Today, we finish looking at Paul’s illustration using the story of Sarah and Hagar, which he used to show the struggle between law and grace for the Galatians. Let’s look at two more applications from this Old Testament story.
3. Purge Anti-Gospels (30)
30 But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” (Galatians 4:30)
In the Genesis passage, a point of contention arose when Sarah witnessed Hagar’s son mocking toddler Isaac. She appealed to Abraham, and God told him to send Hagar and Ishmael out on their own. God blessed and cared for them, but that isn’t the point Paul makes here. He used the story to illustrate what the Galatian believers needed to do to the legalists in their midst—drive them away! Cut them off! Cast them out! [1] Since law-keeping as a way to gain God’s approval directly contradicts Jesus’ cross, believers must drive out that mentality. We “must recognize the incompatibility of man-made and God-made religion and respond by casting out the legalizers.” [2] Paul’s usage of the Genesis story here is nothing short of incendiary. Many Judaizers (legalists, Jewish nonbelievers) had likely used the story to portray God’s rejection of Gentiles, but Paul used it the opposite way. Those who are relying on Judaism to save them, whether through biology or obedience, must be driven out like Hagar! Believers must drive out all the anti-gospels that creep into our minds and churches: When we think our own righteousness approves us before God When we think our own power can deliver us When we think our own wisdom can guide us When we think our own ingenuity can prosper us And conversely: When we think our own shortcomings have disqualified us When we think God’s strength is unavailable to us When we think God is looking for perfect people We must drive out these anti-gospels. Job’s life is a good example of the need to cast out anti-gospels. Job suffered, and his friends told him he must have sinned to bring such pain into his life. But everyone suffers, and God was doing something beautiful in Job and for all of us behind the scenes. But the perpetual voices aimed at Job told him that he wouldn’t be in such despair if he had simply performed better. It was an anti-gospel, and it had to be cast out. And you often find this anti-gospel alive and well when Christians suffer—What did I do wrong? What must I do to get out of this? Why am I being punished? The tower of Babel is another example of an anti-gospel gone wild. As people gathered there, they believed they could build a structure reaching the heavens. They believed they could create a glorious society without God, making a name for themselves (Gen. 11:4). Through their works, without God’s grace, power, or strength, they thought they would thrive. Instead of humbly asking God for help and grace, they believed in the anti-gospel of works. But as we preach the good news of the gospel of grace to ourselves every day, we become strengthened against anti-gospels when they well up within us. We grow to detect them more easily, and soon, they stand out in opposition to the true gospel. Recently, I was working out in my garage when my daughters came home from winter camp. I didn’t realize a friend was with them, and I also didn’t think twice about what I was wearing: workout shorts over a nice pair of tights, a snug little t-shirt, and a durag-styled sweatband. She is part of our church, and she couldn’t stop laughing. To her, something was off with Pastor Nate. I pray we can come to the same place when anti-gospels appear. I pray we would grow to detect them, laugh at them, and then, as Paul said, quickly cast them out.
4. Know Who You Are (31)
31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman. (Galatians 4:31)
In his illustration, Paul meant that Jesus’ people are descendants of Sarah, children of promise, connected to the New Covenant of Mount Calvary and of the Spirit. This is who we are, and we cannot forget it because our remembrance of it is quite literally a life-or-death issue. When we recall that we are illustrations of God’s majestic grace, we live well as gospel lights to the world around us. We embrace our position as a chosen race, royal priesthood, holy nation, and a people for God’s own possession. We proclaim the excellencies of him who called us (1 Pet. 2:9).
“As believers, a key component of the significance of our lives is that we are living, breathing symbols of the transforming grace of God that has freed us from our slavery to sin, death, the devil, and all the powers of this present evil age.” —Matthew Harmon [3]
But when we forget who we are, we begin to project to our world that we are self-made before God through our personal morality or goodness. Our lives become pulpits proclaiming legalist mantras, just like all the other religions of the world. But grace is different. We are children of the free woman. And we are children of grace–we must not forget it. Recently, I was out on a walk when I saw a hat lying on the side of the road. I suspected I had dropped mine the day before, and there it was. But when I inspected it, I realized it wasn’t mine after all, so I kept walking. As I did, I scratched my head and realized I was wearing the very hat I thought I had lost. It was right there on my head! This is how it so often is regarding our identity in Christ. We slip into an attempt to prove ourselves to God, but the gospel reminds us we are already approved. We are already clothed with the righteousness of Jesus!
Conclusion
By God’s grace, we have been brought from barrenness to fruitfulness, slavery to freedom, and law to grace. We now have eternal and heavenly citizenship, and one day, our city will arrive. This all happened through the work of Christ. Just as Abraham’s plotting and planning could not fulfill God’s purposes, our efforts and attempts cannot gain our good standing before God. We needed his plan and power. Just as Sarah received a miracle child in Isaac, we are born to God through the miracle of Christ’s resurrection and the new birth of the Spirit. So when the anti-gospels roll in, let us reject them! [1] Walvoord. 2003. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament. Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook Publishing Company. [2] Barker, Kenneth L., and John R. Kohlenberger III. 2019. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary the Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Old & New Testaments. USA: Zondervan Academic. [3] Harmon, Matthew S. 2021. Galatians: Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary. Lexham Academic.
