[:en]SCRIPTURE: GALATIANS 4
“Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who call out “Abba Father”. So, you are no longer a slave, but a son and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir” (vs. 6-7)
Paul was concerned for the Galatians because even if they had already known God, they were turning back to observance of law. False teachers pretended to be zealous and appeared to be persuasive and respectable, but they have bad intentions and selfish motives. Paul used Hagar and Sarah to picture the relationship between God and the people. Hagar, who bore Ishmael was a slave woman while Sarah, who bore Isaac was a free woman. Isaac was born by the power of Spirit as a result of promise while Ishmael was born in the ordinary way. The scripture says that slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son (v. 30)
Paul contrasted those who are enslaved to the law (represented by Hagar-slave wife) with those who are free from the law (represented by Sarah, the free woman). Therefore, when we become the children of God, we are no longer children of the slave woman (v. 31)
Lesson: When we accepted Christ as Savior, we become His son, being set free and are no longer under the law. Watch out for the false teachers, who try to entice us to be enslaved to the law. God had sent the Spirit of His son into our hearts and made us an heir to His inheritance.[:]