Ten years had passed from the time Abram first arrived in Canaan. He still had no son. Sarai suggested that Abram sleep with her servant, a cultural alternative to traditional family building. Abram agreed and Hagar conceived. There was tension between Sarai and Hagar but the Lord intervened, and Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son. Abram was eighty-six when Ishmael was born.
Thirteen years later, God appeared to Abram. God restated the covenant and renamed Abram and Sarai to describe their future status. He gave instructions to Abraham regarding the covenant of circumcision. Then God explained that Sarah would miraculously bear a son by this time next year. His name would be Isaac and God’s covenant promise would be fulfilled through Isaac, not Ishmael. Abraham had planned for Ishmael to be the heir for the last thirteen years. He pleaded with God that Ishmael, his firstborn son, be the heir of the land. God clearly denied that request, but stated that Ishmael would be a ruler of a nation with twelve rulers serving under him. However, Isaac would be born to Sarah and the covenant promises would be fulfilled through Isaac’s line. Abraham obeyed God’s instructions and had all the males circumcised that very day.
Isaac was indeed born to Abraham and Sarah as promised. In time, Ishmael was observed mocking the child and Sarah became enraged. She stated to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.” Hagar and her son Ishmael, now an older teenager, were sent off to the desert. In time, Hagar found an Egyptian wife for her son, and he became ruler and had twelve sons. The Ishmaelite’s were nomads who inhabited various areas across the Arabian Peninsula. Muslims record Muhammad as a descendant of Ishmael. Islam has become an impressive global religion based on the law established through Muhammad.
Islam, Judaism and other major religions have a conceptual tenet in common–obedience of a law by which everyone will be judged. The common principle that aligns these religions together is the premise that the better the law is kept by the individual; the better things will be in the next life. This premise makes its followers slaves to their law. Christianity is an exception to the others. We believe, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, … in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles [believers of any ethnicity] through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit” (Galatians 3:13-14).
Christians identify themselves with Christ who has fulfilled God’s law already. He not only followed it perfectly, but he incurred the penalty of God’s law, death. He died on behalf of those are incapable of keeping God’s law perfectly. When Christ died, the temple curtain was torn, top to bottom. That miraculous event signified the way to God was now open to all–apart from law. Therefore, believers are credited with the righteousness of Christ, by grace, through faith.
Law and grace are opposed. Law puts the emphasis on the individual and means you will get what you deserve. It should be noted that it is not possible to keep God’s law perfectly; it is an exercise in futility for all sons of Adam. Its purpose was to point to Christ, the Righteous One. Law ends in death; it is the ministry of death. Its ultimate goal was to teach us that mankind has no hope apart from faith in God’s redemption plan, the gospel. The gospel teaches us that the sin of mankind was imputed to Christ who died as a substitutionary sacrifice, which was acceptable to God. Subsequently, the Righteousness of Christ is imputed to those who believe. It is based on faith, not works; Christians believe in the redemption God provided through Christ, not works performed by self. In other words, Christians believe in grace, not law.
Grace puts the emphasis on the love and mercy of God. It means you will get something you do not deserve, and have not earned. Righteousness is obtained by faith in the work of another, Jesus Christ. It is the ministry of the Spirit and brings life (2 Corinthians 3:7-18). Grace is opposed to law. The Apostle Paul used the opposition of Sarah and Hagar to illustrate.
Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.
These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written: ‘Be glad, barren woman, you who never bore a child, shout for joy and cry aloud, you who were never in labor, because more are the children of the desolate woman [Sarah] than of her who has a husband [Hagar].’
Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. But what does Scripture say? ‘Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.’ Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised [signifying that you intend to be under law], Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
Galatians 4:21-5:6
Next Section: Faithful Obedience
Table of Contents: Faith, Hope and Love
Text for this post has been borrowed from my Kindle eBook Faith, Hope and Love (Book 2 of the Grace and Knowledge Series), by Brother Woody Brohm. Copyright 2013.
I’ve included the full text of the book on this blog and you are free to read the book in this format if you please. Just follow the Next Section Link or view the Table of Contents to skip to wherever you prefer.
All Scripture quoted from:
New International Version (NIV)
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