Galatians 4

Galatians 4:1

Continue to Believe the Truth An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians www.easyenglish.info Roy Rohu This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

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Chapter 4 v1 Let me tell you more. As long as a son is a child, he is like a servant. Yes, although he owns all that his father has left. v2 He is responsible to keepers and managers until the time that his father decides. v3 It was like that for us. When we were children, we were servants to the ways of this world. v4 But when the right time came, God sent his son into the world. A *human mother gave birth to him. He was born in a society that had to obey the laws.

Verse 4 says ‘the right time came…’

Never forget that God knows all things. We see and know only a little. He knows the right time to act in world affairs and in personal affairs.

There was one world language, Greek, at the time of Jesus and his followers. So language was not a problem.

There was one world government, from Rome. The *Roman rulers had good roads to all places. It was easy to go from place to place.

The *Roman rulers kept the *peace everywhere, so wars did not prevent Christians from travelling with the *good news.

v5 God sent him to free the people who had to obey the laws. Now he has done that, God brings us into his family as his sons. v6 And because you are now sons, God has given you the *Holy Spirit of his Son. So now we can say, ‘Abba’, which means ‘Father’. v7 Now you are no longer a servant, but a son. God, the Father, gives his sons the things that he promised.

Romans 8:9 makes it clear that if we are Christians, the *Holy Spirit lives in us. ‘Abba’ means ‘Daddy’.

v8 Before you knew God as Father, you were like slaves. You served ‘gods’ that are not real gods. v9 But now, you know God and God, even more, knows you. So I do not know how you can return to these weak and poor principles. I do not know why you want to become slaves again. v10 You are so careful about the special days and times of your old religion. v11 I am afraid for you. Perhaps all my hard work for you was in vain.

The *scriptures often tell about the false gods of some of the *Jews (Jeremiah 1:16). The *non-Jews also had false gods (Acts 17:23). Even ‘good’ people who did not know God made a false ‘god’ of the rules of this world (Colossians 2:20-22). People were ready to blame other people because they did not obey the rules (Colossians 2:16-17).

Paul’s great fear for the Christians at Galatia should have warned them about their danger. Paul wanted:

his *good news to bring people to Christ;

his Christians to grow in *faith and in love;

his new Christians never to go back to their old ways.

v12 *Brothers and sisters, I ask you to become like me. I am a *human person like you. I am not angry with any one of you.

Paul wanted the new Christians to be like him. He knows why he can never go back to his old ways. He wants them to be as sure as he is about laws and *grace.

v13 I first told you the *good news. You knew then that my body was not well. v14 You did not let my trouble make any difference to you. You accepted me as if I was an *angel, or Jesus Christ himself.

Many people think that Paul had an eye disease (Galatians 6:11; Galatians 4:15). Or perhaps he was referring to some other trouble.

v15 We were so happy together. And I do not know what has happened to change this. At that time, if it were possible, you would have given your own eyes to me. You really cared about me then. v16 I have been honest with you. I hope that I am not your enemy now because of that. v17 Yes, those people who change the *good news have an interest in you. But they only want to take from you the *grace of God. Then they will be your teachers. v18 It is good when everyone wants to do the right thing. But do not only do it when I am with you. v19 My children, I feel like a mother in pain as she gives birth. And I will feel like that until I see the *nature of Christ in you. v20 I wish that I was there with you now. And I wish that I had reasons to be more gentle. You cause me trouble.

True Christians want other people to know Jesus. And they want them to grow in *faith and in love. You must want this too! (See Colossians 4:12.)

v21 Listen, you who want to return to the laws. You have not really thought about the laws. v22 The *scriptures say that Abraham had two sons. The mother of one son was the slave called Hagar. The mother of the other son was the free woman, called Sarah.

The *Jews said that they were the real sons of Abraham. In the *human way, they were, as Jesus taught (Luke 13:16). But Jesus said that, in their spirits, many of them were not (Matthew 3:9). See also Romans 9:1-8.

v23 Now the son of the slave was born in the ordinary way. The son of the free woman, Sarah, was born because God promised him to Abraham.

God promised Abraham a son but Abraham did not wait. Instead, the son of the slave was born. (Read Genesis 15:1-4 and Genesis 16:1-4.) But afterwards, God still allowed the free woman to have her son. (Read Genesis 18:10; 21:1-3.) So Abraham had to wait 14 years for the son that God promised. His name was Isaac.

v24 These things are like a picture to help us to understand. It is like a picture of the two agreements between God and men. God gave the first agreement at the mountain called Sinai. That is where he gave the laws. The mother, Hagar, is like that agreement. Her children were born as slaves. v25 Hagar, the slave, is like the present Jerusalem. Jerusalem and all the people who live there serve like slaves. v26 The Jerusalem that is in heaven is free. That Jerusalem is like our real mother. v27 The *scriptures speak about this. They say,

‘Be glad, you woman who does not give birth to any children.

Shout, you who have no birth pains.

Be glad, because the woman with no husband

has more children than the married one.’

See Isaiah 54:1. This *scripture is about the *Kingdom of God and the *Gentiles who have *faith in Jesus. Paul means that God chose the *Jews. God gave them all that they needed, ‘husband and children’. He gave them himself and the family of *Jewish children. But many *Jews did not trust Jesus.

Today, God invites the *Gentiles as well as the *Jews to trust him. The *Gentiles who trust God will now be like Abraham and Sarah. They will bring many ‘children’ to God. These ‘children’ are the people who become Christians. They become Christians when the *Gentiles tell them the *good news. So God’s people are now both *Jews and *Gentiles. Everyone who trusts in Jesus is a real Christian.

v28 *Brothers and sisters, we are God’s children because of his promise. In that way, we are like Isaac.

v29 Now, the son of the slave was cruel to the son of the free woman. That still happens today. v30 So the *scripture says, ‘Send away the woman who is a slave. And send away her son.’ In that way, the slave’s son will not share in God’s promise to Abraham. v31 And similarly, we are not slaves, but we are free.

Ishmael, the son of the slave, was cruel to Isaac (Genesis 21:9). When he laughed at Isaac, he was also laughing at God’s promise to Abraham. You can read more about Abraham’s sons in Genesis 21:10-14; 25:5-6.

© 1997-2005, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

December 2005

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