Galatians 4

Galatians 4:1-5

Apostle Paul is letting the Galatian churches know they are indeed "heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:17). The believers needed to understand that each one is a "master of all" (Galatians 4:1). Although, before Christ appeared God treated them like children, who under the law did "not differ at all from a slave" (Galatians 4:1). They lived "under guardians and stewards until the time appointed" (Galatians 4:2) by God 's own authority. God purposely kept them in "bondage under the elements of the world" (Galatians 4:4), until they were able to die "with Christ from the basic principles of the world" (Colossians 2:20), which refers to dying to the law, to "philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men" (Colossians 2:8).

According to God's own timing, He sent His Son who came in the "flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). As the Holy Spirit spoke through the prophet Isaiah, "the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). Not only was Christ born of a virgin as prophesied in Scripture, but He was "born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law" (Galatians 4:4-5) by becoming "a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13) on the cross of Calvary, and "a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28), "that we might receive the adoption as sons" (Galatians 4:5). This is the Christ-given right to "as many as received Him, ...to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12).

Galatians 4:6-7

As Apostle Paul mentioned in Galatians 3:2, the Christians in the churches received the Spirit "by the hearing of faith," and it is because they are sons of God by adoption in Christ that "God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son" into their hearts (Galatians 4:6). "The Spirit Himself bears witness" with their spirit that they are children of God" (Romans 8:16), whereby their hearts are "crying out, “Abba, Father!" (Galatians 4:6), "because the love of God has been poured out" into their "hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given" to them (Romans 5:5).

The love for God within believers in Jesus Christ is an indication that they "are no longer a slave but a son" (Galatians 4:7). What Paul said to the Romans is also being conveyed here to the Galatian churches; "The Holy Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (Romans 8:16). Apostle Paul tells them that they are no longer a slave, but a son, and therefore they are also "an heir of God through Christ" (Galatians 4:7).

Galatians 4:8-11

When the Jewish Christians were under the law, before "Christ came that we might be justified by faith" (Galatians 3:24), they "did not know God" (Galatians 4:8), and they served under "the hand of a mediator" (Galatian 3:19). The Apostle Paul himself as Saul, while he "was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples" (Acts 9:1), did not know God, and served under the high priest and others "which by nature are not gods" (Galatians 4:8). It is evident that Saul did not know God as he neared Damascus in search of Christians to bring them to Jerusalem as prisoners, to those who like Saul neither knew God, nor were gods by nature. This evidence is in the words which he spoke when "a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" (Acts 9:3-4). Saul's response was very revealing. "Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked" (Acts 9:5), because he did not know God.

Apostle Paul was speaking from personal experience regarding his concern for the Galatian churches, afraid for them that "I have labored for you in vain" (Galatians 4:11). They were returning to Jewish legalism, which included the observance of "days and months and seasons and years" (Galatians 4:10). These Old Testament Jewish practices, which the Apostle Paul referred to as "weak and beggarly elements" (Galatians 4:9), bore witness against them. Just like the Jews, rescued by God from Egypt, who foolishly "put the Lord to the test" (Exodus 17:2) demanding water to drink and speaking as if things were better back in Egypt, these men in the Galatian churches were demonstrating "desire again to be in bondage" (Galatians 4:9) to the Old Testament law, as if bondage to law would be better than the grace and peace "from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age" (Galatians 1:3-4). If they were to return to the law, the Apostle Paul's labor of love for the Galatian churches, in Christ's behalf, would indeed have been in vain and their freedom in Christ forfeited.

Galatians 4:12-16

In 1 Corinthians 9:22 the Apostle Paul said, "I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some." To the Jews he became like a Jew under the law, although he was free from the law. To the Gentiles he became like a Gentile without the law, although he was under the law of Christ. This is the same way he conducted himself among the Galatian churches. Here he was now urging the believers in Galatia saying, "become like me, for I became like you' (Galatians 4:12). Paul's concern was not as if they had done him any harm. Rather, they were hurting themselves, and he was concerned for their welfare. Very much like to the church at Corinth where Apostle Paul said, "if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe" (2 Corinthians 2:5), to the Galatians he said, "You have not injured me at all" (Galatians 4:12).

On the contrary, the Galatians displayed great love towards the Apostle Paul, of which he reminded them. It was a "physical infirmity" (Galatians 4:13) experienced by Apostle Paul that opened the door to the gospel at Galatia. Their love towards him was demonstrated in how they "did not despise or reject" (Galatians 4:14) his physical trial. Instead, they received him as a messenger of God, and through him they received Christ whom Apostle Paul preached to them. They enjoyed the blessing of the gospel, which was the fellowship in Christ with the believers, including the Apostle Paul. So much so, as Apostle Paul reminded them, "that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me" (Galatians 4:15). Their joy and love in the Lord was the result of the Apostle Paul's preaching of the truth of the gospel. So, he asked them a question which was sure to prick their hearts at this time in which he was lovingly bringing correction to the churches, even as he reminded them of how joyfully they previously received what he shared with them regarding this same gospel. He asked them, "Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?" (Galatians 416). By all this, the Apostle Paul was clearly courting them once again for the Lord.

Galatians 4:17-20

The Holy Spirit, operating through the Apostle Paul's reiteration of the gospel, was once again bringing the Galatian churches "the tune of the charmer" (Psalm 58:5). However, Satan also attempts to charm by his own tune. The false brethren came to charm the Galatian churches with "a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge" (Romans 10:2). The Apostle Paul told the Galatians, "They zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them" (Galatians 4:17).

The courting of the Holy Spirit through Christ, and the courting of the fellowship of legalism, are each exclusive and in opposition to each other. Whichever one the Galatians would give their hearts to would also demand their loyalty, as a wife to a husband. Both offering completely different outcomes. As the Holy Spirit says, "This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19).

The Apostle Paul obviously wants them to choose life, which is why he says, "it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you" (Galatians 4:19). Apostle Paul apparently felt that if he were present with them, they would have been showing more zeal towards him and God, and not towards the false brethren under the Jewish law. However, in his absence, their zeal was obviously leaning towards the false brethren. This brought Apostle Paul to the place of "labor in birth again" (Galatians 4:19) until Christ would once again be formed in them. Apostle Paul had doubts regarding the Galatian churches. So, he desired to be present with them, and perhaps be able to change his tone by gaining some assurance in person of their joy, their love and their faithfulness in Christ.

Galatians 4:21-27

Apostle Paul continued to show the Galatian churches the distinction between the law of bondage and the promise of God which is in Christ. He asked those who desired to be under the law if they were "aware of what the law" (Galatians 4:21) itself testifies concerning this distinction, because it is "witnessed by the Law and the Prophets" (Romans 3:21). Since the law, which they desired, itself testifies that they should forsake the law for the sake of obtaining the promise, their desire to return to the law is clearly portrayed by the Scripture as foolishness.

He points them to the Scripture regarding Abraham's two sons, Ishmael and Isaac which represent the two covenants. Ishmael, being the son of "the slave woman" (Galatians 4:22) represents the Old Testament law which, like Hagar, "gives birth to bondage" (Galatians 4:24). Whereas Isaac was his son "of the freewoman through promise" (Galatians 4:23), and therefore represents the new covenant which the Lord said is "in my blood, which is poured out for you" (Luke 22:20). This new covenant, which is by the promise of God described in Galatians 4:27, was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah as the barren woman who never bore a child and who was never in labor, but over whom would be great joy and singing because "more are the children of the desolate," referring to the new covenant, "than the children of the married woman" (Isaiah 54:1), which refers to the Jewish Old Testament law.

This distinction is also referred to by Apostle Paul as the "Jerusalem which now is," (Galatians 4:25) from below, being the Old Testament law and the works of the flesh, in contrast to the "Jerusalem above" (Galatians 4:26) which is referred to by Apostle John as "the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (Revelation 21:2). Not in the name of the Jewish law, but "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19) into which the believers in churches of Galatia had already been baptized by faith in Jesus Christ. They were now being rebaptized, by "the washing of water by the word" (Ephesians 5:26) into the freedom which comes by faith, through this letter from the Apostle Paul who was laboring "in birth again until Christ is formed" in them (Galatians 4:19).

Galatians 4:28-31

Therefore, Apostle Paul tells them that they, "as Isaac was, are children of promise" (Galatians 4:28). Although they were "born according to the Spirit," they were experiencing persecution from those who were Jews of bondage, "born according to the flesh" (Galatians 4:29), and who "shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman." (Galatians 4:30). Therefore, having "become dead to the law through the body of Christ" (Romans 7:4) by faith, Apostle Paul was including them in Christ for salvation by saying, "brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free" (Galatians 4:31).

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