Galatians | November 9, 2025

 

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Galatians 4

21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. 23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. 24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written, "Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband." 28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman." 31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.

Talk Sheet Questions

  1.  Describe a time you tried to “help God out”? What were the results?

  2. To whom does Paul equate those under the law? How might that have sounded to the ears of the Galatians?

  3. What is the significance of Paul tying the backstory of the Galatians to being children of the promise (28)? How do you incorporate the story of Abraham into your own story?

  4. Read Genesis 21:8-9 and Galatians 4:29. How does the persecution of Isaac by Ishmael relate to the tensions between law-based religion and gospel-based faith (29)?

  5. Have you ever felt persecuted by extra rules or regulations from others in your walk with God?  

  6. How does the freedom you have as a child of God (or your connection to the Jerusalem above) affect the way you live during the week? How can we encourage each other to live with those truths in mind?

Prayer

Pray that Christ would be formed in you.

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Scott Reavely