Introductory remarks:
Paul continues his doctrine of justification by faith alone in Christ alone. "We were like an heir, when he was a child, had tutors and governors which he had to obey as a servant. But now Christ has come and we are no longer servants but are sons. Paul asks why they want to be servants again like they were to the false gods they served before they knew God. When he first preached to them they were so happy they would have done anything for Paul, but now they turn from him and believe false teachers who would enslave them. Abraham had a son by a slave woman and a son by a free woman. The Jews, under the old covenant are like the children of the slave woman, but we of the new covenant are the children of promise, like Isaac, the son of the free woman" (A Survey of Galatians - by Brenda). This chapter may be outlined as follows: vv. 1-7 a continuation of chapter three; Paul's concern for the Galatians vv. 8-20; the allegory of Hagar and Sarah vv. 21-31.
CONTINUATION OF CHAPTER THREE
Verse 1, "Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all."
LGT "Now I say, for how long time as the heir is a little child, he differs nothing from a servant, [though] being lord of all."
Now I say: Paul continues his discussion in another direction from chapter three on how that Christ is an end to the Law. For how long time as the heir is a little child: the child is immature spiritually and morally as related to the promise. Paul uses another Greek word for child here than he did in 3:26; there he used the word huios, meaning 'full grown sons;' here in this verse he uses the word napios, meaning 'a little child or infant.' So Paul uses little child in contrast to full grown sons. He differs nothing from a servant: before Christ came, Israel was still an heir to the promise, but only as a child, and needed a pedagogue, the Law, as a schoolmaster to bring them to Christ, the Seed, the Promise. Though being lord of all: legally, the children of Israel were lord of all by birth, though not actually until by faith. "The heir is not the possessor only the expectant possessor" (John Eadie).
Verse 2, "But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father."
LGT "But he is under guardians and stewards until time before appointed of the father."
But he is under guardians and stewards: Paul's illustration is that under the Law they were kept under the guardianship and stewardship of that Law. Until time before appointed of the father: they were as little children until the appointed time when Christ would come and release them from this bondage; remember, the Law was a tutor to point them all to Christ. We know that God the Father is the anti-type of this father in the illustration. In Roman households the pedagogue was the family slave trained for this job of caring for the under aged children; this is the illustration of what the Law did.
Verse 3, "Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world."
LGT "So also we, when we were infants, under the elements of the world we were held in bondage."
So also we: The context in which Paul uses the plural "we" refers to Jewish believers only, for the Gentile believers will be covered under verse 8. When we were infants: their state of being under the Law before Christ came to put an end to their curse. Under the elements of the world: that is, under the elements of nature; the children of Israel were taught by types and symbols of which Christ was the anti-type, that is, the fulfillment of all the types. We were held in bondage: they were in bondage of the Law, which no one was able to keep.
Verse 4, "But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law."
LGT "But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, come under the Law:"
But when the fullness of time came: when the time for Christ purpose came. "The moment by which the whole pre-messianic period was completed. Comp. Eph.1:10 It answers to 'the time appointed of the father (ver.2)" (Vincent). Spiritual bondage under the Law ended with the fullness of God's timetable for Christ to fulfill His mission of offering Himself for all who will believe. God sent forth His Son: God sent forth His pre-existing Son from His heavenly glory. "Through His Son they pass from servants into sons. Christ came not without a commission: the Father sent Him; and He undertook the mission, came in love, did His Father's will, 'became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.' He was with the Father as His Son prior to His mission" (John Eadie). Born of a woman: this is the only way Christ could take on His humanity; the fact that it does not mention an earthly father, proves His deity. Christ was the only God man, truly human and truly divine. Come under the law: "According to promise and prophecy, salvation was to be of the Jews. The woman's Seed was to be specially the Seed of Abraham, through the line of Isaac and Jacob, of the tribe of Judah, and the family of David. He was a 'minister of the circumcision,' being sent only 'to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' And the purpose is then described in the following vv." (Eadie).
Verse 5, "To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."
LGT "In order that He might ransom those under the Law, in order that we might receive adoption of sons."
In order that He might ransom those under the Law: Christ was born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might ransom many; the means of this ransom is not mentioned here, however, it was mentioned in Chp. 3:13 "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." In order that we might receive adoption of sons: again, Paul uses the term huios for sons, meaning, full-grown, mature sons and daughters. The Jew no longer had to worship God through sacrifices and rituals prescribed in the Law; they now had the right and privilege as full fledged adopted sons and daughters to worship God in Spirit and in truth. They no longer had to bow down towards the altar and pray to God as a remote far off Deity; they now are able to go before the throne of God boldly as full-fledged family members, being loved with the same eternal love from God that He has for His precious Son and our Savior Jesus Christ. How could any one ever express the meaning of grace more soundly or more precisely than this? What a wonderful eternal position we have as part of this divine family.
Verse 6, "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."
LGT "And because ye are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba Father."
And because ye are sons: we are the Father's sons and daughters, and because of this adoption into the divine family: God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts: we are sealed by the Holy Spirit, and God sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in the heart of every believer, giving the assurance that we are sons indeed. "Who hath sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts" (2 Cor. 1:22) "now he that hath wrought us for the self-same thing is God, who also hath given us the earnest of the Spirit" (2 Cor. 5:5). Crying, Abba Father: the word "Abba" is most nearly translated as "Daddy." This is a most endearing term as related to father son relationship.
Calvin notes on the security of the believer from this verse:
"Let it be observed, that Paul ascribes this [being indwelt with the Holy Spirit] universally to all Christians; for where this pledge of the Divine love towards us is wanting, there is assuredly no faith. Hence it is evident what sort of Christianity belongs to Popery, since any man who says, that he has the Spirit of God, is charged by them with impious presumption. Neither the Spirit of God, nor certainty, belongs to their notion of faith. This single tenet held by them is a remarkable proof that, in all the schools of the Papists, the devil, the father of unbelief, reigns. I acknowledge, indeed, that scholastic divines, when they enjoin upon the consciences of men the agitation of perpetual doubt, are in perfect agreement with what natural feelings of mankind would dictate. It is the more necessary to fix in our minds this doctrine of Paul, that no man is a Christian who has not learned, by the teaching of the Holy Spirit to call God his Father."
Verse 7, "Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."
LGT "So that no longer thou art a servant, but a son: and if a son, also an heir of God through Christ."
So that no longer thou art a servant: under the Law they were all servants. Outside the Law we are all servants of sin. But a son: under grace we are all sons by adoption. And if a son: the first class condition, "and since you are a son," then an heir of God: that is, since we are all sons, we then are joint heirs with Jesus Christ. Through Christ: that is, through the death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and present session of Jesus Christ at the right hand of God, we are imputed with His righteousness, and we are seated with Him positionally in the heavenlies, and we are full-grown sons of God. This verse gives us the proper motive for serving our God; we are sons and not bastards; we should serve Him because we have Christ dwelling in us, and we are legitimate sons of God.
Paul's Concern for the Galatians
Verse 8, "Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods."
LGT "But then indeed not knowing God, ye were in bondage to those who by nature are not gods."
But then indeed not knowing God: Paul now is addressing the Gentile believers. Paul points out the time past when they knew not God. Ye were in bondage: they were slaves to sin, and were worshipping idols. To those who by nature are not gods: these gods were opposed to nature, for they were made by human hands (Acts 17:29).
Verse 9, "But now, after ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?"
LGT "But now, having known God, but rather having been known by God, how are ye turning again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which again ye desire anew to be in bondage?"
But now, having known God: the Galatian Church was made of mostly Gentile believers. Paul says that now that they have received the grace of God, but rather having been known by God: Paul makes this correction to the first statement of their knowing God, in order not to put too much stress on the human element of their finding God; the truth of the matter is that God found them. "God knew them ere they knew Him, and His knowing them was the cause of their knowing Him" (Eadie). "If God knows a man, that fact implies an activity of God which passes over to the man, so that he, as the subject of God's knowledge, comes into the knowledge of Him" (Vincent). How are ye turning again to the weak and beggarly elements: from the Pharisaic legalism and the beggarly insolence of idols. To which again ye desire anew to be in bondage: now that Christ has set them free, it amazes Paul that they would once again put themselves under bondage to the Law; and under the bondage to their old religious practices.
Verse 10, "Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years."
LGT "Ye are observing days, and months, and times, and years."
These were all Jewish ordinances that they kept under the Law, for example, keeping the Sabbath. Paul was not correcting them for observing these times, but only their motive for doing so. They all, Jew and Gentile alike, were saved by the grace of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, now they are turning back and putting themselves under the burden of the Law.
John Eadie notes:
"But first he condemns the Galatian Gentiles for observing sacred Jewish seasons, which, not being intended for them, had therefore no authority over them. The Gentile keeping of Jewish Sabbaths, or of Passovers, Pentecosts, new moons, and jubilees, was in itself a wrong thing - a perilous blunder then as it would be a wretched anachronism [relic] now. And secondly, he condemns the observance of these 'times,' because the Galatians regarded such observance as essential to salvation, and as supplementing faith in the atoning work of Christ. These limitations are plainly supplied by the context, and the true theory of a Christian Sabbath, or rather Lord's Day, is not in the least involved in the discussion."
Verse 11, "I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain."
LGT "I am afraid for you, lest somehow in vain I have labored as to you."
Paul fears that the worst has happened. He fears that after teaching them that they were saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, that now they have turned to works of the Law. Paul feels as though all his preaching of Christian liberty has been in vain. Paul could not tolerate them turning back to Judaism. Luther said, "These words of Paul breathe tears."
Verse 12, "Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all."
LGT "Keep on becoming as I [am], because I also [am] as you, brethren, I beseech you: ye wronged me in nothing."
Keep on becoming as I am: free from bondage of Jewish ordinances. Stop listening to the Judaizers. Because I also am as you: I once thought the Jewish way was the right way, but now I am given over to the grace of God. Brethren I beseech you: Paul is not scolding them with the thought of what they deserved, he truly wants them to come back to grace thinking. Ye wronged me in nothing: on the contrary; when Paul first taught them God's grace, they accepted it with love in their hearts for Paul.
Verse 13, "Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first."
LGT "But ye know that on account of weakness of the flesh I announced the Gospel [of grace] to you at the first:"
Paul visited the Galatians on two different occasions. The visit he is referring was prolonged by illness, of which we know nothing. We do know by the context that this illness caused him to stay quite a while with them, and that the sickness prevented him from traveling, but not from preaching the grace of God.
Verse 14, "And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus."
LGT "And your temptation in my flesh ye despised not nor loathed, but as an angel of God ye received me, as Christ Jesus."
And your temptation in my flesh ye despised not nor loathed: this "temptation" or "test" in his flesh, in other places he calls "his thorn in the flesh." Whatever his weakness was, the Galatians did not despise or loathe. The meaning of the word loathes means to "spit out." Because of this thorn in his flesh the test to the Galatians would be to reject his teaching, but they did not. "The general sense is, that Paul had some bodily infirmity, perhaps some periodically returning disease, that was a great trial to him, which they bore with, with great patience and affection. What that was, he has not informed us, and conjecture is vain" (Barnes). But as an angel of God ye received me: with the utmost respect ye received me as if I were an angel sent from God; which by the way he was; you see the Greek word for angel also means messenger, and Paul was certainly that, as he himself proclaims, "I was not sent from man but I was sent from God." As Christ Jesus: they received Paul as if he were the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ would be received with much higher veneration and adoration than any angel.
Verse 15, "Where is the blessedness ye spake of? For I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and given them to me."
LGT "What then was your blessedness? For I bear you witness that, if possible, having plucked out your eyes ye would have given them to me."
What then was your blessedness: for what reason do I regard you as blessed? For I bear you witness that: That time when you were full of joy, when you received the gospel of grace how you were willing to do the following: If possible having plucked out your eyes ye would have given them to me: whether Paul meant this as a general compliment on their willingness to part with their eyes, or that Paul was referring to some malady he had with his eyesight is hard to distinguish; but, nevertheless, the point he makes is how wonderfully they received him at first, and now they were turning away from grace; they were "falling from grace" so to speak.
Verse 16, "Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?"
LGT "So then, have I become your enemy speaking truth to you?"
So then, have I become your enemy: Paul was an enemy to the Pharisees and Judaizers, and now to the ones he loved so dearly, and who loved him at first hearing of the truth. Speaking the truth: as Robertson put it so well: "It is always a risky business to speak the truth, the whole truth. It may hurt."
Verse 17, "They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them."
LGT "They are zealous after you, not rightly, but they desire to exclude you [from us], in order that ye may be zealous after them."
They are zealous after you: the Judaizers, the false prophets, seek the church with their flattery and false motives. Not rightly: they do not seek them with the truth. But they desire to exclude you from us: they desire to turn their hearts away from Christ and His gospel of grace. In order that ye may be zealous after them: this has always been the desire of the Pharisees and Judaizers; to seek admiration from the crowds with their long ostentatious and pretentious public prayers and their showing off of their phylacteries [religious boxes filled with inscriptions worn on the arm by Jewish men when they prayed]. We have the same thing happening in the church today with the so-called pastors seeking a livelihood from dupes they call their flock. I personally do not believe in the modern day method of setting up churches with a pastor who considers himself a spiritual leader. I do believe in a Bible teacher teaching what he knows to God's spiritual family; but I do have a problem with a man making a living off the Word of God. I had a Greek professor who would offer to anyone that wanted extra help to come down on Saturday from eight in the morning until noon. At first there were five students beside myself that came for extra help. Then after about three weeks I was the only one who showed up. And what impressed me so much about this man is that he said it didn't matter to him if I was the only one, what mattered to him was that he could help me learn. This went on for two years with me being the only one showing up, and he did this without pay. I learned a great lesson from this beloved brother of mine.
Verse 18, "But it is good to be zealously affected in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you."
LGT "But right [it is] to be zealous in a right thing at all times, and not only in my being present with you."
But right it is to be zealously sought after in a right thing: if the ones who sought for you had the right motive and a righteous cause, it would be a good thing; however they certainly did not. And not only in my being present with you: Paul says, that when he was with them they accepted the truth of the gospel of grace and also loved him for giving them this truth; now he says that if some came in his absence with the truth, that is, the good thing, it would be good for them to accept them also, but these false prophets were not zealous over a good thing.
Verse 19, "My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you."
LGT "My little children, I travail again until Christ shall have been formed in you:"
My little children: this tender address to the Galatians is a first for Paul, but used many times by the apostle John in his writings. I travail again: as a mother travails in childbirth; Paul says that he is in travail as he was when he first presented the gospel of grace to them and they were born again. Until Christ shall have been formed in you: until you reach spiritual maturity. Paul was not concerned about their being born again, for he calls them, "little children", that is, "My little born ones." He now wants them to move on into maturity, because the false teaching of the Judaizers was now dwarfing them. "These earlier pangs he had felt already when they became his little children; but now that they were born, he was in labor a second time, again, that they might come to manhood, and be Christians so fully matured that the indwelling truth should be their complete safeguard against seduction and error" (Eadie).
Verse 20, "I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you."
LGT "But I was wishing to be present with you now, and to change my voice, because I am perplexed, as to you."
But I was wishing to be present with you now: the Galatians had changed a lot since Paul had visited them. Paul was suffering at the thought of his little children being led astray by these false prophets. And to change my voice: "When the apostle says that he 'desired to change his voice,' he means, that he should be glad to be present and converse with them personally, instead of writing to them at a distance; because then he could be more fully informed of their true state, and better able to know how to order his discourse to them" (Chandler- quoted by the editor of Calvin's commentary). Because I am perplexed, as to you: Paul was perplexed at the direction his little children were heading, and he was wishing he could be with them and possibly use a milder tone in order to help them back on track towards spiritual adulthood.
The Allegory of Hagar and Sarah
Verse 21, "Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye hear the law?"
LGT "Tell me, you who wish to be under law, the law do ye hear?"
Tell me: Paul starts this subject very abruptly. Paul begins his Old Testament history lesson in order to compare to them how ridiculous it is to desire to be under the law in favor of freedom under grace. You who wish to be under law: you who insist on being under the law. The law do ye hear: do you even know what the law requires? You might be aware of how righteous you feel by keeping a law, but are you aware of the penalty imposed upon the law-breaker. I am going to tell you by illustration just how burdensome the law is. McGee notes: "The Galatians had not actually heard the law. The giving of the law was not beautiful and cozy, but terrifying. The Galatians seemed to want to be under law so Paul was going to let them hear it."
Verse 22, "For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman."
LGT "For it has been written [and stands written], that Abraham had two sons, one of the maidservant, and one of the free [woman]."
That Abraham had two sons: Ishmael and Isaac. One of the maidservant: Ishmael born to Hagar. And one of the free woman: Isaac born to Sarah. Using an illustration from the life of Abraham (Gen. 16:17,18; 20:21), Paul is going to make a contrast between these two son: the son, Ishmael, born to the maidservant, Hagar, represented the law; the son, Isaac, born to the freewoman, Sarah, represented grace.
Verse 23, "But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise."
LGT "But the one of the maidservant, according to flesh has been born, but the one of the freewoman according to promise."
But the one of the maidservant: Ishmael. According to flesh: Ishmael was a bastard, because he was born from a fleshly arranged affair, made between Sarah and Hagar, and Abraham agreed with them. But the one of the freewoman according to promise: God had promised to miraculously cause Sarah to become pregnant with Isaac; but that promise was not good enough for Abraham and Sarah, which led to the illicit affair that produced Ishmael. The promise was that through Abraham's seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed, and that his seed would be as the sand on the seashore. Ishmael was born by the natural cause of nature, but Isaac was born by the promise of God, miraculously through Abraham's wife, Sarah, who was well past childbearing age.
Verse 24, "Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar."
LGT "Which things are allegorical: for these [women] are two covenants; one from Mount Sinai, bringing forth to bondage, which is Agar."
Which things are allegorized: Paul saying these things are allegorized, does not deny the literal historical account of Abraham and Sarah and all that surrounds the birth of their son Isaac; however Paul makes use of the historical account for the allegory that Isaac represented the freedom of grace, while Ishmael represented the burden of the law. Paul by no means uses this allegory as a means of interpreting the Scriptures. He uses the allegory the same as Christ with the Prodigal son (Luke 15). For these [women] are two covenants: Paul says that these two women can illustrate the two covenants of law and grace, the Old Covenant being that of law, and the New Covenant, that being grace. One from Mount Sinai, bringing forth bondage: the law placing the nation under servitude to the law. Which is Agar: Agar, being the Greek spelling of Hagar, she represented the allegorical servitude of the people under the law.
Verse 25, "For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children."
LGT "For Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia: and corresponds to the now Jerusalem, for she is in bondage with her children:"
For Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia: Hagar, allegorically represents Mount Sinai where the Law was given; in Arabia, represents the entire Arab race, that is, they are all descendants of Ishmael. And corresponds to the now Jerusalem: the earthly Jerusalem in Paul's day, the nation under bondage to the Law. For she is in bondage with her children: "The apostle Paul has been describing this very bondage - 'under the law,' under pedagogy,' 'under tutors and governors,' 'in bondage unto the elements of the world'" (Eadie). The Jews are in the same condition of the children of Hagar, or the offspring of their mother.
Verse 26, "But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all."
LGT "But the Jerusalem above is free, which is mother of us."
"Paul here means the Messianic Kingdom of Christ, partially realized in the Christian Church, but to be fully realized only at the second coming of the Lord" (Vincent). The term mother of us does not refer to the visible church, but only the invisible spiritual church, which is made up of only believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. The fact of the Jerusalem above being free represents the freedom of the gospel of pure grace, setting the Jew and Gentile alike free from the bondage of the Law.
Verse 27, "For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not: break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband."
LGT "For it has been written [and stands written], Rejoice, O barren that bearest not: break forth and cry, that travailest not: because many children of the desolate, more than of her that has a husband."
Paul illustrates the allegory by quoting Isa. 54:1. "The prophet refers to Sarah's prolonged barrenness, and Paul uses this fact as a figure for the progress and glory of Christianity (the new Jerusalem of freedom) in contrast with the old Jerusalem of bondage (the current Judaism). His thought has moved rapidly, but he does not lose his line (of teaching this great doctrine of grace)" (Robertson).
Verse 28, "Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise."
LGT "But ye, brethren, like Isaac, are the children of promise."
The phrase like Isaac means children by way of the promise, which is the new birth in Christ Jesus, not by the flesh from Ishmael. All Christians became children of God by faith alone in Christ alone in the same manner as Isaac.
Verse 29, "But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now."
LGT "But as then he who was born according to flesh persecuted him [born] according to Spirit, just as now."
Just as Ishmael persecuted Isaac, and the children of Ishmael, the entire Arab populations, the Ishmaelites, that is, the Arabs that are not Christians, are still persecuting the Jews today. The allegory is that unbelievers that rely on the flesh for their salvation hate all of us who are saved by the grace of God. Unbelievers hate the free grace of God because they cannot take credit for their own righteousness, which is, by Isaiah's definition 'filthy rags' (Isa. 64:6).
Verse 30, "Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman."
LGT "But what says the Scripture? Cast out the maidservant and her son: for in no way the son of the maidservant may inherit with the son of the free [woman]."
But what says the Scripture: Paul looks back to Genesis 21:10. Cast out the maidservant and her son: Sarah asks Abraham to get rid of Hagar and her son; and he does. For in no way the son of the maidservant may inherit with the son of the freewoman: this illustrates that no man can be saved by the works of the flesh; the only way a man or woman can be saved is faith alone in Christ alone.
John Eadie notes:
"The lesson from this portion of the allegory is, that Judaism is in no sense to be combined with Christianity; that they were intended to be kept asunder, and to no extent to be amalgamated; that they are so opposed in genius and working - flesh and Spirit, bondage and freedom - that any compromise between them is impossible. The inheritance belongs alone to Abraham's spiritual seed, and cannot be obtained by mere natural descent from the patriarch. And all this on highest authority, that of Scripture, to whose teachings they professed to yield implicit obedience. Not many at this period could acquiesce [agree] in this teaching; for Judaism was still tenaciously clung to by myriads who believed, and who could not so fully emancipate themselves from the early bias and national prepossession as did the apostle of the Gentiles."
Verse 31, "So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free."
LGT "Wherefore, brethren, we are not children of the maidservant, but of the free [woman]."
Paul assures the Galatians that they have been saved by the free grace of God, and that there is no other way to Him except by faith alone in Christ alone.
The next chapter is a continuation of this chapter. Verse one of chapter five continues this thought of being children of the free woman.
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