GALATIANS 4:21-31
GALATIANS 4:21-31
New International Version
21 Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 23 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.
24 These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written:
“Be glad, barren woman,
you who never bore a child;
shout for joy and cry aloud,
you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband.”
28 Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. 30 But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” 31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.
GALATIANS 4:31
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.
REFLECTION
So often, we find ourselves trying to control all of the situations in our lives. We try to order things perfectly, to have it all lined up just right, with our own hands firmly at ten and two. Paul reminds us in this passage that our salvation is not something we can wrestle into submission. We are not saved by our own hands. We can’t work our way to salvation, and there’s not enough money in the world to buy it. The only way to be counted as free is to believe and surrender everything that we are to God. Faith is the only way.
RESPONSE
If you are being honest with yourself, do you rely more on faith in God or faith in yourself in your day-to-day life?
Spend a few minutes in prayer. Ask God to take control of the areas of your life that you’ve tried to handle all by yourself.

