NO NEED FOR GRACE Without LAW

Hang in with this study.  This is where Christians get confused.  Wrap your arms tightly around these thoughts.

Sha’ul (Paul) takes an example from the Torah to explain his point further through the two sons of Abraham.

One son, Isaac, was born to Abraham through a promise of God. The other son was born to him through a lack of faith, or taking matters into his own hands, Ishmael through the bond servant, Hagar. It begins by stating the reason for the letter. “Tell me, you who desire to be under the Torah (Law) (for salvation) do you not hear the Torah?”The article in the Greek is missing before the word Torah. This implies the Galatians had not yet completely embraced the idea of observing the Torah for redemption, but were on their way. Sha’ul gives them more food for thought so they only see redemption by faith and not works. Galatians 4:21

Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?

Gal 4:22

For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. Gal 4:23

But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

Gal 4:24

Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Hagar.

Gal 4:25

For this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she serves as a slave along wit her children.

Gal 4:26

But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.

Gal 4:27

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.

Gal 4:27 CJB “Rejoice, you barren woman who does not bear children!  Break forth a shout, you who are not in labor!  For the deserted wife will have more children than the one whose husband is with her!”

Gal 4:28

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

Gal 4:29

But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born  after the Spirit, even so it is  now.

Gal 4:30

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.

Gal 4:31

So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

Sha’ul uses his Rabbinic tactic that he learned from Gamaliel, grandson of Hillel.  He states that he was the son of a Pharisee, a Pharisee himself (Acts 23:6). He is telling them that they must understand this point and study the scriptures from this perspective, or we will ultimately go down the wrong road. This is exactly what has happened in many churches today.

Isaac is symbolic of the children of promise. Ishmael is symbolic of those attempting to obtain redemption by their own merit.  Hagar was symbolic of Mt Sinai which represents the earthly Jerusalem now.  Sha’ul did not think Jerusalem an evil city and loved it and we are taught to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  Psalms 122:6.

What was Sha’ul referring?  It is simple when we exclude what he was not saying.

As Hagar was a picture of Mt Sinai, which represents Torah, and her children are children of works, then it follows that the children of Hagar are in bondage to the very thing that gives them liberty and freedom.  Jerusalem is the capitol of God and His Torah.  Therefore, she too (Jerusalem) has been placed in bondage by the children of Hagar, who claimed that the observance of the Torah was the way to be found righteous before God.

In direct contrast to this was Sarah, who gave birth to the child of promise.  She was symbolic of Jerusalem that is above, (heavenly Jerusalem) which cannot be seen or touched and required faith.  Heb 11.1.  To believe in a promise requires faith.

 Verse 4:27 relates to Isaiah 54:1

Sing, O barren, thou that  didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that  didst not travail with child: for more are  the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.

This is NOT an argument for Grace vs. Law, it an argument for faith vs. works.

Grace and Torah (Law) must coexist, they compliment one another.  There is no need for grace without Law.      

All who believe are children of faith, or promise.  Those who place their redemption on their performance, or works, are children of deeds, and are opposed to faith.  Those who oppose faith alone for redemption, always have, and always will, persecute those who believe in the promise of redemption by faith alone.

Verse 30 is from Gen 21:10.  It is a prophecy that the children of the bondwoman, those who depend on their works for redemption, shall not be heirs with the children of promise, those who have faith in God alone for their redemption.

This verse does NOT mean that those who keep the Torah do not have faith and are not the children of the free woman.

Keeping the Torah requires faith.            

Source:  Galatians by Steve Salter

SCHOOL MASTER

Galatians 4.6-7

And because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of His son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba Father!”  Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of G-d through Messiah.

To understand what a slave becomes very important. The Greek word for child, nepios, means one that is untaught, unskilled or immature, both intellectually and in a moral sense.  This person needs guidance.  Parents place restraint on children to keep them from harm but perhaps only so many hours of television or video games.  Slave comes from the Greek word, doulos.  The Hebrew is, eved.  A slave is one that serves a certain purpose, that is, he was to serve the one that owned him.  And, one that is heir to the master had no more rights than a slave, until the time he reached adulthood, i.e. thirteen years of age.  A father could delay the inheritance if his heir was not yet fit to obtain it.  Thus, the heir is not capable of fulfilling his obligation until the time the that his father determines.

This father will put his heir under a tutor to prepare him for the task of becoming a master or ruler.  We as believers in Jesus (Yeshua), are at that stage of life.  When we achieve this status of maturity, we will then be ready to receive our inheritance.  This can only be when we receive our glorified bodies.  Rev 20:6.  Until that time we are under a schoolmaster or tutor…Torah….which is designed to teach and instruct us in the ways of righteousness and Godliness…  This is the Purpose of Torah.

It does not say that Messiah came to redeem one from the Torah, but rather “those under the Torah.”  The Torah is our tutor until such a time we no longer need it as a tudor.

the Torah does not deal with redemption, because that is the purpose of the Messiah.  If the Torah can save us then why would God send Messiah?  And, why did He appoint a time for this event. “Until the time appointed” mean it was appointed in the beginning of time.  God appointed a time in which He would send the Word to become flesh for the redemption of mankind.  Paul was attempting to put these concepts forward that were from the beginning.

Galatians 4:6-7 are powerful.

“And because you are sons, God sent forth the spirit of His son into your hearts.”….no longer slaves…but a heir…son…through Messiah.

Galatians 4:8-11 speaks of the Galatians that at one time knew God or was known by God that they turned again to the weak and beggarly elements which once again put them into bondage.  These days and months and seasons and years were Gentile practices serving other gods like Zeus, Diana…as we do today in our very own Olympics.  We are still blending the old traditions, my friends.

The Galatians went back to what they knew before learning about the living God, Adonai.  Paul is not speaking of Jewish festivals, but Gentile festivals.  He was NOT referring to The Lord’s Festivals, kosher or commandments in general, but it was pagan feasts and celebrations.  They were mixing paganism with Godly things.

Should I start a list of what we do…..

The foundations of Christmas, Easter, Valentines, Halloween are not of the Lord.  The Lord’s Feasts even in the story of Noah declare God’s festivals.  But even The Lord’s Festivals could not be celebrated for gaining salvation.  They were there for those with a heart for God to enjoy to draw closer to God.

God uses His tutor, the Torah, to show us His Feasts which point to how to live our lives and how it will also  be when we graduate to that heavenly Jerusalem.

Shalom my friends….The Feast of Trumpets is soon to come.  I will be blowing my shofar and declaring His Name on all the earth.  It is 70 years since 1945, the Shemittah year of the Holocaust.  It is ten sets of Shemittah years.  CELEBRATE… Could it be the Seventh Trumpet seal is next?