Father Abraham Had Many Sons

Galatians 4:28-31           

²⁸ And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. ²⁹ But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.

³⁰ But what do the Scriptures say about that? “Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” ³¹ So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.

Isaac was Sarah’s child, in verse 26 it describes Sarah as the “heavenly Jerusalem; the free woman”. Ishmael was Hagar’s child, in verse 24 it describes Hagar as “Mount Sinai.” (where people received the law that enslaved them) In other words Hagar was the slave and Sarah was free. Now look at our passage for today, in verse 28 it says we are “children of the promise, just like Isaac” who was born of the free woman, even though we are being persecuted like Ishmael who was born of the slave. Ishmael was born  in attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise but Isaac was born as God’s own fulfillment of His promise. (Explained in verses 22-23)

Paul is saying that all those who have come to God through faith in Christ are the sons of Abraham through Sarah. Men who approach God through their own righteousness, of law/works, are really sons of Hagar, (slaves under bondage.) Once again in graphic terms, Paul has pressed the point of the superiority of faith over works, of the promises made to Abraham over the temporary restraints of the law. Faith is everything, works is nothing.

1. Would you say faith is more important than works? Explain your answer:

2. Explain faith:

3. Explain works:

4. Do we ever put our works above faith? How do we find ourselves doing these things?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Written by Sarah