Galatians 4:28-31
28 “And you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But as at that time the son who was born according to the flesh persecuted the one who was born according to the Spirit, so it is even now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? “Drive out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman.”31 So then, brothers and sisters, we are not children of a slave woman, but of the free woman.”
Verse 28: Paul addresses the Galatian believers as brothers and sisters, emphasizing their identity as children of promise. Just as Isaac was born as a result of God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah, the Galatians have been born into the family of God through the promise of the New Covenant. They are not defined by their adherence to the law, but by their faith in Christ and the promise of salvation.
Verse 29: Paul draws a parallel between the conflict between Ishmael and Isaac in the Old Testament and the present situation. Those who are still under the Old Covenant, represented by the Judaizers, are persecuting those who are living by the power of the Spirit under the New Covenant. The legalistic mindset of the Judaizers is in opposition to the freedom and grace found in Christ.
Verse 30: Paul quotes from Genesis 21:10, where Sarah tells Abraham to cast out Hagar and Ishmael. This serves as a symbolic instruction for the Galatians to let go of the bondage of the Old Covenant and its legalistic requirements. The slave woman and her son, representing the law, cannot share in the inheritance of the free woman’s son, who represents the freedom and grace of the New Covenant.
Verse 31: Paul concludes by affirming the identity of the Galatian believers. They are not children of the slave woman, symbolizing the Old Covenant and its legalistic demands. Instead, they are children of the free woman, representing the freedom and grace found in Christ and the New Covenant. As believers, they are no longer bound by the law but are now partakers of the abundant life and liberty that comes through their union with Christ.
