And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also. 30 But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, For the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman.” 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman. Galatians 4:28-31 NASB
Living by a codified set of rules is safe and feels good (mostly). But those very same rules designed to lead us toward God, can hinder us as well… because we become discouraged, they lose their meaning, and they begin to feel burdensome.
The people in the church in Galatia were tempted to return to Mosaic law when they had received a greater freedom in Christ- life by the Spirit. Paul reminds them in the same way that Isaac is the child of promise, so they are the sons of promise; that promise being a life with forgiveness of sins, no longer bound by the law, empowered and directed by the Spirit of God within, and the law of God ‘written on our hearts’.
How free in Christ as I? Are there rules that I try to keep in order to be in a right relationship with God? Can I love God’s holy law and acknowledge it is good, while living by the Spirit?
God, I enjoy the freedom I’ve found in Christ. May I not use it as a cloak for vice, but rather a springboard to joy and an attractive life that intrigues others who have yet to put their faith in Jesus.
