Two Covenants

Introduction

Slavery is not new. One hundred thirty-five years ago our country fought a bloody war to decide, among other things, what this land’s direction would be in terms of slavery. The owning of another person is degrading. Yet slavery has been going on for centuries and it still continues in some parts of our world. Throughout the Bible there were numerous God-honoring individuals who had slaves. We don’t think less of them. But we do recognize that God didn’t allow mistreatment of slaves. In fact, God expected slave owners to treat his slaves with respect and kindness.

Abraham owned slaves. We temper that a bit by using the word servants, but the idea is the same. Abraham had a number of people who belonged to him. Among those who were his slaves was a woman named Hagar. Hagar was Sarah’s servant. She assisted Sarah in the day-to-day routines. In fact, Hagar’s identity was completely wrapped up in Sarah. In this section, Paul is going to finalize his last argument about the difference between trying to keep the law as a way of ensuring salvation and placing faith in the work of God through Jesus Christ.

This section may seem to us to stretch a point. It poses some difficulties for us because the line of thinking is not the same as the way we might think. In Paul’s day this line of reasoning was common. It was a well-established method of getting to the truth. Secondly, we have to remember that as Paul is writing this letter, God’s Spirit is helping him think through the process. This is to be accepted as God’s word. Finally, the point is clear. While the process of getting to the point may not be as clear, there is no doubt about the ultimate point that Paul wants us to understand. Let’s begin with a time of singing and praying in which we celebrate what God has done for us through Jesus.

Abraham’s wife Sarah could not have children. They had spent their entire marriage hoping and wanting to have children. But for whatever reason, no child had come to them. God had made a promise to Abraham. From Abraham a great nation would come. The promise had been made when Abraham was 75. At age 86, he was a little concerned. Maybe he had misunderstood. Maybe God forgot. Or worse, maybe God couldn’t keep the promise. Sarah, too, was more than a little worried. Maybe God needed some help. Maybe it wasn’t important who the mother is as long as Abraham had a son. So Sarah approaches her husband and suggests that he take her slave, Hagar, as his wife. Through Hagar Abraham could have his son and since Hagar was Sarah’s slave then her children would become Sarah’s children. This seemed logical. After all, you can’t have a great nation without children. So Abraham had a child with Hagar. His name was Ishmael.

But God hadn’t forgotten, wasn’t joking, and had enough power to carry through with his promise. At age 90 Sarah gave birth to the biggest joke of all, a son named Isaac. Isaac means laughter. This was Abraham’s son by his wife. The only way a child could have been born to a 90-year-old woman was by the grace of God. This, Paul says, is the point. Verse 21 asks: those of you who are wanting to live under the law, let’s see if you really understand what is being said.

Hagar had a son by Abraham. But Hagar remained a slave. Her having a child didn’t change her status. Besides, her son was born in the ordinary way. The word for ordinary is “flesh.” It is the same word that Paul uses in 3:3 to describe “human effort.” Abraham had a son with Hagar. But the son came by human effort or by the flesh or in the ordinary way. There was nothing miraculous about this child. But Isaac is another point.

Abraham had a son with Sarah. Certainly the mechanics of having that child was no different from having a child with Hagar. But what produced Isaac is completely different. Ninety-year-old women can’t have children unless God makes something happen. Ishmael was by human effort. Isaac was by godly effort. One was born to a slave; the other was born to one who was free. One came by the flesh; the other came by a promise.

Hagar then represents the law given on Mount Sinai and found in Jerusalem. She represents Judaism filled with its rules and instructions. Just as giving birth to Ishmael still resulted in her being enslaved, so the law given at Mount Sinai resulted in enslavement. There is no freedom in the law. There is no grace. The law is an obligation to be kept. Grace gives freedom. Sarah, on the other hand, represents grace. Her child is a child in fulfillment of a promise. Born to a free woman, her child was free. Free to enjoy the full benefits of the promise. Paul’s point is that Hagar and Sarah represent two different covenants and those who want to be under law will take on the role of slave while those who want to be under grace will enjoy freedom.

So What?

What’s the big deal? Hasn’t Paul already dealt with this time and again earlier? The big deal is found in verses 28–31. In this section, Paul summarizes the connection and ends this section with an imperative. The first part of the summary affirms that the Galatians are part of the children of promise. This is an important consideration. Galatian Gentiles participate with Isaac as being able to inherit the blessings of God. The Jews would have found this offensive. Isaac was of Hebrew origin. Paul places the Gentiles in the same category which demonstrates that what makes one a child of promise is not heritage or law, but grace. Anything which we try to use to determine our salvation is bound to enslave us.

Faith is placed in a lot of things. Sometimes we point to how well we keep the law as a sign that we are saved. Sometimes we point to the sign out front as proof that we are saved. Sometimes we begin to list our heritage as if that will save us. Shame on us. That which comes from our effort cannot save us and shame on us when we think it will and shame on us when we perpetuate the idea that it will.

There is only one means by which we can all be saved and it has to do with what God has already done through Jesus Christ. Salvation is a gift from beginning to end. We can reject the gift, but we cannot earn the gift. We cannot force God to give it to us because he wants to freely give it. We are either children of the promise or children of the law. We are either free or enslaved. We are either born of the Spirit or born in the ordinary way.

Second, when we accept grace as the only means by which we can be saved then we can rest assured that we will be persecuted. Harvey Floyd, a professor at Lipscomb University has spent much of his career trying to teach his students about grace. For his biblical stance he has been criticized, derided, castigated, shunned, ignored, pushed down, and pushed around. Students have taken him before the different vice-presidents trying to get him fired. There was a brief time in which the administration did not allow him to teach Romans and Galatians because he was too controversial. Persecution comes to those who believe and teach grace.

You have to tell people what to do or else they will go off the deep end. If you don’t give them a set of rules to live by they will come up with their own rules. Don’t you believe that there are certain things Christians shouldn’t do? You make it too easy for people. Walking with God can’t be easy.

We just don’t understand grace. The nature of grace is not license. The nature of grace is freedom from having to hold to a set of rules in order to merit one’s salvation. Grace means that we are free to love. Grace means we are free to walk with God. Grace means God saves and we walk with him. Grace doesn’t mean that we are perfect. Grace does mean that we are free to serve others. Paul will get into the practical applications about grace in the next two chapters, but suffice it to say that failure to properly understand grace has led many a person to pursue the law. When we pursue our salvation by our own human effort we are enslaved. When we pursue grace we will be persecuted.

Third, verse 30 makes clear that grace and law cannot exist together. You can’t be free and enslaved at the same time. Paul is adamant. He is telling the Galatians that they are to get rid of the Jewish false teachers and pursue their walk with God again. They cannot listen to the Jewish teachers and hang on to God’s gift. To follow the teachings of the Jewish teachers would be the same thing as rejecting the gospel. To reject the gospel is to reject the gift. And this Paul wants them to avoid. To try to keep the law leads to slavery. To accept grace makes love the main principle. And love is always more powerful than law.

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