# 2. 2018 Dev. Gal.4:26. Freedom! Read vs. 8-31. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.
Galatians 4:26 “But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.”
Paul is struggling with the influence of Judaism in the Galatian church. It is not hard to see why God moved the center of the church out of Jerusalem to the seven cities of Asia Minor. Christian Jews from Jerusalem, apparently very much opposed to Paul, wanted Gentiles to adhere to the rules and regulations of Judaism including circumcision. Paul is concerned for this church because they are trading their freedom in Christ for the slavery of tradition and for the old covenant under the law.
Speaking figuratively Paul makes the comparison of Hagar and Sarah. Hagar is the slave and Sarah is the free woman. Hagar certainly comes out on the short end of it all at the time and in this comparison. However, Hager and Ismael are blessed by God and became a great nation as God told Abraham. Isaac’s birth was much different because he is a divine promise at a time when Sarah could no longer conceive. Even so Abraham believed God by faith and that attributed righteousness to him. In that way Isaac’s birth is the foreshadowing of the birth of Christ. He is all that is needed for our salvation (righteousness) by faith in Him revealing the Kingdom of God, the greatest nation! Further, Paul comperes the earthly Jerusalem with all her Jewish legalism to the freedom of the heavenly Jerusalem. That is what Paul is teaching the Galatian church again and that is what he is teaching us.
Some churches and some Christians today are still living in the earthly Jerusalem and have compromised their freedom. How is that possible given the clear teaching of the Word of God? Satan is very subtle in limiting our freedom. We are comfortable with traditions we have practiced for many years. We have heard the law read to us so many times we mostly check out when read. With the brokenness of the world around us it has become easy to condemn. There is nothing wrong with any of this including being aware of what displeases God which is what the law teaches us. However, when these things are seen as contributing to our salvation we give up some of our freedom in Christ. Further, the lack of freedom in our worship and in our actions have a detrimental effect on church growth. This is a serious issue since the promise to Abraham is to bless all the families of the earth. We must stand with both feet in the heavenly Jerusalem because we are born of God (Isaiah 54:1).
The Church belongs to Christ and he “will build (the) church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (Mt.16:18)” In the power of the Holy Spirit the church will grow, amen, but Christ wants to use you and me to do it. As individual Christians proclaiming the gospel will only be accomplished by building relationships with people who Jesus brings to us! Praise be to God.
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