March 20 - Galatians 4:21-23

March 20 - Galatians 4:21-23

Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 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.

Paul’s insight into the overall story of redemption is glorious, isn’t it?  We have the benefit of his insights as well as many others so it may seem to us that this is overly simplistic, but how many of you would look back to the beginning of the relationship God had with the Israelites and make the comparison between slavery with the things of the flesh and freedom and a divine promise?

We come to a relationship with God by way of a divine promise.  In Jeremiah 31:31 we read, “The time is coming when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.”  God was preparing His people for a new covenant – a divine promise - which would be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. 

Jesus affirms that covenant in Matthew 26:28, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Under the old covenant … the Law was supreme.  Every day it was a process to remain holy.  The people were constantly aware of their inability to overcome sin.  They were bound up as slaves, unable to have any freedom in their relationship to God.  Corruption was too great.

Under the new covenant … freedom in Christ is supreme.  He died so that we could be holy.  We spend our days living within God’s grace.  The payment has been made.  We are able to overcome and have victory over sin because of that grace offered to us through Christ’s sacrifice.

Live as if you know that.  Live in freedom – no longer bound by sin, but freedom that comes from knowing Christ paid the price and offers us grace.  Live according to the divine promise.