What is the meaning of Galatians 4:30? But what does the Scripture say? Paul pauses his argument and points the Galatians straight to the written Word—his ultimate authority. • Like Jesus in the wilderness (“It is written,” Matthew 4:4) Paul treats Scripture as decisive, not merely helpful. • 2 Timothy 3:16 affirms, “All Scripture is God-breathed,” grounding Paul’s confidence. • By opening with this question, Paul invites believers to measure every teaching—legalistic or otherwise—against the clear voice of God’s Word (Acts 17:2, 11). “Expel the slave woman and her son” Paul quotes Genesis 21:10 (BSB: “Drive out the slave woman and her son”). In its original setting, Sarah insists that Hagar and Ishmael leave so Isaac can be the uncontested heir. Paul uses that historical event to illustrate a spiritual reality. • Hagar represents the Sinai covenant that produces bondage (Galatians 4:24-25); Sarah pictures the new covenant of promise. • Casting out the slave woman echoes God’s call for believers to separate from reliance on the law for salvation (2 Corinthians 6:17). • Jesus said, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin… So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:34-36). Trusting Christ means leaving slavery behind. • Genesis 21:12 shows God Himself endorsing Sarah’s demand, underscoring that this separation was His plan, not human whim. “for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” Inheritance belongs to the child of promise, not to the child of fleshly effort. • Isaac came by God’s supernatural word; Ishmael was born through human planning (Genesis 17:15-19). • Galatians 3:18: “For if the inheritance depends on the law, it no longer depends on a promise.” • Romans 8:16-17 assures believers, “We are children of God… heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.” • Ephesians 1:11 speaks of an “inheritance having been predestined according to His purpose,” highlighting grace, not works. • Hebrews 9:15 ties our eternal inheritance to Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice, not to legal observance. summary Galatians 4:30 drives home a simple, liberating truth: God’s Word settles the matter. The law, symbolized by Hagar and Ishmael, cannot coexist with the covenant of grace represented by Sarah and Isaac. Those who rely on works remain in slavery and forfeit the inheritance. Those who trust the promise in Christ are free sons and daughters, guaranteed the full blessing of salvation and eternal life. Stand in that freedom, and let Scripture have the final word. |
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