Scripture Reading: Gal. 4:21-31; 2:20a; Gal. 6:12-13, 15
In the previous message we pointed out that in 4:19 Paul says, “My children, of whom I am again in travail until Christ is formed in you.” If we consider this verse in its context, we see that it is necessary for the heirs of the promise to have Christ formed in them. Those who are sons of Abraham through faith are the heirs of the promise, those who inherit the blessing. These heirs need to be filled, occupied, and saturated with Christ. They need to have Christ formed in them.
If we would know what it means for Christ to be formed in us, we need to consider not only the entire book of Galatians, but also the books of Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. The book of Galatians indicates that God’s intention is for Christ to be wrought into His chosen people that they may become sons of God. In order to be God’s sons, we need to be permeated and saturated with Christ. Christ must occupy our entire being. The Galatians, however, were distracted from Christ to the law. Hence, Paul told them repeatedly that it was altogether wrong to leave Christ and return to the law. The believers should come back to Christ, who is both the seed who fulfills God’s promise to Abraham and also the good land, the all-inclusive Spirit to be our enjoyment. As believers, we need the full enjoyment of this blessing, the full enjoyment of the life-giving Spirit. We need to be permeated, saturated, possessed, and fully taken over by this Spirit and with this Spirit. According to the context of the book of Galatians, to have Christ formed in us is to allow Him to permeate our being and to saturate our inward parts. When Christ occupies our inner being in this way, He is formed in us.
In order to have Christ formed in us, we need to drop everything other than Christ Himself, no matter how good these things may be. Even things which come from God and are scriptural may not be Christ Himself. Although the law was given by God, it must be set aside so that all the ground in our being may be given over to Christ. We need to allow Him to saturate every part of our inner being. He must occupy us and saturate our mind, emotion, and will. To have Christ possess our entire being is to have Him formed in us.
In Ephesians 3:17 we see that Paul prayed that “Christ may make His home in your hearts.” We know that the heart includes the mind, the will, the emotion, and the conscience. To let Christ make His home in our hearts means that He makes His home in all these parts of our inner being. If Christ is to make home in our hearts, He needs to be able to settle down within us. Once again, this is to have Christ formed in us.
To have Christ formed in us is to allow the all-inclusive Spirit to occupy every part of our inner being. The law should not have any room in our mind, emotion, or will. All the ground within us must be for Christ. We need to allow Christ to occupy us fully. He should not only spread into our mind, emotion, and will; He should actually become our mind, emotion, and will. Let Christ be your thought, decision, and love. Let Him be everything to you. This is to have Christ formed in you. Everything other than Christ must diminish, and Christ must become everything to us in our experience.
Christ today is the life-giving Spirit as the blessing of the gospel, the blessing promised by God. To have the full enjoyment of this blessing is to let Christ be formed in us. This means that if we would have the full enjoyment of the blessing of the gospel, we need to have Christ formed in us. If Christ is not yet fully formed in us, then our enjoyment of the blessing of the New Testament is not yet full. Although we have enjoyed the blessing in part, we need to go on to allow Christ to occupy us wholly, to take us over and saturate every part of our being with Himself. To do this is to enjoy the blessing of the gospel to the uttermost. This was Paul’s goal in writing to the Galatian believers. As He appealed to their personal affection in 4:8-20, Paul had this goal clearly in mind. He appealed to the believers’ affection so that Christ might be formed in them for the fulfillment of God’s goal.
Galatians 4:21 says, “Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?” The book of Galatians deals strongly with deviation from Christ by coming back under the law. Such deviation shuts the believers out from the enjoyment of Christ as their life and their everything.
We have seen that in 4:8-20 Paul spoke in an affectionate manner and appealed to the personal feeling of the Galatians. He did this for the purpose of ministering Christ to them. But in verse 21 Paul goes back to the tone he used in chapter three. In fact, he speaks to them in an even stronger way. In verses 22 and 23 Paul continues, “For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one of the maidservant and one of the free woman. But the one of the maidservant was born according to flesh, and the one of the free woman through the promise.” To be born according to flesh is to be born by man’s fleshly effort, whereas to be born through the promise is to be born through God’s power in grace, which is implied in His promise. Ishmael was born in the former way, but Isaac in the latter. According to the context, the law goes with the flesh, and grace goes with the promise. The child born of the maidservant was born according to the flesh, whereas the one born of the free woman was born according to grace. Because grace goes with the promise, to be born through promise is to be born through grace.
Speaking of the two women in verse 22, Paul says in verse 24, “Which things are an allegory; for these are two covenants, one from Mount Sinai, bringing forth children unto slavery, which is Hagar. Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to the Jerusalem which now is, for she is in slavery with her children.” Of the two covenants mentioned in verse 24, one is the covenant of promise to Abraham, which is related to the New Testament, the covenant of grace, and the other is the covenant of law related to Moses, which has nothing to do with the New Testament. Sarah, the free woman, represents the covenant of promise, and Hagar, the maidservant, the covenant of law.
Mount Sinai was the place where the law was given (Exo. 19:20). The slavery spoken of in verse 24 is the slavery under the law. Hagar, the concubine of Abraham, signifies the law. Hence, the position of the law is like that of a concubine. Sarah, the wife of Abraham, symbolizes the grace of God (John 1:17), which has the right position in God’s economy. The law, like Hagar, brought forth children unto slavery like the Judaizers. Grace, like Sarah, brings forth children unto sonship. These are the New Testament believers. They are no longer under law, but under grace (Rom. 6:14). They should stand in this grace (Rom. 5:2) and not fall from it (Gal. 5:4).
In verse 25 Paul mentions “the Jerusalem which now is.” Jerusalem, as the choice of God (1 Kings 14:21; Psa. 48:2, 8), should belong to the covenant of promise represented by Sarah. However, because it brings God’s chosen people into the bondage of law, it corresponds to Mount Sinai, which belongs to the covenant of law represented by Hagar. Jerusalem and her children were slaves under the law at Paul’s time.
Paul’s word in verses 24 and 25 was clear and strong. No doubt, the Judaizers must have been offended by it.
Verse 26 says, “But the Jerusalem above is free, who is our mother.” The mother of the Judaizers is the earthly Jerusalem, but the mother of believers is the heavenly Jerusalem. This will eventually be the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth (Rev. 21:1-2), which is related to the covenant of promise. She is the mother of the New Testament believers, who are not slaves under law, but sons under grace. We, the New Testament believers, are all born of her from above.
Verse 27 goes on to say, “For it is written, Rejoice, barren one who does not bear; break forth and shout, you who are not travailing, because many are the children of the desolate rather than of her who has a husband.” This indicates that Abraham’s spiritual descendants, who belong to the heavenly Jerusalem, to the covenant of promise under the freedom of grace, are many more than his natural descendants, who belong to the earthly Jerusalem, to the covenant of law under the slavery of law.
According to Genesis 22:17, God promised that Abraham’s descendants would be like the sand of the seashore and like the stars of heaven. Here we see two kinds of descendants, the heavenly and the earthly, the spiritual and the natural. The Jews are Abraham’s descendants according to the flesh, whereas the believers in Christ are his descendants according to the Spirit. The natural descendants, the Jews, are like the sand of the seashore, but the spiritual descendants, the Christians, who outnumber the natural descendants, are like the stars.
Verse 28 continues, “But you, brothers, according to Isaac, are children of promise.” The children of promise are those born of the heavenly Jerusalem through grace under the covenant of promise.
Verse 29 says, “But as then he that was born according to flesh persecuted him that was born according to Spirit, so also it is now.” The two kinds of children brought forth by the two covenants are different in their natures. Those brought forth by the covenant of law are born according to flesh; those brought forth by the covenant of promise are born according to Spirit. The children born according to flesh have no right to participate in God’s promised blessing, but the children born according to the Spirit have the full right. The Judaizers were the former kind of children; the believers in Christ are the latter. The children of promise (v. 28) are born according to Spirit, God’s Spirit of life, who is the very blessing of God’s promise to Abraham (3:14).
Paul says that the one born according to flesh persecuted the one born according to the Spirit. This indicates that Ishmael persecuted Isaac (Gen. 21:9). Furthermore, the Judaizers, the descendants of Abraham according to flesh, also persecuted the believers, the descendants of Abraham according to the Spirit, as Ishmael did Isaac. The same is true today. Today’s Ishmaels, those according to flesh, are persecuting the real Isaacs, the children according to the Spirit.
In verses 30 and 31 Paul concludes, “But what does the Scripture say? Cast out the maidservant and her son; for the son of the maidservant shall by no means inherit with the son of the free woman. Wherefore, brothers, we are not children of a maidservant, but of the free woman.” The Judaizers under the slavery of law are the sons of the maidservant, who shall by no means inherit God’s promised blessing — the all-inclusive Spirit. The believers of the New Testament under the freedom of grace are the sons of the free woman, who shall inherit the promised blessing of the Spirit. We, the believers in Christ, are not children of law under its slavery, but children of grace under its freedom to enjoy the all-inclusive Spirit with all the riches of Christ. It is important to remember that the free woman represents grace and the promise, whereas the maidservant, Hagar, represents the law and also the efforts of the flesh. Thus, the law brought forth children according to the flesh, but the promise and grace brought forth children according to the Spirit.
The conclusion of chapter four is very similar to that of chapter three. Paul ends chapter three by saying that we “are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise.” Then he closes chapter four with these words: “Wherefore, brothers, we are not children of a maidservant, but of the free woman.” At the end of chapter three, we see that we are sons of Abraham, but at the end of chapter four, that we are children of the free woman, those who inherit the promise. Actually, these two chapters speak of the same thing viewed from different angles.
As we consider the matter of two covenants and two kinds of children, we need to be impressed with God’s promise, grace, Christ, the Spirit, and the children according to Spirit. In contrast to these, we have the law, flesh, slavery, and the children according to the flesh. The children according to the flesh are those held in slavery. In this message I am burdened that we all be impressed with the five positive matters of promise, grace, Christ, the Spirit, and the children according to the Spirit.
The promise given to Abraham was the unveiling of God’s desire. When God made the promise to Abraham, He opened His heart and unveiled the desire of His heart. Although man had fallen and was under the curse, God’s desire was to bless all nations. His desire was to give Himself as a blessing to the nations. God had told Abraham that in Him all nations would be blessed (Gen. 12:3). This promise was given over against a certain background. At the time the promise was given, all the nations were under the curse. No doubt, Abraham realized this. Then, suddenly, the God of glory appeared to him and promised that in him all the nations would be blessed. What a tremendous word this was! When the God of glory appeared to Abraham in Ur of the Chaldees, Abraham was attracted. He was charmed. Because he was attracted by God, Abraham could follow Him out of Chaldea. Then, when Abraham was sojourning in the land of Canaan, God promised to give the land to Abraham’s seed. Therefore, with God’s promise to Abraham there are two main aspects: the aspect of the nations being blessed and the aspect of the good land. On the one hand, the nations would be blessed through Christ’s redemption. On the other hand, Christ, typified by the good land, is the embodiment of the Triune God as the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit as our enjoyment and bountiful supply. God’s promise to Abraham with these two aspects was the unveiling of the desire of God’s heart.
God’s promise to Abraham involves much more than justification by faith. Yes, we are told that Abraham believed God and that it was reckoned to him as righteousness (3:6). However, we need to see that God’s dealing with Abraham involved much more. The gospel preached to Abraham was actually the unveiling of God’s heart.
Two thousand years after the desire of God’s heart was unveiled to Abraham, Christ came. When Christ came, grace came. Grace is the Triune God processed to become our enjoyment. Such a grace is the fulfillment of God’s promise, the fulfillment of God’s desire.
Before the coming of Christ, we are not told in the Scriptures that God was happy or pleased. But when Christ was baptized, the Father declared, “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I delight” (Matt. 3:17). When the Lord was with three of the disciples on the mount of transfiguration, the Father spoke the same words (Matt. 17:5). God was happy to see the fulfillment of His desire by grace, which is actually a living Person, Christ, the Son of God, the embodiment of the Triune God. This living Person is the fulfillment of the desire of God’s heart. It is correct to say that the fulfillment of God’s promise is both by grace and by the living Person of Christ, for this living Person is Himself the grace.
Today we are enjoying this grace, this living Person, who is now the life-giving Spirit within us. If Christ were not the life-giving Spirit dwelling in us, we could not be one with Him, and it would not be possible for Him to work all the riches of the Godhead into our being. How could Christ live in us and be formed in us if He were only an objective One sitting in the heavens at the right hand of the Father, as One separate from the Father and the Spirit? It would be impossible! Such a Christ could not be revealed into us, live in us, or be formed in us. In order for all this to become our experience, Christ must be the life-giving Spirit. Praise the Lord that the grace we enjoy is Christ, and Christ is the life-giving Spirit!
Because we have grace, Christ, and the life-giving Spirit, we are children according to Spirit. How blessed we are to have the hearing of faith and by it to receive grace! We have seen that the desire of God’s heart, the promise given to Abraham, is fulfilled by grace and that grace is Christ as the life-giving Spirit. This Spirit is now in our spirit and makes us children according to Spirit. This is the revelation in Galatians 3 and 4.
As those who are children according to Spirit, we should lay aside the law, the flesh, slavery, and the children according to flesh. We need to bid farewell to these things and refuse from now on to be entangled by them. Instead, we should remain in the fulfillment of God’s desire, enjoying grace, Christ, and the all-inclusive Spirit as the blessing of the gospel.
In 4:21-31 we see two women, two covenants, and two Jerusalems. We can choose between Hagar and Sarah, between the earthly Jerusalem and the Jerusalem above, and between the covenant of law and the covenant of promise, which is the testament of grace. Furthermore, we may choose to be children according to flesh or children according to Spirit. Praise the Lord for showing us the two covenants and the two kinds of children! Chapters three and four of Galatians are crystal clear to us, fully transparent. We praise the Lord that we are of the Jerusalem above, children of the free woman! Praise Him that we are children according to the Spirit enjoying the all-inclusive Spirit as the blessing of the gospel!
