Who would like to trade you r lunch for…

1. Who would like to trade your lunch for… • $1,000?

2. Who would like to trade your car for… • a used tissue?

3. Who would like to trade your freedom for… • slavery?

4. A Tale of Two Sons Galatians 4:21-5:1

5. Galatians 4:21-5:1

6. Allegory • Allegory = another meaning • An analogy or illustration from real, historical facts • Not like Pilgrim’s Progress

7. Allegory • Purpose: to keep ancient texts relevant to contemporary thought • Greeks: poems of Homer • Pope Gregory’s ‘Job’

8. X Pope Gregory’s ‘Job’ • Job’s 7 sons = the 12 Apostles • 12 chosen to share the 7-fold grace • 7 = 3 + 4; 3 x 4 or 4 x 3 = 12 • The Trinity x 4 quarters of the globe = 12 Apostles

9. Allegory • Why does Paul do this (here)? • Testimony in Chapters 1 & 2 • OT exposition in Chapters 3 & 4a • Personal appeal in 4:12-20

10. Allegory • Meeting the Judaizers on their own terms? (21) • They probably used allegory • They probably used Abraham (cf. John 8:31-59)

11. 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman. • 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman.

12. G. Walter Hansen “…Paul’s purpose for his allegorical interpretation of Genesis 21 is to identify the Galatian Christians as the children of freedom and to instruct them to resist those who would lead them into slavery under the law.”

13. Allegory Hagar / Slave • Mt. Sinai • Present Jerusalem • Children are slaves Sarah / Free • Our mother • Jerusalem above* • Children are free

14. Jerusalem Above • Eschatological – future restoration • E.g. - Ezek. 48; Isa. 62 • Paul applies it to believers now (4:4) • Already, but not yet

15. Allegory • 28 “And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.” (i.e. – free!) • But those of the flesh persecute those of the promise (29)

16. Allegory • 30 “Cast out the bondwoman and her son…” • Reject the false teachers! (1:6-9) • They are not true heirs (3:29; 4:7)

17. Allegory • Christ set you free! • Don’t go back to slavery (5:1; 4:9) • Your conduct should be consistent with the gospel (2:11-14)

18. What Do You Think? • From what did Christ set us free? • What is a ‘yoke of slavery’? • How would you define ‘legalism’?

19. What Do You Think? • What are some things Christians think will make them acceptable to God? • Does God expect us to do any of those things?

20. What Do You Think? • “Your conduct should be consistent with the gospel.” • Does grace have anything to do with our conduct? • Romans 6; Titus 2

21. So What? • Checklists cannot make you acceptable to God • If you are ‘in Christ’ by faith, you are acceptable to God because He is acceptable to God.

22. So What? • Our conduct should be consistent with the gospel • Like Paul, we should be willing to help one another to be consistent