Gal 4 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Gal 4:1-7: 4:1-7 Paul supports his argument that the law’s purpose for God’s children was fulfilled when Christ came, so that we are no longer bound by it. Summary for Gal 4:1-3: 4:1-3 A child inheriting an estate might receive a large fortune, but before coming of age, the child must obey guardians and trustees until the time set by the father. Similarly, before Christ came, God’s people were under the guardianship of the law (see 3:23-24 ).

Summary for Gal 4:1-7: 4:1-7 ^a Paul supports his argument that the law’s purpose for God’s children was fulfilled when Christ came, so that we are no longer bound by it.
Summary for Gal 4:1-3: 4:1-3 ^b A child inheriting an estate might receive a large fortune, but before coming of age, the child must obey guardians and trustees until the time set by the father. Similarly, before Christ came, God’s people were under the guardianship of the law (see 3:23-24 ^c).
4:3 ^d Before Christ came, God’s people were like underage heirs to a large estate (4:1-2 ^e). They would inherit a great fortune (4:5 ^f), but they were still subject to their guardian (3:23-25 ^g).

• the basic spiritual principles of this world: This probably refers to the principles of law that govern the world apart from Christ; these principles were fully expressed in the law of Moses (3:23-24 ^h; cp. 4:5 ⁱ).
Summary for Gal 4:4-5: 4:4-5 ^j God set the right time in the course of history for Christ to come (cp. Luke 4:18-19 ^k; Eph 4:8-10 ^l).

• Christ was fully human (born of a woman) and subject to the law. Christ fulfilled the law (see Matt 3:13-15 ^m; 5:17 ⁿ) so that now God’s children have freedom and are no longer bound as slaves to it.

• to buy freedom: By fulfilling the law and bearing its curse, Christ ransomed us from its claims (Gal 3:13 ^o; see also Rom 3:24 ^p; Col 1:13-14 ^q).

• so that he could adopt us: See also Rom 8:15-17 ^r.
4:6 ^s The Holy Spirit provides an inner testimony to assure us that we are God’s children (see Rom 8:16 ^t; Eph 1:13-14 ^u).

• Those who have the Spirit of his Son are able to address God as Father, just as Christ did (Mark 14:36 ^v; cp. Matt 6:9 ^w).
Summary for Gal 4:8-11: 4:8-11 ^x Paul reminds the Galatians of their former paganism; he argues that practicing circumcision (and the law in general) would be a return to the same kind of slavery that they experienced before they knew God. 4:8 ^y The Gentile Galatians had previously practiced pagan idolatry; they worshiped the elements and the seasons (cp. Rom 1:25 ^z) and were slaves to the fear of offending these so-called gods (1 Cor 8:5-6 ^aa).
4:9 ^ab now that you know God: Christians have a relationship with God that is like a child to a parent rather than a slave to a master (4:5-7 ^ac).

• why do you want to go back? Paul was perplexed (cp. 4:19-20 ^ad) that Christians who had this standing would want to return to their old life of slavery.

• now that God knows you: God is the agent of salvation and had taken the initiative in laying their souls bare (cp. Ps 139:1-6 ^ae, 23-24 ^af; Luke 2:34-35 ^ag; Heb 4:12 ^ah) and forgiving them freely.

• By turning to circumcision, the Galatians would be returning to the same useless spiritual principles of this world that they had known under paganism. In both cases, one must work to satisfy an unyielding master.
Summary for Gal 4:10-11: 4:10-11 ^ai Circumcision was not the Galatians’ only attempt to follow the law; it was one example of a whole way of thinking. They had also begun celebrating the Jewish festivals, thinking that it would make them more acceptable to God. To Paul, it was another indication that they did not understand, or had turned their backs on, the Good News of God’s grace through Christ.
4:11 ^aj I fear for you: The Galatians were in danger of turning away from Christ by relying upon the law. If they did, Paul’s hard work would have been for nothing. The Good News would have done them no good (cp. Heb 6:4-6 ^ak; 2 Pet 2:20-22 ^al). See Acts 13:44–14:24 ^am for a description of Paul’s work for the sake of the Christians in that region.
Summary for Gal 4:12-20: 4:12-20 ^an Turning aside from scriptural arguments, Paul appeals personally to the Galatians by reminding them of their close relationship with him. 4:12 ^ao live as I do: Paul, the scrupulous Jew, abandoned his own efforts at righteousness and received the free grace of God in Christ. Now he calls these Gentiles to adopt his position rather than take on the practices he had abandoned. Paul’s exhortations throughout the rest of the letter (4:12–6:10 ^ap) grow out of this single command.

• You did not mistreat me: Likewise, the Galatians should not mistreat Paul now but should continue in their warm acceptance of his ministry and message.
Summary for Gal 4:13-14: 4:13-14 ^aq I was sick: Paul might have had a chronic physical ailment, but it is not certain what it was (cp. 2 Cor 12:7 ^ar). Paul’s condition was serious and apparently caused difficulty or even offense to the new church in Galatia. Physical trouble was often regarded by both Jews and Gentiles as a sign of God’s judgment (cp. John 9:1-2 ^as; Acts 28:4 ^at). The Galatians saw past Paul’s outward condition and received him as God’s messenger (literally angel; Greek angelos).

• or even Christ Jesus himself: Cp. Luke 10:16 ^au.
4:15 ^av The Galatians had been joyful and grateful in response to Paul’s preaching of the Good News.

• your own eyes: Some conclude from this phrase that Paul’s eyes were diseased, but Paul might have been using eyes as a word-picture of a precious asset (cp. Deut 32:10 ^aw; Ps 17:8 ^ax; Matt 18:9 ^ay). In their gratitude to Paul for the message of good news, the Galatians would have ... given him their most valuable possession.
4:16 ^az The contrast couldn’t be greater between the Galatians’ acceptance of Paul and his message at the beginning of their Christian life, and their current suspicion or even rejection of him.
4:17 ^ba are so eager: The Greek word can have the positive meaning of zeal and eagerness or the negative meaning of jealousy and envy. The same word is also translated will pay attention and “is eager” (4:18 ^bb).

• They are trying to shut you off from me: Perhaps the Judaizers were so eager because they envied the Galatians’ devotion to Paul and wanted it for themselves (cp. 2 Corinthians; see also Luke 11:46-52 ^bc). Another possibility is that the Judaizers wanted the Galatians to become dependent on them as interpreters of the law.
4:18 ^bd Paul’s statement might mean that it was fine for people to seek the Galatians’ loyalty, but those other teachers were not in fact eager to do good things for them. Alternatively, this verse could be translated It is good to be always sought eagerly for good things, and not just when I’m with you. In this case it would mean that it was good for the Galatians to continue eagerly embracing Paul and his message and not change their attitude toward him in his absence.
4:19 ^be The Galatians were Paul’s spiritual children (cp. 1 Cor 4:14-15 ^bf; Phlm 1:10 ^bg). The process of bringing them to Christ had been like going through labor pains, a hard labor with a definite and joyful conclusion. Now Paul felt that it wasn’t finished after all.

• until Christ is fully developed in your lives: Paul uses wordplay, switching the metaphor so that the Galatians would give birth to Christ’s image if they continued in the faith that Paul delivered to them. However, if they took up the law, they would produce a stillbirth. Paul must continue his hard work as a midwife in order to prevent this from happening.
4:20 ^bh Had Paul been personally present, he would have been able to “read” his hearers and thus shape his appeal to their exact spiritual and emotional condition. From afar, he wasn’t sure if the tone he was using would be effective.
Summary for Gal 4:21-31: 4:21-31 ^bi Paul now returns to arguing from Scripture, using the contrast between Hagar and Sarah and between their children. Paul argues for a similar contrast between those who are slaves under the law and those who are free in Christ.

• Paul’s argument uses the allegorical techniques of rabbinic Judaism (see study note on 4:24). Having been trained as a rabbi (Acts 22:3 ^bj), Paul could out-argue the Judaizers using their own methods. 4:21 ^bk do you know what the law actually says? They were trying to achieve righteousness by the law, but they did not truly understand its meaning (cp. Luke 24:25-27 ^bl; 1 Tim 1:7 ^bm).
Summary for Gal 4:22-23: 4:22-23 ^bn The son of the slave wife was Ishmael, born to Sarah’s servant Hagar (see Gen 16:15 ^bo). Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham in a human attempt to obtain the heir (see Gen 16:1-4 ^bp) that God had promised (see Gen 15:1-6 ^bq). Sarah’s son, Isaac, was the son of the freeborn wife (see Gen 21:2-3 ^br); he was miraculously conceived as God’s own fulfillment of his promise (see Gen 17:15-21 ^bs).
Summary for Gal 4:24-25: 4:24-25 ^bt Paul connects Abraham’s human attempt to fulfill God’s promises (4:23 ^bu) with the human attempt in Galatia and elsewhere to attain salvation by keeping the law. Hagar’s status as a slave-wife corresponds with Israel’s enslaved status under the law. This status contrasts with the status of those who have faith in Christ (4:26-27 ^bv). 4:24 ^bw serve as an illustration (literally are being allegorized): In allegorical writing, every character and event is symbolic of a deeper meaning. Allegorical interpretations often ignore the historical meaning of the text and invent fanciful meanings. Here, by contrast, Paul understood the story correctly in its historical context and recognized the story as history. But he interpreted the characters of the historical story as symbolizing the current situation. Paul’s opponents were apparently also using allegorical methods of interpretation, so Paul refuted faulty allegory with true allegory (cp. 1 Cor 9:22 ^bx).

• God’s two covenants: The old covenant was formed through Moses; the new covenant came through Jesus Christ.

• Hagar represents Mount Sinai: Just as Hagar was a slave-wife who represents human effort, Mount Sinai brought slavery to following the law.
4:25 ^by Both Hagar and Mount Sinai were symbols of Jerusalem, which stood for Judaism in Paul’s day. Judaism continued to trust in the law and in physical descent from Abraham for their status before God (cp. John 8:31-59 ^bz); they rejected Christ and continued to live in slavery to the law (Gal 3:23-24 ^ca; 4:1-3 ^cb).

• Mount Sinai in Arabia: The traditional location for Mount Sinai is in the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. However, some have suggested that in Arabia means that Mount Sinai was in Midian, where Moses once lived (see Exod 3:1 ^cc).
4:26 ^cd Just as Hagar represents slavery to human effort based on Mount Sinai (4:24-25 ^ce), Sarah represents freedom in the heavenly Jerusalem, the ideal city of God. Abraham’s true children by faith (3:29 ^cf) now live in the reality of God’s reign in Christ.

• she is our mother: Sarah’s child, Isaac, was the freeborn recipient of all of God’s promises apart from the law. Similarly, Jews and Gentiles who live by faith in Christ are Sarah’s true children—they receive God’s promises to Abraham freely apart from the law (3:26-29 ^cg; 4:4-7 ^ch).
4:27 ^ci The quoted passage, Isa 54:1 ^cj, promised Israel that they would be fruitful after the Exile. Because those who have faith in Christ are Sarah’s children (Gal 4:26 ^ck), they fulfill the promise that Sarah (the childless woman) would be more abundantly fruitful than the slave-wife Hagar. To the Judaizers, those who don’t follow the law may have been considered “barren,” but through faith they are abundantly fruitful as the bride of Christ (2 Cor 11:2 ^cl; Eph 5:31-33 ^cm).
Summary for Gal 4:28-31: 4:28-31 ^cn Paul applies the allegory of Hagar and Sarah (4:21-27 ^co) to the situation in Galatia. Isaac represents those who are born through God’s promise (3:8 ^cp) by the power of the Spirit (3:2-5 ^cq; cp. Eph 1:13-14 ^cr) and who trust in God for salvation through Christ by faith alone. Ishmael represents those who believe that human effort by keeping the law will make them acceptable to God (Gal 3:10-11 ^cs). This identification would have been shocking to the Judaizers, who thought of themselves as the legitimate children of Abraham because of their insistence on law-keeping.
4:29 ^ct Ishmael persecuted Isaac, the child of the promise, at Isaac’s weaning ceremony (see Gen 21:9 ^cu). Similarly, in Galatia, those who want you to keep the law were persecuting those who trusted in God’s promise, the message of God’s grace through faith in Christ alone (cp. Acts 13:50-51 ^cv; 14:1-7 ^cw).
Summary for Gal 4:30-31: 4:30-31 ^cx Sarah’s demand regarding Ishmael, quoted from Gen 21:10 ^cy, becomes a principle (see Gen 21:12 ^cz) for dealing with the current son of the slave woman—anyone who refuses to abandon slavery to the law. God does not allow those who seek righteousness through human effort to share in his inheritance (see Rom 9:30-33 ^da). Those who come to God through Christ alone, by faith and not by keeping the law, are children of the free woman who inherit God’s blessings.