Galatians 4:21-31 - Covenants of Bondage and Freedom

Galatians 4:21-31

Two Covenants (Gen. 21:8–21; Is. 54:1)

21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, 24 which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— 25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— 26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27 For it is written:

“Rejoice, O barren,
You who do not bear!
Break forth and shout,
You who are not in labor!
For the desolate has many more children
Than she who has a husband.”

28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. 29 But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.” 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.

These two covenants of bondage and freedom are found in direct conflict with each other and the one is in con with God word and plan to deliver us by grace according to His perfect work and not our imperfect works which always miss the mark by falling short (Romans 3:23) of God’s requirements to atone for our sin.  Those under the old covenant of works contained in the letter of the Law are trapped in the bonds of sin which they cannot break unless they keep the Law completely and perfectly (James 2:10) to unlock eternal forgiveness to cover their sins fully.  Those under the new covenant of grace in the work Christ has done for them find a one-time sacrifice by the divine and eternal high priest has covered their sins once and for ever (Hebrews 9:11-12, 14-15, 10:10).  The picture is given from scripture of Sarah and Hagar, the free woman of promise and the bondwoman of enslavement, as the difference between those two covenants of requirements and of grace freely given by God’s choice of her descendants by the faith of Abraham.  The descendants of Hagar made great nations, but those of Sarah by promise through faith were given the inheritance of freedom from sin’s penalty by the goodness and free grace of God and not by vain attempts to earn salvation as those of Hagar’s offspring still vainly attempt in their contrived religious zeal.  We who are found in Christ are the children of God’s promise and are therefore persecuted by those of the illegitimate descendants whose efforts are squarely aimed at the destruction of God’s children of the inheritance.  These covenants of bondage to sin with ineffective works and the covenant of freedom by grace based on God’s perfect atoning work on the cross are still fueling the adversary’s attacks on the children of the promise (Revelation 12:17) who have faith in God’s work and the testimony of true God (John 6:29, 17:3) Jesus Christ.  Those who are in the new covenant of the atoning sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ alone are the children of the promise which they cannot earn and therefore are command not to go on trying to as the church in Galatia was warned here.  We do well to listen as we read these things and not claim we serve the same God as those outside the promise as some erroneously claim today, nor should we attempt to gain or keep our acceptance by God win anything besides the work of Christ on our behalf as we attempt to be justified by our good works to prove it to ourselves and others.  We are justified by faith alone as we are found in Christ’s righteousness and not ours which we cannot earn or attain apart from this gift (Ephesians 2:8-9) of faith given to result in good works (Ephesians 2:10) prepared for us before we make them up to work our way to God.  If He sets you free, you are free indeed as John 8:36 and Romans 8:2 assure us!