 3:25 -26, Rom. 9:7 - 8, Isaiah 53:10 11).

4.29. But just as at that time the one born by natural descent persecuted the one born according to the Spirit, so it is now.

Ishmael persecuted Isaac because he was the son of promise and heir to his father's possessions. It is the same now unbelievers persecute those who believe, who are born again of the Spirit. We know from our own experience that the flesh wars against the Spirit (Gal. 5:17).

4.30 - 31. But what does the scripture say? "Throw out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the son" of the free woman. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman but of the free woman.

The scripture referred to is Genesis 21:10, 12 that is what Abraham did to Hagar and Ishmael. So what is Paul saying? That which is of the flesh cannot exist peacefully with that which is of the Spirit; you cannot hold to the Law and be an heir of grace at the same time. All who have received Jesus Christ are justified by faith and are set free from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2, John 8:35).

© Derek Williams 2014 Bible Studies Online UK www.biblestudiesonline.org.uk You may copy, print or distribute our studies freely in any form, just so long as you make no charges. Sign up today for our FREE monthly Bible study magazine “Living Word” Scriptures taken from the NET Bible www.bible.org