How does Galatians 4:21 connect with the freedom found in Christ? \Setting the Stage: Listening to the Law\ “Tell me, you who want to be under the law, do you not listen to the law?” (Galatians 4:21) • Paul speaks to believers flirting with legalism—trying to add Moses’ covenant to Christ’s finished work. • The verse is a gentle but pointed challenge: if you truly hear what the Law says, you will recognize its inability to grant life or freedom (cf. Romans 3:20). \The Contrast: Law’s Demands vs. Grace’s Gift\ • Law: reveals sin, exacts perfect obedience, but offers no power to obey (Romans 7:10-11). • Grace: grants righteousness as a gift through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). • Galatians 3:24: “So the Law became our guardian to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” \Freedom Illustrated: Hagar and Sarah\ • Immediately after 4:21, Paul retells Genesis 16–21. – Hagar (slave woman) → Sinai covenant → bondage. – Sarah (free woman) → promise → freedom. • The allegory drives the point that inheritance comes through promise, not performance (Galatians 4:28-31). \Christ’s Fulfillment: Freedom Not License\ • John 8:36: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” • Galatians 5:1: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free…” • Romans 8:2: “For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” • Freedom in Christ = release from: – The penalty of sin (justification) – The power of sin (sanctification) – The impossible demands of the Mosaic code for righteousness \Living the Freedom: Practical Implications\ • Stand firm—refuse any “plus-Jesus” gospel. • Walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16); liberty leads to holiness, not indulgence. • Serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13); true freedom expresses itself in self-giving, mirroring Christ. Galatians 4:21 thus anchors the believer’s liberty: the Law’s own testimony exposes our need for the Savior, driving us to the freedom only He provides. |
    |