Galatians 4:1-7 & The Confusing Apostle Paul
Does Galatians 4:1-7 confuse anyone as much as it does me? After studying this for some time, I am prone to agree with the words of 2 Peter 3:16. "There are some things in [Paul's letters] hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures."
I hope I'm not one of the ignorant and unstable people. But I'm in the camp of folks who can say that Paul's writings are occasionally hard to understand. Let me clarify what I'm having a hard time clarifying.
I don't really think it's difficult to understand Paul's point in Gal 4:1-7. The broader context makes it clear. Paul says that the Law of Moses is inferior to the promise previously made to Abraham. Gentile Christians, he writes, are descendants of Abraham because they share the same faith in God (3:6-7) that Abraham had (Gen 15:6). They therefore don't need to obey Jewish rules and customs. That's his point.
But his movement in Gal 4:1-7 from children to slaves to children to heirs is literally confounding. At first he writes that as children we're no better than slaves. Then he says that through Jesus we are God's children and therefore heirs. Didn't he just practice circular logic? Aren't children slaves? How can they be heirs and not slaves?
I think I'm finally getting it, though. Help me out here if I'm wrong. Paul is distinguishing between two different types of children. First, you have children through the eyes of the law (4:1-3). In a legal sense, kids are minors and therefore have no rights. They are enslaved for all practical purposes.
Second, you have children who have been adopted by God through the redemptive work of Jesus (4:4-7). This is not about legal status but about the love of a Father who imparts us with his very essence, the Spirit. So in this light, we aren't slaves but children who belong to God and who are heirs of the promise.
Clear as mud? I'm going with it!
I hope I'm not one of the ignorant and unstable people. But I'm in the camp of folks who can say that Paul's writings are occasionally hard to understand. Let me clarify what I'm having a hard time clarifying.
I don't really think it's difficult to understand Paul's point in Gal 4:1-7. The broader context makes it clear. Paul says that the Law of Moses is inferior to the promise previously made to Abraham. Gentile Christians, he writes, are descendants of Abraham because they share the same faith in God (3:6-7) that Abraham had (Gen 15:6). They therefore don't need to obey Jewish rules and customs. That's his point.
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| from Anthony Navarro |
But his movement in Gal 4:1-7 from children to slaves to children to heirs is literally confounding. At first he writes that as children we're no better than slaves. Then he says that through Jesus we are God's children and therefore heirs. Didn't he just practice circular logic? Aren't children slaves? How can they be heirs and not slaves?
I think I'm finally getting it, though. Help me out here if I'm wrong. Paul is distinguishing between two different types of children. First, you have children through the eyes of the law (4:1-3). In a legal sense, kids are minors and therefore have no rights. They are enslaved for all practical purposes.
Second, you have children who have been adopted by God through the redemptive work of Jesus (4:4-7). This is not about legal status but about the love of a Father who imparts us with his very essence, the Spirit. So in this light, we aren't slaves but children who belong to God and who are heirs of the promise.
Clear as mud? I'm going with it!
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