Galatians 4 – Study

Lesson by: Dan Manson

Paul is putting into perspective the relationship between the old covenant works of the Law and the new covenant faith in Christ.  

Paul points out that the giving of Jesus is based on God’s promise to Abraham BEFORE the Law was given, Gal 3:16-17. 

So, why was the Law given, 3:19? Because of sin. The Law does not annul the promise, 3:17, nor is it contrary to the promise, 3:21, but show us our desperate need FOR the promise, 3:24. 

So salvation has always been according to promise and never according to law. 

In one sense the Law has passed away, 3:19, “…UNTIL the seed should come…” Heb 8:13.

In another sense the Law’s purpose still stands, as it always has, as God’s righteous requirement pointing to Christ, 3:24.  Christ, who is the new covenant, is the fulfillment of that righteous requirement in my place. 

It is clear, historically, that if we are to inherit salvation, we are to get it through faith in the promise given to Abraham, no through works of the Law given to Moses, 3:18. That promise is Jesus Christ.

Our position in Christ is an heir to the Abrahamic promise, 3:29. 

In chapter 4 Paul expounds on our position as heirs in Christ. 

1. Gal 4:1-7, Paul likens the heir as a child amongst the workers, or slaves, under the managers until the inheritance is given.  
   1. Vs 1-2, before the promise comes, how is the heir of the house different from the slave of the house?
   1. Vs 3-5, how does that apply to believers in Christ? Hint: bondage, vs3; redemption, vs 4-5; and adoption, vs5. 
   1. Vs 6-7, so what is our position in Christ? 
      1. “Abba” is the word for ‘daddy’.  It is personal. Our access to God is that of a child who cries for her daddy. She knows and trusts her daddy and her daddy will definitely respond. 
2. Gal 4:8-11, by observing the Law, the Galatians were turning back to the slavery from which they had been redeemed. 
   1. Vs 8, apart from Jesus, is there any freedom? Or is there only slavery? 
   1. Vs 9-10, was it only circumcision that they were observing? 
   1. Vs 11, what is the conclusion that Paul dreads to think about? What is at stake here? 
3. Gal 4:12-20, Paul pleads with them again not to reject his teaching.
   1. Vs 12, after just saying he is concerned for their salvation in verse 11, what does Paul call them in vs 12? How about verse 19? 
      1. What do the terms “brethren” and “children” mean in these verses?
      1. How does that show Paul’s heart towards them? 
   1. Vs 12, what does Paul mean when he says, “become as I am for I became as you are,”? 
      1. “become as I am,” Acts 26:28-29
      1. “become as you are,” 1Cor 9:19-23
   1. Vs 13-15, Paul reminds them of their former attitude towards him .
      1. Vs 13, what caused Paul to preach the gospel to them the first time? 
      1. Vs 14, were the Galatians repulsed by Paul’s condition?
         1. How did they receive him at first? 
      1. Vs 15, what would they have done for Paul if they could have? 
      1. Vs 16, what happened to change their attitude towards Paul from an angel of God to an enemy? Gal 3:3.
   1. Vs 17-20, Paul contrasts the false teachers attitude towards them with his own attitude towards them. 
      1. Vs 17, why do the false teachers seek out the Galatians? 
         1. What does Paul’s labor produce in the Galatians? Rom 8:29, Rom 12:2
         1. Today, what “Christian” religions want to seek you so that you would seek them for salvation? 
4. Vs 21-31, Paul returns to comparing the old covenant according to the Law, with the new covenant according to promise. He does this by building an argument from history, vs 22-23. Then he draws an analogy from it, vs 24-27. Finally, he applies that to us personally, vs 28-31.
   1. Vs 21-23, historically, Abraham was promised a son, Gen 15:1-4.
      1. Vs 22, who were the two sons of Abraham? Gen 15:16, Gen 21:1-3.
      1. Who were their mothers? 
      1. What was Sarah’s and Hagar’s relationship with Abraham? Gen 16:1-15.
   1. Vs 24-27, in this analogy it is not enough to claim Abraham as our father.  It is who our mother is that really matters. 
      1. Vs 24, what do these two women represent?
      1. Vs 24, which covenant proceeds from Mount Sinai? Gen 19:18-20:17. 
      1. Vs 25, what does Hagar, the Law given at Sinai, correspond to? 
      1. What is the condition of “the present Jerusalem?”
      1. Vs 26-28, who is our mother? 
      1. What is the condition of the “Jerusalem above?” 
   1. Vs28-31, this analogy applies personally to us. The children of Hagar are slaves under the Law. The children of Sarah are free according to promise. 
      1. Vs 28, what does that make us children of? 
      1. Vs 29, are those who are slaves under law going to try to enslave us with their law? 
      1. Vs 30, what are we to do with false doctrine and those who bring it? 
      1. Vs 31, again, who is our mother? 

If we are going to be an heir of salvation, we are NEVER going to get it by being a slave to the Law. We are ONLY going to get it by being a child by faith in the promise, Jesus Christ.

For further study.  It is one of our goals in Ambassadors to help you think through Scripture. It is important to know that when you have Bible questions there is always an answer. We must prayerfully seek God for those answers in Scripture. 

For example, in Gal 4:3 and 9, what is meant by “elemental things,” (NASB)? First we can look to see how other translations have it.  ESV, “elementary principles.” KJV and NKJV, “elements of the world.” NET, “basic forces.” NIV, “elemental spiritual forces.”  

There is a difference in some of these translations. What is happening? If we look at Strong’s Concordance we find the Greek word is stoicheion, Strong’s #4747, “something constituent, element, principle, rudiment. William Mounce’s Analytical Lexicon to the Greek New Testament defines it as “an element; an element of the natural universe, 2Peter 3:10, 12; an element or rudiment of any intellectual or religious sytem, Gal 4:3,9; Col 2:8,20; Heb 5:12.” 

Ok, let’s look at the other 5 verses where we find the word. 

2Peter 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.”   

2Peter 3”12”…That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.” 

Colossians 2:8, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.”

Colossians 2:20, “Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: ²¹ “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 

Hebrews 5:12, “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!”

Looking at these verses give us a broader view of the range of meaning for stoicheion. What we don’t want to do is pick a meaning that we like and take it back into Galatians 3 and make it fit. We want to see how Paul uses the word first, as in Colossians 2, before we look at how Peter and the author of Hebrews uses it. Again, we are getting a feel for how the word is used. Ultimately, it is the context that must determine the meaning of a word. 

Now that we have a feel for the word, we need to go back to Galatians 4 and look at it again. Whatever stoicheion means, we were held in bondage under it.  If it simply meant “elementary truths” as in Hebrews, how are we held in bondage under it? What in the context are we held in bondage under? Gal 3:23 says we were held in custody under the Law.  But if Paul simply means the Law then why not just say the Law? 

The reason why some translators opt for the “elemental spirits” is because, “these were often associated in the ancient world with either the physical elements (earth, fire, air and water) or with the heavenly bodies (the sun, the moon and the stars), which control the seasonal festivals observed on earth. This fits with verse 8, where we are said to have been; ‘slaves to those which by nature are no gods.’” John Stott, The Message of Galatians from The Bible Speaks Today commentaries.  

Using a few commentaries can help us to see the historical context of when Paul was writing. 

Finally we must remember who Paul is talking to. The Galatians were a mixture of Jews of the diaspora, and Gentiles who were not under the Law. But, just because we were not Jews with the written Law, doesn’t mean we were without law, Romans 2:11-16. It also doesn’t mean were not accountable to the Law, Romans 5:12-14. 

We also know that the Law is good and holy and just, Romans7:12, so we must be careful if we lump it in with “those which by nature are no gods” verse 8, also the Law is not “of the world” as in verse 3.  Paul says in Romans 7:13, “therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.”

Putting all of this together and thinking through this we might come to the conclusion that the “elemental things” which we were enslaved to is broader than the Law but includes the MISUSE of the Law.  If that is the case then Mounce’s definition starts to make sense, “…a rudiment of any religious system.”  This fits the argument Paul has been making in this letter for justification by grace/faith versus law/works where any legal system renders grace/faith void, 2:16, 3:11,24, 5:4. See also Romans 4:14-16.

Whether seeking to be justified by works of the Law or any religious system of men, Galatians 4:9 says these are “weak and worthless.” They have no power or wealth to redeem us. The power and riches of Christ are more than sufficient to overcome our desperate condition we were born into when we came into this world. 

Love you all.