Galatians - Chapter 4

Paul is continuing his thought from the previous chapter… all Christians are sons of God.

And how are we sons of God? Christ was Abraham’s direct descendent. Through our faith in Jesus Christ we are adopted into the family and become heirs of the promise God made to Abraham.

1What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. 2He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world.

If a child (meaning a minor) inherits an entire estate, he still has nothing of his own, just as if he were a slave, because a child is still under the control of his guardians and trustees until he becomes the age when he can actually inherit, the age set by what his father indicated in his will. In the same way, as young Christians, we are subject to the principles of the world.

The word ‘principles’ here refers to the fundamental forms of religion, both those of the Jews under the law and those of the Gentiles old religious beliefs. When he calls them ‘principles of the world’, he means these things are of man and not of God.

4But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. 6Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." 7So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

But when the time had fully come… meaning the time set by God for his children to become adult heirs …he sent His Son, born of a woman… making Him human …born under law… born at a time when Moses’ law ruled the land, so He was also subject to the law the same as all other Jews at that time.

Then he could redeem those that were still living under the law, so we could receive our full inheritance.

As sons of God, He sent the gift of the Holy Spirit into our hearts to be our guardian. This Spirit knows our Heavenly Father personally and therefore can help us know Him as our Father.

The term ‘Abba’ indicates an extremely close relationship to God.

As adopted children of God, we are heirs of the promise.

8Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. 9But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? 10You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! 11I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.

Here we can feel Paul’s frustration. He reiterates before they knew God, they were slaves to other humans and their rules.

But now they know the one true God, they realize the idols they’d worshipped before, believing they were gods, were not gods at all.

They know God—or more importantly, are known by God—how could they think of turning back to the old laws, which had made them so miserable. Paul asks them if they want to go back to living like that?

He asks, ‘how could you go back to believing in those rituals and in the law, in good works, or even in the cold, dead orthodoxy. Why would you relapse into a second childhood when you should be enjoying the freedom of full-grown heirs?’

He says they are observing special days (i.e. the Sabbath & Day of Atonement) and months and seasons (i.e. New Moons, Passover, & Firstfruits) and years (i.e. the Sabbath year) as required by the old law.

The Pharisees meticulously observed all these in order to gain merit before God—to make themselves worthy. Of course, Paul has taught them these things had never been, nor could never be, in themselves a means of salvation. He is frustrated and worries all his efforts to teach them the truth of Christ was completed wasted on them.

12I plead with you, brothers, become like me, for I became like you. You have done me no wrong.

Paul pleads with them. He says he was once just like them (believing in the old laws), and now he wants them to become like him (a child of Christ). He also lets them know he holds no ill-will toward them.

13As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you.

Here we see a little insight of what it was like when Paul had first gone to Galatia and preached to these people during his first missionary journey. He says an illness had caused him to go there to begin with, and then he preached the Gospel to them—probably speaking of his blindness after seeing Christ on the road to Damascus.

14Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.

But although this illness caused them discomfort and extra work, they had welcomed him and hadn’t turned him away or looked down on him. Instead they welcomed him as if he were Jesus Christ Himself, or an angel from God.

15What has happened to all your joy? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 16Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

So what happened to all that joy? When he had been with them, they had been so caring and loving that they would have torn out their own eyes and given them to him. So now, he asks, have they turned away from him because he spoke the truth to them?

Sometimes when we tell the truth, we risk the result of losing friendships.

17Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them. 18It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you.

Because of the passion the Judaizers had for the message they were teaching, they were able to convince them of the false teachings. Paul explains it’s okay to be so zealous, as long as you are zealous about the truth and about things with a good purpose. He also adds they should always be enthusiastic about the truths he taught them, even after he was gone.

19My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, 20how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!

Paul calls them ‘his dear children’ showing his deep affection for them. He is so pained by their turning away from the Gospel he compares it to the pain of childbirth and says the pain won’t go away until they have turned back to Christ. He tells them if he could be with them, maybe he would be able to understand them better, but he can’t comprehend why they’re acting the way they are.

21Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says?

Why would anyone who understands what the law says want to go back to living under it? But since they do want to be under the law of Moses, he uses it to make a point.

22For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 23His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise. 24These things may be taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. 25Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. 26But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.

Paul then goes back to the old scriptures to remind them of the history of Abraham. He had two sons, one by a slave, who was Hagar, and the other by a free woman, who was Sarah. The son of the slave, Ishmael, was born the same as anyone else. But the son of the free woman, Isaac, was born because of the promise God had made to Abraham.

Paul says this may be taken figuratively, not because it was nonhistorical, but because he was going to use the events to illustrate a theological truth.

He explains these women represent the two covenants between God and men. The first, (Hagar) the slave, is from Mount Sinai (origin of the law of Moses), and the children she bears will be slaves (slaves of the law) and form the present city of Jerusalem (meaning the city that is still ruled by Judaism and still under the bondage of the laws issued at Mount Sinai).

But the other, Sarah, is free and is the mother of all Christians.

27For it is written:  "Be glad, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth and cry aloud, you who have no labor pains; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband."


Here Paul recites the scripture found in Isaiah 54:1.

This is a joyful song from Isaiah about the promise to exiled Jerusalem. Jerusalem represents the ‘Believers’. Although it appeared they could conceive no ‘children’ or new believers, the promise was made by God that they would. Through the gospel of Christ, ‘Jerusalem’s children’ have become many.

28Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.


Isaac was Abraham’s true son, but we are like him in that we are heirs of the promise.

29At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now.

Isaac’s half brother, who was born in the ordinary way, persecuted Isaac, who was born by the power of the Spirit.

Genesis 21:9-10   9But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, 10and she said to Abraham, "Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac."

Paul says it is the same today. Those who are born of the law, the unsaved, will persecute those of us born in the Spirit who are saved.

30But what does the Scripture say? "Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son."

Here Paul again recites the scripture, using Sarah’s words from Genesis 21:10 as Scriptural basis for teaching the Galatians to put the Judaizers out of the church.

31Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.

Scripture is clear. None of the slave woman’s children will EVER share in the inheritance. The believer is not enslaved to the law, but is a child of promise and lives by faith.

Many believe there is no connection between the Old and New Testaments and that they speak of two Gods with two different kinds of demands on men. But Paul demonstrates to us how they are related and it was all a part of God’s ultimate plan. This should make us realize God’s greatness and foresight and make us trust him more with our tiny little lives.

How does our birth in Christ give us freedom?

Not only does it free us from the laws of Moses, but through our faith God gives us strength to face things which otherwise may defeat us, giving us a peace we would otherwise not know, which in turn gives us joy.

We should exhibit our joy in Christ so others might see His light shining through us. There is nothing more attractive to others than a happy and joyful countenance.

Proverbs 15:13  A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.