Children of Promise | Galatians 4
This message was preached at Sherwood Community Friends Church on Sunday, November 16, 2025. You can watch the video in full by clicking below.
Over the last 3 weeks, we have dove headfirst into the letter to the Galatians in our current teaching series “Galatians: Freedom Through Christ.” This letter was written to the churches in Galatia around 48-50 A.D. to a mixed audience of steeped-in-tradition Shammai Jews and Gentiles who had little to no context of the ancient Law.
Now, throughout Galatians, there are a lot of references to the Law. But Paul’s aim is not to educate the Gentiles on how to live under the law. Rather, voices of legalistic influence had seeped into the church through the Law-abiding Jews. So throughout the book, Paul is unpacking what the purpose of the Law once was to then identify why it is not necessary for freedom through Christ today.
Paul talks about the law to reveal the path to the one Gospel: Jesus plus nothing.
And because of Jesus, we now join together with Christ through our choice to self-crucify our flesh.
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
There is no ritual, habit, or good work that can self-power us into the Way of Christ. It’s only through the cross and our submission to it, as Jesus submitted to it, that we will experience the fullness of the Gospel.
Paul is doing everything he can to keep the Galatian church grounded in their identity in Christ. The cross is now their identity. Nothing else.
Paul also reminds them of Abraham, to point out that Abraham was considered righteous because of his faith, not because of any part of the Law, because the Law had not yet been written, yet it was his faith in the Word of God that was credited to him as righteousness.
Belonging has always only been tied to faith. Yet the law was given as a teacher and a guardian of the Israelite children to point them to the way of Yahweh Elohim, the Lord God.
Paul also reminds them that they must hold their faith in the finished work of Jesus ALONE because the flesh cannot accomplish reconciliation with God the Father. Their belonging to God was already done for those who have chosen to sacrifice THEIR way to follow the Way of Jesus. Chapter 3 capstones with this language of being an heir of the promise.
This is where we pick up today. You’ll want to open your Bibles to Galatians 4.
Children Vs. Slaves
Notice that the lineage language that we concluded with in Chapter 3 Paul leans into even more.
“1 Now I say that as long as the heir is a child, he differs in no way from a slave, though he is the owner of everything. 2 Instead, he is under guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elements of the world.
Paul is pointing out that even though the Israelites were children of God and not slaves, they were still subject to the authority of another, just as a slave would be. Just as a child must learn how to be an adult over the course of 18 or so years, the same was true of the baby Israelite nation when the Law was given to them.
Why did they need a tutor if all that was needed was faith, as Abraham had already demonstrated?
The Israelites had been enslaved by Egypt for hundreds years. They had been living under the rules, culture and lifestyle of a secular, polytheistic society. So when they were freed from Egypt, God their Father knew they would need a bit of a playbook, a guide, a tutor to give them a way to stay on the path of relationship with him. So 50 days after the Exodus, the law was given to them through Moses at Mt. Sinai.
But the Law was still under the authorship and authority of the Lord God, and there was always a middle man. First Moses. Then the priests. There was a break in a direct relationship with God. But the Law doesn’t have the final authority.
Again, the Law served as a temporary guardian pointing to Christ, revealing inadequacies, creating a longing in us for a permanent solution.
That law served a purpose for a time. Paul points this out in verse 3: “In the same way we also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elements of the world.”
Just as a child is subject to the traditions, chores, and celebrations of their nuclear family as they raise him or her, so were the Israelites subject to the Law. They were subject to the rhythms of the law, the special days and rituals and seasons that were included in the Law for the duration until that time came to completion, when the hope for a permanent solution could be provided.
Completion
Enter Jesus.
Paul presses further.
Galatians 4:4–7 — “4 When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father!’ 7 So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then God as made you and heir.”
If you’re in Christ, then you’re not just saved. You are sealed in adoption. You’re not just forgiven. You are now family with Christ.
The word “completion” indicates that Jesus came at the perfect time. That word “completion” could also be translated as the “full measure” or “fullness.”
And, this wasn’t a coincidental moment in time when Jesus showed up. Culturally, Pax Romana meant stability and prosperity. There was a common language across the Roman empire - Koine Greek. And the road system, as well as harbors and postal system, provided an interconnectedness that catapulted the spread of Christianity in a way that might not have been possible before. But even in all the seemingly good of Rome, there was also oppression, economic inequality, and imperial propaganda. The felt needs were never greater.
God’s children were ready to graduate from the tutor of the Law and enter into freedom.
And Jesus, the Promise, was born of a woman. That seems obvious, though, right? Why did Paul need to point this out?
If we stick with the Abrahamic theme of Galatians, we see that Christ is a direct descendant of Abraham and Sarah, an offspring of the delivered promise given to them when Isaac was born. More on that in a minute.
But, remembering that this audience is both Gentile and Jew, I wonder if Paul is pointing out that the delivery of the Promise, that is Christ, is bigger than the Law itself, tracing the freedom that Christ delivers back to the Garden, when through the woman all of humanity was separated from God during the Fall.
We recall in Genesis 3, after the Fall, God says to the serpent:
Because you have done this, you are cursed more than any livestock and more than any wild animal. You will move on your belly and eat dust all the days of your life. 15 I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel. Genesis 3:14-15, CSB
And the promise prediction continues from Isaiah:
”Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14, CSB
Of course, we know that it was Jesus who was born of a virgin, Mary, the mother of the Ultimate Promise. Jesus is the one who would be God with Us and would crush the head of the enemy in victory.
But not only is Jesus born of a woman. Jesus was also born under the law.
Don’t miss this! He didn’t come from the Gentiles. In order to be the fulfillment, the completion of what the Law intended, that is, the Law was intended to be the guide to the Father, Jesus had to come as one born under the Law to fulfill the way to the Father.
Because of Christ, we are no longer slaves to the Law. That redemption word is exagorazo and it means to “buy or purchase.” There is a cost associated with this. When a purchase is made, there is sacrifice. When Jesus came to earth, there was sacrifice. He came in humanity, born in flesh and under the law, so that we, God’s creation, could access the Father directly upon his victory and our acceptance of that victory.
Because of this sacrifice and subsequent victory, we no longer need that tutor. BUT, God doesn’t just turn us loose to be on our own either. He doesn’t pay our bail bond and then leave us to our own recognizance. He adopts us as his own.
Adopted as God’s children of the promise.
And because of that redemption and then adoption, we no longer must go through the guardian - through the law - to receive access to God the Father.
Instead, we can cry out ABBA! Father…
A slave does not have that access. A child does. We can refer to God the Father in the same way that Jesus himself did in the Garden, as a familiar Father whom we can approach (Mark 14:36).
We are no longer under the law. We are under love.
Staying as Children
Here’s the tension: we like the idea of freedom, but deep down, we prefer control. The Law gives us checklists and it feels predictable. What Jesus gave us access to is grace. Grace gives us freedom and access but even that feels dangerous.
“8 But in the past, since you didn’t know God, you were enslaved to things that by nature are not gods. 9 But now, since you know God, or rather have become known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elements? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? 10 You are observing special days, months, seasons, and years. 11 I am fearful for you, that perhaps my labor for you has been wasted.
Paul names in the Galatians what we struggle with today.
We do what they did: We keep our hands on the wheel, nod to grace, and live as though our standing with God depends on our consistency instead of Christ’s cross.
But faith is not control. Faith is surrender.
Surrender of our wills. Surrender of our safety nets. Surrender of our nest eggs. Surrender of our cushion. Surrender of our margin. Surrender of our comfort. Surrender of our security. Surrender of our boundaries.
And Paul takes their abandonment of grace personally. He’s concerned that his ministry to them has been wasted because it seems they are putting themselves back into bondage.
“12 I beg you, brothers and sisters: Become like me, for I also became like you. You have not wronged me; 13 you know that previously I preached the gospel to you because of a weakness of the flesh. 14 You did not despise or reject me though my physical condition was a trial for you. On the contrary, you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus himself. 15 Where then is your blessing? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 16 So then, have I become your enemy because I told you the truth? 17 They court you eagerly, but not for good. They want to exclude you from me, so that you would pursue them. 18 But it is always good to be pursued in a good manner—and not just when I am with you. 19 My children, I am again suffering labor pains for you until Christ is formed in you. 20 I would like to be with you right now and change my tone of voice, because I don’t know what to do about you.”
Paul is at his wits' end with them. He wants more for them than they seem to want for themselves. He wants them to live in freedom, embracing the justification that Christ gives, yet they seem to want to live under the law, under the old guardian.
This would be like our son Brayden, even though he has been on his own now for 2 years to decide to come back under the guardianship of Robert and I. How foolish that would be for Brayden!
Paul felt a very personal connection with the Galatians. We gather that Paul suffered some illness, likely something to do with his eyes with his reference in verse 15, when he was there previously and they cared for him. They received him and in exchange he was able to minister to them too. So it makes sense that when he hears of them going off the rails that he speaks up! He loves them too much!
How many of you know you speak up, sometimes strongly, into the lives of those you love?
You see, Paul is bringing them back to the teaching that he gives, one that embraces freedom from the traditions, special days, seasons, and so on that the Law gave previously-freedom from the must-dos and the must-don’ts. Paul, the man who used to live and breathe the Law, has now experienced grace and freedom. He’s clearing away the brush and the obstacles and removing the stumbling blocks so there is a simple path to God the Father for the Galatians.
And Galatia had this freedom, direct access to Abba. But they are gravitating back to the Law and with it bondage. There are these false teachers in their midst, and under their influence, Galatian churches have begun to reject the teaching of freedom and started embracing the pathway of the flesh - the pathway of accomplishment.
Two Women
To drive home is point, he pulls in another allegory from Abraham.
“21 Tell me, you who want to be under the law, don’t you hear the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and the other by a free woman. 23 But the one by the slave was born as a result of the flesh, while the one by the free woman was born through promise. 24 These things are being taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai and bears children into slavery—this is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and 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, childless woman, unable to give birth. Burst into song and shout, you who are not in labor, for the children of the desolate woman will be many, more numerous than those of the woman who has a husband.”
Here is the tale of 2 women:
Abraham was given a promise.
Abraham took matters into his own hands. Abraham with Hagar (Sarah’s maidservant) had a child - born of the flesh, meaning the human desire to accomplish.
Abraham with Sarah had Isaac - born through promise. It was by grace and through God’s deliverance that this promise for a child was fulfilled.
Paul points out that this is an allegory.
Hagar is representative of the children of Mt Sinai, where the law was given to Moses, and the present Jerusalem from where the false teachers had come from (2:11-13). They continue to subscribe to said law.
This is representative of spiritual slavery - bondage to the law - the must-dos in order to have salvation.
The free woman gave birth to a child through promise and promise alone was fulfilled.
This represents the Jerusalem above, the one from where we are born, the one that is available by grace alone.
The OT reference is from Isaiah 54:1 and affirms that being on the side of promise, rather than the Law, will produce more and more “children.” At the time of Isaiah, they believed this referred to the Israelites.
But now, Paul is using this to describe all humanity who follow the way of Jesus–that as children of promise, there will be many more children of promise, too numerous to count, when we choose to live in the promise!
No matter the blood lineage, we are all children of Promise when receive the gift of Promise - that is Jesus Christ.
Paul continues:
”28 Now you too, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But just as then the child born as a result of the flesh persecuted the one born as a result of the Spirit, so also now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? “Drive out the slave and her son, for the son of the slave will never be a coheir with the son of a free woman.” 31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of a slave but of the free woman.”
Paul caps the allegory by stating the punch line: You are children of promise, not of the flesh or slavery. BUT the flesh will always try to dominate the Spirit, just as the child of flesh tormented the child of promise.
The reference in v30 flashes us back to Genesis 21:10 and reminds us that we must do everything we can to cut out the flesh. We must be actively aware and on guard, because the flesh will creep in to dominate. More on this next week.
Today: Children of Promise
Today, we are children of the free woman if we have chosen Christ above our human desire for accolades, accomplishment, and autonomy. Children of promise. Children of grace. But it is a choice. Surrendering to the promise is not easy. It’s far easier to take matters into our own hands and try to help God out a bit.
But if we are going to embrace our identity as Children of Promise, we must acknowledge that our identity cannot also be based on performance. True belonging doesn’t come from rules. It comes from relationship with the God who keeps His promises.
You carry a promise that’s stronger than your struggle. The God who credited Abraham’s faith with righteousness has done the same with you if you hold the same faith. What are those promises?
God will save you from separation from him (Rom 10:13)
God will not leave you or abandon you (Deut. 31:6)
God will bless you who call on him and you will not be put to shame (Rom 10:11-12)
God will give you peace (John 14:27)
God will give you wisdom when you ask (James 1:5)
God will meet all of your needs (Philippians 4:19)
God will give you rest (Matthew 11:28–29)
God will guide you (Psalm 32:8)
God will give you his steadfast, unfailing love (Psalm 136)
And so many more promises. Not because of what anything you have achieved, but because you simply come to him, accept the promises he offers, then wait on him to deliver in abundant grace.
Silent Reflection
What part of your heart is still under the weight of the Law? (performance, fear, or old patterns)
How is the Lord God inviting you to live as a Child of Promise? (freedom, grace, being vs doing)
Conclusion
One closing thought:
Paul reminds us in Galatians 4 that we are “no longer slaves, but God’s children,” and because of that, we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
That identity doesn’t stop with us. It’s meant to overflow out of us and into the world that we live in. When we live as children of promise - living in grace instead of our task lists and checkboxes and gold stars - that grace radiates off of us. And people can’t help but notice.
So as we walk out these doors today, the invitation is simple: live like the free children you are. When the Lord God first interacted with Abraham, he told him that he was going to bless Abraham so that he would be a blessing to others.
Right before Jesus ascended to heaven, he said “as you are going, make more disciples” - show more people the way of Promise.
So today, let your life of Promise become a blessing for everyone else you know around you. If you aren’t sure how to be a blessing to others, not that long ago, we did a 5-week sermon series on this.
Let your adoption become someone else’s glimpse into knowing the Father. Let the love of the Father that has been poured into your life overflow into the lives of those who need to know Him, too.
The world won’t be convinced of the way of Jesus if we live in and mandate the Law of dogma and doctrine. Nor will the world be convinced if we don’t open our mouth to speak of this promise of grace that we actively live in! The world is waiting for a people so free in Christ that His love becomes undeniable, in presence, word, and deed.
It’s time to be about our Father’s business.
