Here is a teaching on chapter 4 of the book of Galatians. If you want to check out previous Bible studies and chapters going forward, join our group here. Once you get added to that Facebook group, you can go to the "units" tab and you'll see all of the chapters and their study guides as they are being taught.
I did want to say a quick prayer... Lord, I pray that you lift up every single person reading this right now. Please give us knowledge and understanding to know exactly what it is that we are reading and the wisdom to implement it in our daily lives. Please open up our eyes, ears, hearts, and minds to you Lord. I pray that whatever it is that each person is supposed to receive from this Bible study, they receive it and implement it in their daily lives. I love you with every ounce of my being. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Galatians Chapter 4:
1 What I am saying is that as long as an heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. 2 He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. 4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. 6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
Alright, so I am going to stop right there and discuss these verses with you guys here. So these verses here are a continuation of the last verses from chapter 3 of the book of Galatians. Before Jesus Christ came they were slaves under the basic principles of the world. So they were slaves under the law and they had these rules and regulations and things that they had to abide by. Whenever God sent his Son (Jesus Christ), and we know that Jesus was born by a woman (Mary), and he was born under the law, Jesus redeemed those under the law so that they might receive the full rights of sons. So all who believe in Jesus Christ and are saved have the rights of sons and we receive the Holy Spirit in our hearts. God the Father sends the Holy Spirit to us to counsel us, show us the truth, and help us to discern that truth. In verse 7, Paul is saying that these people are no longer slaves to the law or to the world but a son of God the Father. We are children of God and because we are God's children we are also an heir to his inheritance and to having eternal life in heaven with Jesus Christ and God the Father.
8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. 9 But 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? 10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! 11 I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.
12 I plead with you, brothers, become like me, for I became like you. You have done me no wrong. 13 As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. 14 Even 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. 15 What 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. 16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?
17 Those 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. 18 It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you. 19 My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, 20 how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!
In verses 8-11, Paul was concerned for these Galatians because they were reverting back to their ways from before Paul preached the gospel of Jesus to them. They were turning back to these miserable principles and observing these special days, months, and seasons and letting other people tell them the way that they should live and different things like that. They should have been living by faith in Jesus Christ, letting the Holy Spirit guide them, and not trying to do things to get themselves into heaven, because we know that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life and no one can come to the Father except through him. Paul was afraid that all of the time that he spent preaching to them the gospel of Jesus was just a waste because they were reverting back to their old ways.
In verses 12-16, Paul had an illness and that is how he first preached the gospel to them. They didn't mistreat him but they welcomed him very gladly with open arms. These Galatians received the message that Paul was preaching to them with joy and they would have done anything for Paul. Now Paul was afraid that because he did tell them the truth about the gospel of Jesus Christ that he had become their enemy because they were reverting back to their old ways and they were being influenced by other people that were telling them this false gospel and making them think that they can make it into heaven on their own.
In verses 17-20, Paul was telling these Galatians that those people that were telling them all of those false things were trying to separate them from the believers of Jesus Christ so that these Galatians would be zealous for those people and not for Jesus Christ, for the greater good, or for the gospel of Jesus. Paul wished that he could be with these Galatians, talk to them, and explain to them everything because he was so concerned for them and he wanted them to live by the truth. Paul wanted them to see the truth, know the truth, discern the truth, and know that the things that these other people are telling them are not true and not good news. They had to believe in Jesus Christ, let the Holy Spirit guide them, stand firm in their faith, and not let anyone deceive them. As we know, Paul is writing these things to the Galatians while he is in prison so he was not able to see them in prison.
Oh hey friend, sorry to interrupt this blog post, but I just wanted to remind you guys that "Christ Transforms Me," my 90-day journal is available for purchase on Amazon. To learn more about the journal or to purchase one, go to www.faithfuelsmyfire.com/journal
21 Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 23 His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.
24 These 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. 25 Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For 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.”
28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. 30 But what does 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.” 31 Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.
Alright, so those are all of the verses of chapter 4 of the book of Galatians, but I'm going to discuss these verses with you guys here. So what Paul says in verse 23, you can see in Genesis chapter 16 about Hagar and Ishmael. Hagar was Sarai's (later called Sarah) maidservant. Sarah couldn't have children so she wanted Abram (later called Abraham) to have children with Hagar. Then in chapter 17 of the book of Genesis in verses 15-16 "God also said to Abraham, 'As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.' Then in chapter 21 of the book of Genesis we see about the birth of Isaac. So the son of Hagar came in an ordinary way but the son of Sarah was a result of a promise from God to Abraham. In verses 24-26, a covenant is a contract that sets rules for our relationship with God. So Paul brought this down to the issues confronting the Galatians. These other people and these Legalists wanted the Galatians to relate to God under one set of rules, but Paul wanted them to relate to God by the gospel of Jesus Christ. One covenant is related to Mount Sinai, which is the place where Moses received the law in Exodus chapters 19 and 20. The other covenant is associated with Jerusalem with Mount Zion but not with the Mount Zion of the earth. This other covenant is associated with the Jerusalem above, God's own new Jerusalem in heaven and we see about that in the book of Revelation. This covenant brings freedom because it recognizes that Jesus Christ paid the price whenever he died on the cross to forgive us of our sins, and we don't have to pay it ourselves. Every believer of Jesus Christ belongs to this new covenant.
The scripture that Paul says from verse 27 is from Isaiah 54:1. In verses 28-31, Paul is telling these Galatians that they are Children of the promise. They heard the gospel of Jesus Christ that Paul preached to them and they believed in it. As Christians and believers of Jesus Christ, we identify with Isaac as children of a promise that was received by faith in Jesus Christ. Ishmael and his descendants persecuted Isaac and his descendants so that is what Paul is saying here when he says it's the same way now. People back then with the Galatians and also modern-day people who follow God in the flesh will persecute those who follow God by faith in Jesus Christ through the promise. The scripture that Paul refers to in verse 30 is from Genesis 21:10. So as believers of Jesus Christ we are children of the free woman and we are under the new covenant. Jesus died on the cross to forgive us of our sins and whenever we believe in him and are saved by him we have eternal life in heaven with him and God the Father. We have to stand firm in our faith and we can't be deceived by other people or let other people persecute us because of our faith in Jesus Christ or let other people affect the way that we believe and the things that we believe in. There will always be people that will disagree with what we believe in and that will try to sway us into believing what they believe in but we have to stand firm in our faith in Jesus Christ, we have to let the Holy Spirit guide us, and we have to be fully submitted to the will of God the Father.
Galatians Ch 4 Study Guide
How did Jesus Christ redeem those under the law?
Why was Paul concerned for the Galatians?
Why was Paul not able to see the Galatians face to face?
As believers of Jesus Christ, do we identify with Ishmael or Isaac? Why?
What is your biggest takeaway from this Bible study?
So that concludes this Bible study on chapter 4 of the Book of Galatians. Next time we're going to go into chapter 5, so make sure you stay tuned for that.
I love you guys so much.
Never forget to choose faith over fear.
-Lorena Camille (Faith Fuels My Fire)
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Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights