Mini-laws vs. Grace-living

Week 10

Galatians 4:21-30
21 Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says? 22 The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife. 23 The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise.
24 These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them. 25 And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law. 26 But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother. 27 As Isaiah said,

“Rejoice, O childless woman,
you who have never given birth!
Break into a joyful shout,
you who have never been in labor!
For the desolate woman now has more children
than the woman who lives with her husband!”

28 And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. 29 But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.
30 But what do the Scriptures say about that? “Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”

Here we go again, as Paul spends another ten verses explaining the law to the Galatians. I must confess that I’ve thought “enough already, Paul” on more than one occasion, and even wondered how I could write about this in a way that would be valuable to you at this point.

From my perspective, the explanation has be given sufficiently. Paul has clearly and repeatedly expressed the same message: Stop living by the law when you’ve been set free through your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. By now, I think, the Galatians should get his point and begin to make some changes in their lives. Yet Paul continues on and on. We have to stop and wonder why?

Let’s put ourselves in similar shoes. Imagine a very simple scenario …

You tell your two year old that she must keep her shoes on when she plays outside in order to protect her little feet. In your mind, this is extremely important under the circumstances because the ground is littered with sharp little sticks and nuts that have fallen from the trees. You’re concerned that she’ll cut her bare feet, if they are not protected. She struggles a bit against your wishes, but finally consents. The next day, she takes her shoes off again. You put them back on while explaining your reasons. She pitches a fit, but finally obeys and leaves her shoes on for the rest of the day. Next week, you’re out playing again. She takes off her shoes, again. This time, you’re miffed. You put her shoes back on, offer another reason why, and carry on with the day, thankful that it is the end of summer and certain this battle is nearly over.

The seasons change and much time has passed before you can head outside again. On the first warm day, you’re both thrilled to be out in the fresh air again, but before you know it, she has her shoes off. Ayhayaya, you think and throw your hands up in the air. You were convinced this wouldn’t happen this year. Instead, you find yourself repeating the same lesson again. The explanation is a little bit different because she is older. This time, she must put her shoes back on. Her resistance is a bit wilder. She finally submits, only to try again the following day. You’re really frustrated, wondering when will she get that this is a non-negotiable. And on and on, for years, this cycle continues. The same lesson, but each time you use slightly different examples in order to get her attention, threaten bigger consequences, and beg for her understanding.

Hmm. Could this be the Galatians problem? Maybe Paul has to repeat himself over and over again, using different examples, because the Galatians aren’t really hearing what he is saying or feeling the consequence of their actions. What is even more convicting is this: God included Paul’s message to the Galatians in the Bible for our benefit. Now you put two and two together! Yes, this instruction is meant for us. It isn’t just about the Galatian’s thick headedness. So the question we must truly answer is, “What does God want us to learn from this example?” If that is the case, we best go back and look at the Scriptures more closely.

Paul compares Abraham’s two children: Ishmael, born of his slave wife, in a human attempt to bring about the promise of God, and Isaac, born of his freeborn wife, because of God’s fulfillment of the promise (v. 22-23). Paul explains that Ishmael and his mother Hagar represent the law, while Isaac and his mother Sarah represent the promise (v. 24-28). He then declares that we are children of the promise, like Isaac, who are being persecuted by those who are trying to keep the law, like what was done to Ishmael (v. 28-29). We know that Judaizers where the ones persecuting the Galatians, but who are the persecutors of our day?

This is a tough question to answer, because our inclination is to look for someone to blame. But really, we need to look inward, at ourselves. Ultimately, we are the ones that decide to make the law more powerful than the grace offered by God. We continually slip into attempts at earning our salvation through different mini-laws we conjure up in order to convince ourselves that we are good enough for God. We think if we stay out of debt, God will love us more. If we help out at church, God will appreciate us better. If we make a meal for a neighbor in need, we’ve earned a treasure in heaven. But do you see? The motive of our actions is trying to earn favor with God. That is mini-law-keeping. We’ve created a rule, or law, which declares that God should love us…more…because. This is exactly what Paul is talking about back in Galatians 2:21, “For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.”

We need to drop the “if, then” clause from our faith-vocabulary. Instead of mini-laws, we need to live according to the abundant grace offered to us when Christ died on the cross. Our thinking should really be this: I am loved, so that I can love. I am cared for, so I shall care for others. I am forgiven, so I am able to forgive. I am equipped with great and wonderful gifts from God, so I shall use those gifts for others. In this way, we live by grace through faith and not by the law.

God, you are the great giver of all things wonderful and good. Forgive us, Father, for the many times we negate the power of the cross through our mini-laws. Please, Lord, help us to live set free in you through your extravagant grace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Faith Walking

• What mini-laws have you set up for yourself?
• In what ways have you been like a stubborn child refusing to learn a lesson God is calling you to accept?
• How can you practice grace living instead?

The Next Step

Take time this week to write out a list of “if, then” clauses. In the left column, write them according to how you’ve functioned over the years in your faith-walk. Be honest and admit your default attitude. In the right column, write down the Biblically true version of that statement. Use your Bible’s concordance or Biblegateway.com to look up verses that back up those statements. To finish this assignment, write down one or two verses to memorize. Consider writing about this on your blog or in your journal, as a way of declaring before the Lord that it is time to be set free in Christ by grace and to stop living by mini-laws.

Faith Walking Challengers…
What blessings did you receive from doing The Next Step last week? How can we continue to pray for you? Be sure to leave a comment and let us know!

Galatians Devotional 10 in Word

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© 2007 All rights reserved by Elisa Pulliam.

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