People under the law are slaves to the law. They are like a child who is at school. His parents and teachers always tell him, Do this and don’t do that. When a child becomes older, he is given more privileges and responsibilities of an adult. When a person is saved by grace, God adopts the new believer as a son, and the believer becomes an heir of God.
This chapter is about slaves and sons. The slaves represent those who work hard to keep the law. They are compared with sons who have been saved by grace. It is foolish for a son to act like a slave and try to keep the law. It is foolish for a Christian to live like a slave by trying to keep the law.
Hagar and Ishmael represent the law, because they are slaves. Sarah and Isaac represent grace, because they were not slaves. They were free. Hagar and Ishmael were chased out of the house because slaves could not stay together with Sarah and Isaac, who were free. Law and grace cannot be mixed for salvation. A person can be saved only by grace, without the law. The law condemns, but grace sets a person free from the law of sin and death.
1. What is the difference between a child and a servant when being told what they are to do? __________ Galatians 4:___
2. A child is young and under the law of the parents. A son is older and responsible. God wants us to receive the adoption of __________. Galatians 4:___
3. How many sons did Abraham have? __________ Galatians 4:___
4. Ishmael was a slave, born through a relationship of the flesh with a bondmaid. The other son was born by Abraham’s wife, who was a freewoman. He was the child of promise. What was his name? __________ Galatians 4:___
5. Ishmael was born after the flesh and persecuted the son who was born after the __________. Galatians 4:___