Galatians 4:21

Galatians 4:21 says, Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?  Paul asked those who now desired to be under the law, instead of under faith alone, if they even understood what the law taught.  We likewise must realize that any other way to God other than through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross will ultimately prove us guilty in God's judgment.  Verse twenty-two adds, For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.  Paul reminded the people at Galatia about Abraham.  Abraham had two sons, one by his own design with a handmaiden and one by the promise of God with his wife, a freewoman.  Abraham and Sarah failed to have faith in God being able to fulfill His promise to them and felt they needed to ensure God's plan would succeed by acting on their own.  We today must never believe that we control God's will in any way.  God is not dependent on us in any way, but we are always dependent on Him.  Verse twenty-three continues, But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.  Ishmael was born of the flesh, from the plan of Abraham and Sarah to fulfill God's promise on their own.  Isaac was born of the promise made to Abraham and Sarah.  Their plan did not replace God's plan, and neither will ours.  Verse twenty-four states, Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.  Paul said that the two births were an allegory for the two covenants, one of the law and one of faith.  The law led to bondage and faith leads to freedom.  Verse twenty-five adds, For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.  Agar, or Hagar, the bondservant, represented Mt. Sinai, where the law was given, and was now subjected to Jerusalem, where faith in Christ alone was finally realized.  Just as Abraham and Sarah had tried to achieve the promise of God based on their own actions as opposed to simply having faith in God, so it is if we attempt to justify ourselves by the keeping of the law as opposed to simply having faith in Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse twenty-six continues, But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.  God's promise to Abraham was a free gift, and so is the salvation represented by Jerusalem.  Verse twenty-seven says, For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.  Verse twenty-eight adds, Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.  Paul said that though there might be more born who were not true descendants of Abraham that those who now put their faith in Christ were like Isaac, the children of the promise to Abraham by God.  Verse twenty-nine continues, But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.  Paul said that those born of the flesh persecuted those born of the Spirit then and now.  Of course, now those Jews who wanted to add the law as a requirement of salvation would be some of those persecuting those who believed in salvation by faith alone.  Verse thirty states, Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.  There are those who say that God was unfair to Hagar, but she was no more cut off from salvation than any person ever was.  God's promise was to Abraham and Sarah, and He wanted no confusion about who the promise was to be fulfilled through.  Verse thirty-one adds, So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.  Paul said that Christians, those who put their faith in Christ alone, were free from bondage.  Under the law, we will always be in bondage, and under faith in Christ we will always be free from the penalty of sin.  We cannot mix the two.