Gospel Outreach International

Can even great people of faith still fail God and yet remain His friends? And what does it truly mean to live in freedom rather than bondage to religious rules and regulations? This Bible study explores the allegorical teaching Paul uses in Galatians, contrasting the two sons of Abraham—Isaac and Ishmael—to illustrate the difference between living under law versus living in grace. Through this powerful imagery, we discover that God desires an intimate, loving relationship with us rather than mere compliance to rules, and that even when we fail, His grace is sufficient to restore us as His children of promise.

Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? Galatians 4:21

• Paul spends considerable time teaching the weakness of the Old Testament system and the strength of the New Testament system, with all Old Testament promises only becoming fulfilled in the New
• Abraham, despite being called “friend of God” and having exceptional faith and a brilliant relationship with God, still got things wrong—which gives hope for us today
• Abraham’s impatience in taking Hagar and having Ishmael created the problem we have today: Ishmael’s 12 nations eventually produced Islam, one of the greatest enemies of the gospel and constant persecutors of the Jews
• Despite this disaster, Abraham is still described as friend of God, showing God’s loving and gracious nature to persevere with us even when we fail
• The comparison: Sarah and Isaac represent the covenant of promise/grace (before circumcision and law), Jerusalem above (heavenly city), and freedom; Hagar and Ishmael represent human intervention, the covenant of Mount Sinai (law), earthly Jerusalem (legalistic Judaism), and bondage
• God’s desire is for us to walk in intimate relationship, “hand in hand with God, through our life, all the way to eternity,” not to be legalistic or Pharisaical
• The Pharisees kept 613 commandments (Paul claimed innocence concerning all of them), but God’s idea of freedom is walking according to relationship, not law
• In the early days of the Roman Empire, a governor examined Christians and found they were people who cared for one another—visiting the sick, bringing food and clothing to prisoners—demonstrating true love practically
• Jesus summarized the Ten Commandments as loving God and loving your neighbor, and this caring attitude made Christians stand out in early days
• Most denominations started with a caring attitude based on love, but over generations they reduced to rules and regulations, losing that distinctive care
• The question is raised whether we should specifically pray for Jerusalem or treat Jews in unbelief the same as Gentile neighbors in unbelief—both are condemned without Christ
• John 1:12 gives us the one right we have as Christians: the right to be called children of God
• There is only one bride at the end of Revelation, and both Old and New Testament saints are part of that family, marked by faith and God’s grace—Jesus means “Jehovah my Savior,” so the Old Testament God is the same as our New Testament God
• We should check teachings from Scripture for ourselves rather than blindly following patterns, and churches should spend time in prayer and Bible study to discern God’s will
• Legalism creates unnecessary rules (like only using the Authorized Version, no choruses, excluding charismatic gifts) rather than using wisdom and grace

Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. Galatians 4:28

So here’s the encouraging truth, friends—even Abraham, the friend of God himself, could mess things up and still be called God’s friend! That gives us hope, doesn’t it? God is so loving and gracious that He’ll persevere with us even when we fail. We’re not meant to be bound by legalistic rules and regulations like the Pharisees with their 613 commandments. Instead, we’re children of promise like Isaac, part of that one bride at the end of Revelation, marked by faith and God’s grace working in our lives. Jesus—whose name means “Jehovah my Savior”—is the same God of both Testaments, and He wants us to walk hand in hand with Him in intimate relationship, not trudge along under the whip of compulsion. The Old Testament God who called Abraham “friend” is our God too! What made Christians stand out in the early Roman Empire wasn’t just church attendance but practical, caring love—visiting the sick, feeding prisoners, genuinely looking after one another. That’s the freedom Christ gives us: not freedom to do whatever we like, but freedom to love as God loves, to care practically and spiritually, to walk in fellowship with Him and each other all the way to eternity. We’re children of God, and that’s tremendous!

Bible References

• Galatians 4:21-5:1
• Genesis 16-21
• John 1:12
• 1 Corinthians 14