I need
help understanding Galatians 4:26, 28.
Galatians
4:26, 28
But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of
us all…Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
From my
understanding, Jerusalem pertains to Israel coming back in the New
Jerusalem. Here Paul says that it is the
mother of us all. Then in verse 28 Paul
says we are as Isaac – the children of promise.
These two verses make it sound like we are heirs of it (Jerusalem) like
Israel.
Always remember that when you read a verse you
must keep it in context; especially Galatians 4:26. Notice that it begins with ‘but.’ When a verse starts with the word ‘but,’ it
is obviously in contrast to what the writer just said. So before we look at Galatians 4:26, let’s
look at the context.
Galatians 4:21-28
21Tell me, ye that desire to
be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
The book of Galatians has to do with legalism—mixing
Law and grace. Paul gave these saints
the grace message, but they allowed the Law to come in to be their governing
body of doctrine. Paul is getting on
them because as he said in chapter 1, they were so soon
removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel
which is not another (Gal. 1:6-7). So Paul is getting on them because they’re
mixing Law and grace. That is a problem
because we’re not under the law; we’re under grace (Rom. 6:14). This is the dispensation of grace (Eph. 3:2).
So in that context, Paul is
going to use an allegory.
22 For it is written [he tells them to look at what the Law is saying since they want to be
under the Law], that Abraham had two sons,
the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
God,
through Paul, goes back to Genesis 16 and the story of Abraham (Abram) who has
his wife Sarai and her handmaid Hagar.
The one, Hagar, is a bondmaid; the other, Sarai, is a freewoman. One is in bondage; one is free. That is the key: the Law represents bondage;
grace represents freedom.
2 Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is liberty.
One is
liberty; one is bondage. Abraham had two
sons. One son (Isaac) comes out of
freedom (Sarai). He comes out of
liberty. One of Abraham’s sons
(Ishmael) comes out of bondage.
23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh;...
When
Abraham and Hagar had Ishmael, it was not the will of Almighty God; that was of
Abraham’s flesh; that was of sinful flesh.
The fruit of that union was of the flesh.
...but he of the freewoman was by
promise.
Isaac
came directly from a promise given by Almighty God. He was ‘born of the Spirit.’ God gave Abram and Sarai the ability to
conceive Isaac (Rom. 4:19; Heb. 11:11, 12).
Isaac was by promise—free.
24 Which things are an allegory
[they
paint a picture]: for these
are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to
bondage, which is Agar.
The
temporary Mosaic Covenant is represented by Hagar and Ishmael – Mount Sinai.
25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia...
Hagar
represents Mount Sinai where the Law and bondage was given.
...and answereth to Jerusalem which now is,
It
pertains to Jerusalem in Paul’s day.
Jerusalem was then under the Romans and was in bondage physically, but
more importantly it was in bondage spiritually.
They were under the curse of the Law; they were in bondage. All these represent bondage and the Law: Hagar, Ishmael, Mount Sinai, Jerusalem which was
under Roman bondage and the bondage of the Law.
and is in bondage with her children.
The
Jews were in bondage under the Romans and to the Law.
26 But Jerusalem [In contrast to the Jerusalem that was on the earth and in bondage
under the Law] which is
above is free, which is the mother of us all.
The New
Jerusalem which is above is free; there is no bondage in New Jerusalem.
Revelation 21:2
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God
out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Remember
when Paul said that God separated him from his mother’s womb and called him by
his grace in Galatians 1:15? Paul wasn’t
talking about his biological mother; he was talking about his mother Israel, particularly
Jerusalem—the center for the Law. God
separated Paul out of that.
A
mother represents the place from which life springs forth.
Genesis 3:20
And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of
all living.
The
life of freedom springs forth from where God is; he is in New Jerusalem. That is why he says she is the mother of us
all. The ‘us all’ has to do with both
Jews and Gentiles in the body of Christ.
He is talking about the grace believer today.
By the
way, Paul quotes a lot of Old Testament passages because there are Jews in the
Galatian assembly who were easily being drawn back into the Law.
27 For it is written, Rejoice,
thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not:
for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
God
promised Abraham that he would multiply his seed as the stars of heaven and as
the sand upon the sea shore:
Genesis 22:17
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will
multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the
sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
What we
now know looking back is that ‘as the stars of the heaven’
refers to the church the body of Christ.
Abraham’s seed would be in two spheres.
The ‘sand upon the sea shore’ is the earthly seed
of Israel. Remember that Romans 4 makes
it clear that Abraham has a dual fathership.
He is the father of the Jewish people – the circumcision. He is also the father of those who are
uncircumcised. God made a promise to
Abraham before he was ever circumcised.
Romans 4:8-12
8Blessed is the man to whom
the Lord will not impute sin [whose iniquities are forgiven]. 9Cometh this blessedness
then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also…
Paul is
asking the Jews in particular whether the Jews (the circumcision) were the only
ones who would receive this blessedness, or would the uncircumcised gentiles
receive it too? Watch how he builds his
case.
…for we say that faith was
reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
We do
say that. Abraham’s faith was accounted to him for
righteousness (Gal. 3:6). But watch what Paul does; he throws a monkey
wrench into the Jews’ thinking by asking when
God did that. When did Almighty God
reckon our father Abraham’s faith to him as righteousness? Did it come before he was circumcised or
after? Paul is going to remind the
Jewish reader that when God counted Abraham as righteous, it wasn’t after he
was circumcised. The Jews rested in
their circumcision. He says no it wasn’t
after he was circumcised; it was before.
10 How was it then reckoned? when
he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision?
When
did God reckon his faith as righteousness?
Before he was circumcised? Paul
says before.
...Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
When
God reckoned Abraham righteous he was an uncircumcised gentile. He says that the whole reason God gave
circumcision in the first place was for a token or sign of the righteousness of
the faith which he had while he was yet uncircumcised. The point of giving Abraham circumcision in
the flesh made by hands (Eph. 2:11) was to show that even before he was
circumcised, he had faith. So Paul is
taking us back to the original faith of Abraham in uncircumcision. That is what we are as gentiles (the
uncircumcision).
11 And he received the sign of
circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet
being uncircumcised: [here is the purpose] that he might be the father of all them that believe, though
they be not circumcised [gentiles]; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
12 And the father of circumcision
to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of
that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.
Even
the Jews (the circumcision) had to follow in the faith footsteps of father
Abraham’s faith – not his faith after circumcision, but his faith before. Interesting!
That is how Paul presents it.
James presents it a little bit differently (James 2:21-23);
but you have to rightly divide the two operating principals. One is the focus of Paul’s epistles in the
dispensation of grace and the other is from James who was under the Law.
+ + + +
So
Abraham has a dual fatherhood, but ‘mother of us all’ has to do with the New Jerusalem.
Galatians 4:26
But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
You
stated that Jerusalem pertains to Israel; that is true for the earthly
Jerusalem. And it is true that the New
Jerusalem will also be made available to the nation of Israel.
Revelation 21:9-10
And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials
full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will
shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and
shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from
God,
When we
rightly divide God’s word we know from the mystery that the New Jerusalem is
not only reserved for the people of Israel.
If we focus only on Prophecy outside of Paul’s epistles, we see that it
is associated with the Jew. But now we
have further truth from Paul about New Jerusalem.
We know
from John that it extends 1,500 miles into the heavenly places (Rev. 21:16). It is probably shaped like a pyramid similar
to a mountain. It is called Mt. Zion (Ps. 48:2). What I see from scripture is that we will
live in the New Jerusalem.
Ephesians 2:19
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens
with the saints, and of the household of God;
God the
Father lives at the very top of the New Jerusalem. Zion literally means the highest point. The body of Christ will live with him near
his throne in his temple. We know through
the revelation of the mystery that New Jerusalem is not just associated with
Israel, but also with the body of Christ; we will share it. We will live in the penthouse section at the
top. Israel will occupy the lower part
of New Jerusalem on the earth.
Galatians 4:28
Now we, brethren, as Isaac was,
are the children of promise.
Just
like God promised Abraham and Sarah a child and he made it happen; we too are
the children of promise—the multiplied seed as the stars of the heaven.
Both Israel and the body of Christ are a part of the household of
God. We will both live with our Lord in
New Jerusalem. Our Father lives in the
city called New Jerusalem.
Hebrews 11:10
For he [Abraham] looked
for a city [New Jerusalem] which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
And we
will too. I want you to understand that
in prophecy, Israel is the focus in regard to Jerusalem (the city of Jehovah’s
peace). In the mystery, we too will be a
part of it because we will live with our Father. New Jerusalem will not be exclusive to Israel
because we are part of the household of God with them. One part is for the heavens, the body of
Christ; and the other part, Israel, is for the earth.
Hopefully this helps!
†††
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
VERY helpful, thank you so much!
ReplyDelete