Galatians 4:21-23 – The Law Has Never Taught Salvation By Law-Keeping
The false teachers in Galatia were using the Old Testament to try and argue for salvation by works. Paul refuses to accept their argument that the Old Testament taught salvation by works. Paul’s argument in these verses is quite technical. We may struggle to follow it all. But if you can at least get the big picture of what he’s saying, it will help you understand the whole Bible better.
Paul starts in v21 by addressing those who desire to be under the law. There’s a lot of confusion about what this phrase ‘under the law’ means. That’s especially true when Paul uses it in Romans 6 and says we’re not under law, but under grace. So every time we come across this phrase, we need to be really clear about what it means. To be ‘under law’ isn’t a description of someone who thinks the law still defines God’s standards. God doesn’t change, and his standards don’t change. Instead, to be under law describes someone who is under the law as a way of trying to earn salvation. That’s clear from everything we know about the false teachers in Galatia. And it’s especially clear in Romans 6:15, where Paul immediately goes on to deal with the objection: ‘Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? (In other words: ‘if we don’t have to keep the law to get to Heaven, can we live however we want?’). He answers: ‘By no means!’
So in v21 here in Galatians, Paul is saying – ‘You who desire to be under the law. You who think that Jesus isn’t enough to get to Heaven. You who think you have to be circumcised and perfectly obey God. Have you actually listened to what the law says!’ (Paul is using the word ‘law’ here in the wider sense as referring to God’s word in general). Why does he use the example of Abraham? To show that attempts to earn our way to the promises of God by human effort have always failed.
Paul is making the point, in v. 23, that Ishmael was born according to the flesh, and Isaac was born through the promise. Ishmael was born as an attempt to get what God had promised by human effort. Isaac was born as evidence that getting what God had promised is only possible by faith in him. Do you see the connection with the false teachers in Galatia? They believed in the same promises of God that Paul did – that Heaven was on offer. But they weren’t content to trust in the promises of God in order to get there. Instead, they wanted to get there through human effort. So they added in circumcision and law-keeping.
Questions
- What does it mean to be under the law?
- What do Isaac and Ishmael symbolise?
Prayer Points
- Pray that we would trust in the promises of God instead of trying to earn them.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.