Galatians 4

We request the same consideration forourselves. Our way of writing is incisive and straightforward. But there is nobitterness in our heart. We seek the honor of Christ and the welfare of men. Wedo not hate the Pope as to wish him ill. We do not desire the death of our falsebrethren. We desire that they may turn from their evil ways to Christ and besaved with us. A teacher chastises the pupil to reform him. The rod hurts, butcorrection is necessary. A father punishes his son because he loves his son. Ifhe did not love the lad he would not punish him but let him have his own way ineverything until he comes to harm. Paul beseeches the Galatians to look upon hiscorrection as a sign that he really cared for them. "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous;nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness untothem which are exercised thereby." (Heb. 12:11.)

Although Paul seeks to soften the effect ofhis reproachful words, he does not take them back. When a physician administersa bitter potion to a patient, he does it to cure the patient. The fact that themedicine is bitter is no fault of the physician. The malady calls for a bittermedicine. Paul wants the Galatians to judge his words according to the situationthat made them necessary.

VERSE 12.Brethren,I beseech you ... Ye have not injured me at all.

Would you call it beseeching the Galatians tocall them "bewitched," "disobedient," "crucifiers ofChrist"? The Apostle calls it an earnest beseeching. And so it is. When afather corrects his son it means as if he were saying, "My son, I beseechyou, be a good boy."

VERSE 12.Yehave not injured me at all.

"I am not angry with you," saysPaul. "Why should I be angry with you, since you have done me no injury at all?"

To this the Galatians reply: "Why, then,do you say that we are perverted, that we have forsaken the true doctrine, thatwe are foolish, bewitched, etc., if you are not angry? We must have offended yousomehow."

Paul answers: "You Galatians have notinjured me. You have injured yourselves. I chide you not because I wish you ill.I have no reason to wish you ill. God is my witness, you have done me no wrong.On the contrary, you have been very good to me. The reason I write to you isbecause I love you."

The bitter potion must be sweetened withhoney and sugar to make it palatable. When parents have punished their childrenthey give them apples, pears, and other good things to show them that they meanwell.

VERSES 13, 14.Yeknow how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at thefirst. And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected;but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.

"You Galatians were very good to me.When I began to preach the Gospel to you in the infirmity of my flesh and ingreat temptation you were not at all offended. On the contrary, you were soloving, so kind, so friendly towards me, you received me like an angel, likeJesus Himself."

Indeed, the Galatians are to be commended forreceiving the Gospel from a man as unimposing and afflicted all around as Paulwas. Wherever he preached the Gospel, Jews and Gentiles raved against him. Allthe influential and religious people of his day denounced him. But the Galatiansdid not mind it. That was greatly to their honor. And Paul does not neglect topraise them for it. This praise Paul bestows on none of the other churches towhich he wrote.

St. Jerome and others of the ancientfathers allege this infirmity of Paul's to have been some physical defect, orconcupiscence. Jerome and the other diagnosticians lived at a time when theChurch enjoyed peace and prosperity, when the bishops increased in wealth andstanding, when pastors and bishops no longer sat over the Word of God. No wonderthey failed to understand Paul.

When Paul speaks of the infirmity of hisflesh he does not mean some physical defect or carnal lust, but the sufferingsand afflictions which he endured in his body. What these infirmities were hehimself explains in II Corinthians 12:9, 10: "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power ofChrist may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, inreproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake:for when I am weak, then am I strong." And in the eleventh chapter of the same Epistle the Apostle writes:"In labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, indeaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice wasI beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck," etc. (II Cor. 11:23-25.) By the infirmity of his flesh Paul meant theseafflictions and not some chronic disease. He reminds the Galatians how he wasalways in peril at the hands of the Jews, Gentiles, and false brethren, how hesuffered hunger and want.

Now, the afflictions of the believers alwaysoffend people. Paul knew it and therefore has high praise for the Galatiansbecause they over looked his afflictions and received him like an angel. Christforewarned the faithful against the offense of the Cross, saying: "Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me." (Matt. 11:6.) Surely it is no easy thing to confess Him Lord of all andSavior of the world who was a reproach of men, and despised of the people, andthe laughing stock of the world. (Ps.22:7.) I say, to value this poor Christ, so spitefully scorned, spit upon,scourged, and crucified, more than the riches of the richest, the strength ofthe strongest, the wisdom of the wisest, is something. It is worth being called blessed.

Paul not only had outward afflictions butalso inner, spiritual afflictions. He refers to these in II Corinthians 7:6,"Without were fightings, within were fears." In his letter to the Philippians Paul makes mention of the restorationof Epaphroditus as a special act of mercy on the part of God, "lest Ishould have sorrow upon sorrow."

Considering the many afflictions of Paul, weare not surprised to hear him loudly praising the Galatians for not beingoffended at him as others were. The world thinks us mad because we go about tocomfort, to help, to save others while we ourselves are in distress. People tellus: "Physician, heal thyself." (Luke 4:23.)

The Apostle tells the Galatians that he willkeep their kindness in perpetual remembrance. Indirectly, he also reminds themhow much they had loved him before the invasion of the false apostles, and givesthem a hint that they should return to their first love for him.

VERSE 15.Whereis then the blessedness ye spake of?

"How much happier you used to be. Andhow you Galatians used to tell me that you were blessed. And how much did I notpraise and commend you formerly." Paul reminds them of former and bettertimes in an effort to mitigate his sharp reproaches, lest the false apostlesshould slander him and misconstrue his letter to his disadvantage and to theirown advantage. Such snakes in the grass are equal to anything. They will pervertwords spoken from a sincere heart and twist them to mean just the opposite ofwhat they were intended to convey. They are like spiders that suck venom out ofsweet and fragrant flowers. The poison is not in the flowers, but it is thenature of the spider to turn what is good and wholesome into poison.

VERSE 15.ForI bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out yourown eyes, and have given them to me.

The Apostle continues his praise of the Galatians. "You did not only treatme very courteously. If it had been necessary you would have plucked out youreyes and sacrificed your lives for me." And in very fact the Galatianssacrificed their lives for Paul. By receiving and maintaining Paul they calledupon their own heads the hatred and malice of all the Jews and Gentiles.

Nowadays the name of Luther carries the samestigma. Whoever praises Luther is a worse sinner than an idolater, perjurer, orthief.

VERSE 16.AmI therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

Paul's reason for praising the Galatians isto avoid giving them the impression as if he were their enemy because he hadreprimanded them.

A true friend will admonish his erringbrother, and if the erring brother has any sense at all he will thank hisfriend. In the world truth produces hatred. Whoever speaks the truth is countedan enemy. But among friends it is not so, much less among Christians. TheApostle wants his Galatians to know that just because he had told them the truththey are not to think that he dislikes them. "I told you the truth becauseI love you."

VERSE 17.Theyzealously affect you, but not well.

Paul takes the false apostles to task fortheir flattery. Satan's satellites softsoap the people. Paul calls it "by good words and fair speeches to deceive the hearts of the simple." (Romans 16:18.)

They tell me that by my stubbornness in thisdoctrine of the Sacrament I am destroying the harmony of the church. They say itwould be better if we would make some slight concession rather than cause suchcommotion and controversy in the Church regarding an article which is not evenone of the fundamental doctrines. My reply is, cursed be any love or harmonywhich demands for its preservation that we place the Word of God in jeopardy!

VERSE 17.Yea, they would exclude you,that ye might affect them.

"Do you Galatians know why the falseapostles are so zealous about you? They expect you to reciprocate. And thatwould leave me out. If their zeal were right they would not mind your loving me.But they hate my doctrine and want to stamp it out. In order to bring this topass they go about to alienate your hearts from me and to make me obnoxious toyou." In this way Paul brings the false apostles into suspicion. Hequestions their motives. He maintains that their zeal is mere pretense todeceive the Galatians. Our Savior Christ also warned us, saying: "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing." (Matt. 7:15.)

Paul was considerably disturbed by thecommissions and changes that followed in the wake of his preaching. He wasaccused of being "a pestilent fellow, a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world." (Acts 24:5.) In Philippi the townspeople cried that he troubled theircity and taught customs which were not lawful for them to receive. (Acts16:20, 21.)

All troubles, calamities, famines, wars werelaid to the charge of the Gospel of the apostles. However, the apostles were notdeterred by such calumnies from preaching the Gospel. They knew that they"ought to obey God rather than men," and that it was better for theworld to be upset than to be ignorant of Christ.

Do you think for a moment that thesereactions did not worry the apostles? They were not made of iron. They foresawthe revolutionary character of the Gospel. They also foresaw the dissensionsthat would creep into the Church. It was bad news for Paul when he heard thatthe Corinthians were denying the resurrection of the dead, that the churches hehad planted were experiencing all kinds of difficulties, and that the Gospel wasbeing supplanted by false doctrines.

But Paul also knew that the Gospel was not toblame. He did not resign his office because he knew that the Gospel he preached was the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes.

The same criticism which was leveled at theapostles is leveled at us. The doctrine of the Gospel, we are told, is the causeof all the present unrest in the world. There is no wrong that is not laid toour charge. But why? We do not spread wicked lies. We preach the glad tidings ofChrist. Our opponents will bear us out when we say that we never fail to urgerespect for the constituted authorities, because that is the will of God.

All of these vilifications cannot discourageus. We know that there is nothing the devil hates worse than the Gospel. It isone of his little tricks to blame the Gospel for every evil in the world.Formerly, when the traditions of the fathers were taught in the Church, thedevil was not excited as he is now. It goes to show that our doctrine is of God,else "behemoth would lie under shady trees, in the covert of the reed, andfens." The fact that he is again walking about as a roaring lion to stir upriots and disorders is a sure sign that he has begun to feel the effect of ourpreaching.

VERSE 18.Butit is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when Iam present with you.

"When I was present with you, you lovedme, although I preached the Gospel to you in the infirmity of my flesh. The factthat I am now absent from you ought not to change your attitude towards me.Although I am absent in the flesh, I am with you in spirit and in my doctrinewhich you ought to retain by all means because through it you received the HolySpirit."

VERSE 19.Mylittle children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.

With every single word the Apostle seeks toregain the confidence of the Galatians. He now calls them lovingly his littlechildren. He adds the simile: "Of whom I travail in birth again." Asparents reproduce their physical characteristics in their children, so the apostles reproduced their faith inthe hearts of the hearers, until Christ was formed in them. A person has theform of Christ when he believes in Christ to the exclusion of everything else.This faith in Christ is engendered by the Gospel as the Apostle declares in ICorinthians 4:15: "In Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel"; and in II Corinthians 3:3, "Ye are the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but withthe Spirit of the living God." The Word of God falling from the lips of the apostle or minister entersinto the heart of the hearer. The Holy Ghost impregnates the Word so that itbrings forth the fruit of faith. In this manner every Christian pastor is aspiritual father who forms Christ in the hearts of his hearers.

At the same time Paul indicts the falseapostles. He says: "I have begotten you Galatians through the Gospel,giving you the form of Christ. But these false apostles are giving you a newform, the form of Moses." Note the Apostle does not say, "Of whom Itravail in birth again until I be formed in you," but "until Christ beformed in you." The false apostles had torn the form of Christ out of thehearts of the Galatians and substituted their own form. Paul endeavors to reformthem, or rather reform Christ in them.

VERSE 20.Idesire to be present with you now, and to change my voice.

A common saying has it that a letter is adead messenger. Something is lacking in all writing. You can never be sure howthe written page will affect the reader, because his mood, his circumstances,his affections are so changeable. It is different with the spoken word. If it isharsh and ill-timed it can always be remodeled. No wonder the Apostle expressesthe wish that he could speak to the Galatians in person. He could change hisvoice according to their attitude. If he saw that they were repentant he couldsoften the tone of his voice. If he saw that they were stubborn he could speak to them more earnestly. This way he did not know how todeal with them by letter. If his Epistle is too severe it will do more damagethan good. If it is too gentle, it will not correct conditions. But if he couldbe with them in person he could change his voice as the occasion demanded.

VERSE 20.ForI stand in doubt of you.

"I do not know how to take you. I do notknow how to approach you by letter." In order to make sure that he leavesno stone unturned in his effort to recall them to the Gospel of Christ, hechides, entreats, praises, and blames the Galatians, trying every way to hit theright note and tone of voice.

VERSE 21.Tellme, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?

Here Paul would have closed his Epistlebecause he did not know what else to say. He wishes he could see the Galatiansin person and straighten out their difficulties. But he is not sure whether theGalatians have fully understood the difference between the Gospel and the Law.To make sure, he introduces another illustration. He knows people likeillustrations and stories. He knows that Christ Himself made ample use ofparables.

Paul is an expert at allegories. They aredangerous things. Unless a person has a thorough knowledge of Christian doctrinehe had better leave allegories alone.

The allegory which Paul is about to bring istaken from the Book of Genesis which he calls the Law. True, that book containsno mention of the Law. Paul simply follows the custom of the Jews who includedthe first book of Moses in the collective term, "Law." Jesus evenincluded the Psalms.

VERSES 22, 23.Forit is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by afreewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he ofthe freewoman was by promise.

This is Paul's allegory. Abraham had two sons: Ishmael by Hagar, and Isaac bySarah. They were both the true sons of Abraham, with this difference, thatIshmael was born after the flesh, i.e., without the commandment and promise ofGod, while Isaac was born according to the promise.

With the permission of Sarah, Abraham tookHagar, Sarah's bondwoman, to wife. Sarah knew that God had promised to make herhusband Abraham the father of a nation, and she hoped that she would be themother of this promised nation. But with the passage of the years her hope diedout. In order that the promise of God should not be annulled by her barrennessthis holy woman resigned her right and honor to her maid. This was no easy thingfor her to do. She abased herself. She thought: "God is no liar. What Hehas promised He will perform. But perhaps God does not want me to be the motherof Abraham's posterity. Perhaps He prefers Hagar for the honor."

Ishmael was thus born without a special wordor promise of God, at the mere request of Sarah. God did not command Abraham totake Hagar, nor did God promise to bless the coalition. It is evident thatIshmael was the son of Abraham after the flesh, and not after the promise.

In the ninth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans St. Paul advances the sameargument which he amplifies into an allegory in writing to the Galatians. Therehe argues that all the children of Abraham are not the children of God. ForAbraham had two kinds of children, children born of the promise, like Isaac, andother children born without the promise, as Ishmael. With this argument Paulsquelched the proud Jews who gloried that they were the children of God becausethey were the seed and the children of Abraham. Paul makes it clear enough thatit takes more than an Abrahamic pedigree to be a child of God. To be a child ofGod requires faith in Christ.

VERSE 24.Which things are an allegory.

Allegories are not very convincing, but likepictures they visualize a matter. If Paul had not brought in advanceindisputable arguments for the righteousness of faith over against therighteousness of works this allegory would do little good. Having firstfortified his case with invincible arguments, he can afford to inject thisallegory to add impressiveness and beauty to his presentation.

VERSES 24, 25.Forthese are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth tobondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia.

In this allegory Abraham represents God.Abraham had two sons, born respectively of Hagar and Sarah. The two womenrepresent the two Testaments. The Old Testament is Mount Sinai, the bondwoman,Hagar. The Arabians call Mount Sinai Agar. It may be that the similarity ofthese two names gave Paul his idea for this allegory. As Hagar bore Abraham ason who was not an heir but a servant, so Sinai, the Law, the allegorical Hagar,bore God a carnal and servile people of the Law without promise. The Law has apromise but it is a conditional promise, depending upon whether people fulfillthe Law.

The Jews regarded the conditional promises ofthe Law as if they were unconditional. When the prophets foretold thedestruction of Jerusalem, the Jews stoned them as blasphemers of God. They nevergave it any thought that there was a condition attached to the Law which reads:"If you keep the commandments it shall be well with thee."

VERSE 25.Andanswereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.

A little while ago Paul called Mount Sinai,Hagar. He would now gladly make Jerusalem the Sarah of the New Testament, but hecannot. The earthly Jerusalem is not Sarah, but a part of Hagar. Hagar livesthere in the home of the Law, the Temple, the priesthood, the ceremonies, and whatever else wasordained in the Law at Mount Sinai.

I would have been tempted to call Jerusalem,Sarah, or the New Testament. I would have been pleased with this turn of theallegory. It goes to show that not everybody has the gift of allegory. Would younot think it perfectly proper to call Sinai Hagar and Jerusalem Sarah? True,Paul does call Sarah Jerusalem. But he has the spiritual and heavenly Jerusalemin mind, not the earthly Jerusalem. Sarah represents that spiritual Jerusalemwhere there is no Law but only the promise, and where the inhabitants are free.

To show that the Law has been quiteabolished, the earthly Jerusalem was completely destroyed with all herornaments, temples, and ceremonies.

VERSE 26.ButJerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

The earthly Jerusalem with its ordinances andlaws represents Hagar and her offspring. They are slaves to the Law, sin anddeath. But the heavenly Jerusalem is Sarah, the free woman. This heavenlyJerusalem is the Church, that is to say the number of all believers throughoutthe world, having one and the same Gospel, one and the same faith in Christ, oneand the same Holy Ghost, and the same sacraments.

Do not mistake this one word"above" to refer to the triumphant Church in heaven, but to themilitant Church on earth. In Philippians 3:20, the Apostle uses the phrase:"Our conversation is in heaven," not locally in heaven, but in spirit. When a believer accepts theheavenly gifts of the Gospel he is in heaven. So also in Ephesians 1:3, "Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." Jerusalem here means the universal Christian Church on earth.

Sarah, the Church, as the bride of Christbears free children who are not subject to the Law.

VERSE 27.For it is written, Rejoice,thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: forthe desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.

Paul quotes the allegorical prophecy ofIsaiah to the effect that the mother of many children must die desolately, whilethe barren woman shall have an abundance of children. (Isaiah54:1.) He applies this prophecy to Hagar and Sarah, to the Law and theGospel. The Law as the husband of the fruitful woman procreates many children.For men of all ages have had the idea that they are right when they follow afterthe Law and outwardly perform its requirements.

Although the Law has many children, they arenot free. They are slaves. As servants they cannot have a share in theinheritance, but are driven from the house as Ishmael was cast out of the houseof Abraham. In fact the servants of the Law are even now barred from the kingdomof light and liberty, for "he that believeth not, is condemned already." (John 3:18.) As the servants of the Law they remain under the curse ofthe Law, under sin and death, under the power of the devil, and under the wrathand judgment of God.

On the other hand, Sarah, the free Church,seems barren. The Gospel of the Cross which the Church proclaims does not havethe appeal that the Law has for men, and therefore it does not find manyadherents. The Church does not look prosperous. Unbelievers have alwayspredicted the death of the Church. The Jews were quite certain that the Churchwould not long endure. They said to Paul: "As concerning this sect, we know that everywhere it is spoken against." (Acts 28:22.) No matter how barren and forsaken, how weak and desolatethe Church may seem, she alone is really fruitful before God. By the Gospel sheprocreates an infinite number of children that are free heirs of everlastinglife.

The Law, "the old husband," is really dead. But not all people knowit, or want to know it. They labor and bear the burden and the heat of the day,and bring forth many children, children that are bastards like themselves,children born to be put out of the house like Ishmael to perish forever.Accursed be that doctrine, life, and religion which endeavors to obtainrighteousness before God by the Law and its creeds.

The scholastics think that the judicial andceremonial laws of Moses were abolished by the coming of Christ, but not themoral law. They are blind. When Paul declares that we are delivered from thecurse of the Law he means the whole Law, particularly the moral law which morethan the other laws accuses, curses, and condemns the conscience. The TenCommandments have no right to condemn that conscience in which Jesus dwells, forJesus has taken from the Ten Commandments the right and power to curse us.

Not as if the conscience is now insensitiveto the terrors of the Law, but the Law cannot drive the conscience to despair."There is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1.) "If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." (John 8:36.)

You will complain: "But I am not doinganything." That is right. You cannot do a thing to be delivered from thetyranny of the Law. But listen to the glad tidings which the Holy Ghost bringsto you in the words of the prophet: "Rejoice, thou barren." As Christis greater than the Law, so much more excellent is the righteousness of Christthan the righteousness of the Law.

In one more respect the Law has beenabolished. The civil laws of Moses do not concern us, and should not be put backin force. That does not mean that we are exempt from obedience to the civil lawsunder which we live. On the contrary, the Gospel commands Christians to obeygovernment "not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake." (Romans 13:5.)

Neither do the ordinances of Moses or those of the Pope concern us. But becauselife cannot go on without some ordinances, the Gospel permits regulations to bemade in the Church in regard to special days, times, places, etc., in order thatthe people may know upon what day, at what hour, and in what place to assemblefor the Word of God. Such directions are desirable that "all things be done decently and in order." (I Cor. 14:40.) These directions may be changed or omitted altogether,as long as no offense is given to the weak.

Paul, however, refers particularly to theabolition of the moral law. If faith alone in Christ justifies, then the wholeLaw is abolished without exception. And this the Apostle proves by the testimonyof Isaiah, who bids the barren to rejoice because she will have many children,whereas she that has a husband and many children will be forsaken.

Isaiah calls the Church barren because herchildren are born without effort by the Word of faith through the Spirit of God.It is a matter of birth, not of exertion. The believer too works, but not in aneffort to become a son and an heir of God. He is that before he goes to work. Heis born a son and an heir. He works for the glory of God and the welfare of hisfellowmen.

VERSE 28.Nowwe, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

The Jews claimed to be the children of Godbecause they were the children of Abraham. Jesus answered them, John 8:39, 40,"If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seekto kill me, a man that hath told you the truth." And in verse 42: "If God were your Father, ye would love me." In other words: "You are not the children of God. If you were, youwould know and love me. Brothers born and living together in the same houserecognize each other. You do not recognize me. You are of your father, thedevil."

We are not like these Jews, the children of the bondwoman, the Law, who werecast out of the house by Jesus. We are children of the promise like Isaac, bornof grace and faith unto an everlasting inheritance.

VERSE 29.Butas that he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after theSpirit, even so it is now.

This is a cheering thought. We who are bornof the Gospel, and live in Christ, and rejoice in our inheritance, have Ishmaelfor our enemy. The children of the Law will always persecute the children of theGospel. This is our daily experience. Our opponents tell us that everything wasat peace before the Gospel was revived by us. Since then the whole world hasbeen upset. People blame us and the Gospel for everything, for the disobedienceof subjects to their rulers, for wars, plagues, and famines, for revolutions,and every other evil that can be imagined. No wonder our opponents think theyare doing God a favor by hating and persecuting us. Ishmael will persecuteIsaac.

We invite our opponents to tell us what goodthings attended the preaching of the Gospel by the apostles. Did not thedestruction of Jerusalem follow on the heels of the Gospel? And how about theoverthrow of the Roman Empire? Did not the whole world seethe with unrest as theGospel was preached in the whole world? We do not say that the Gospel instigatedthese upheavals. The iniquity of man did it.

Our opponents blame our doctrine for thepresent turmoil. But ours is a doctrine of grace and peace. It does not stir uptrouble. Trouble starts when the people, the nations and their rulers of theearth rage and take counsel together against the Lord, and against His anointed.(Psalm2.) But all their counsels shall be brought to naught. "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision." (Psalm 2:4.) Let them cry out against us as much as they like. We knowthat they are the cause of all their own troubles.

As long as we preach Christ and confess Him to be our Savior, we must be contentto be called vicious trouble makers. "These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; and these alldo contrary to the decrees of Caesar," so said the Jews of Paul and Silas. (Acts 17:6, 7.) Of Paul they said:"We have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition amongall the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of theNazarenes." The Gentiles uttered similar complaints: "These men doexceedingly trouble our city."

This man Luther is also accused of being apestilent fellow who troubles the papacy and the Roman empire. If I would keepsilent, all would be well, and the Pope would no more persecute me. The moment Iopen my mouth the Pope begins to fume and to rage. It seems we must choosebetween Christ and the Pope. Let the Pope perish.

Christ foresaw the reaction of the world tothe Gospel. He said: "I am come to send fire on the earth, and what will I, if it be already kindled?" (Luke 12:49.)

Do not take the statement of our opponentsseriously, that no good can come of the preaching of the Gospel. What do theyknow? They would not recognize the fruits of the Gospel if they saw them.

At any rate, our opponents cannot accuse usof adultery, murder, theft, and such crimes. The worst they can say about us isthat we have the Gospel. What is wrong with the Gospel? We teach that Christ,the Son of God, has redeemed us from sin and everlasting death. This is not ourdoctrine. It belongs to Christ. If there is anything wrong with it, it is notour fault. If they want to condemn Christ for being our Savior and Redeemer,that is their lookout. We are mere onlookers, watching to see who will win thevictory, Christ or His opponents.

On one occasion Jesus remarked: "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own, but because ye are not ofthe world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hatethyou." (John 15:19.) In other words: "I am the cause of all your troubles. I am the one for whose sakeyou are killed. If you did not confess my name, the world would not hate you.The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they willalso persecute you."

Christ takes all the blame. He says:"You have not incurred the hatred and persecutions of the world. I have.But be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

VERSE 30.Neverthelesswhat saith the Scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of thebondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman.

Sarah's demand that the bondwoman and her sonbe cast out of the house was undoubtedly a blow to Abraham. He felt sorry forhis son Ishmael. The Scripture explicitly states Abraham's grief in the words:"And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight, because of his son." (Gen. 21:11.) But God approved Sarah's action and said to Abraham:"Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thybondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for inIsaac shall thy seed be called." (Gen. 21:12.)

The Holy Ghost contemptuously calls theadmirers of the Law the children of the bondwoman. "If you do not know yourmother, I will tell you what kind of a woman she is. She is a slave. And you areslaves. You are slaves of the Law and therefore slaves of sin, death, andeverlasting damnation. You are not fit to be heirs. You are put out of thehouse."

This is the sentence which God pronouncesupon the Ishmaelites, the papists, and all others who trust in their own merits,and persecute the Church of Christ. Because they are slaves and persecutors ofthe children of the free woman, they shall be cast out of the house of Godforever. They shall have no inheritance with the children of the promise. Thissentence stands forever.

This sentence affects not only those popes, cardinals bishops, and monks whowere notoriously wicked and made their bellies their Gods. It strikes, also,those who lived in all sincerity to please God and to merit the forgiveness oftheir sins through a life of self-denial. Even these will be cast out, becausethey are children of the bondwoman.

Our opponents do not defend their own moraldelinquency. The better ones deplore and abhor it. But they defend and upholdtheir doctrine of works which is of the devil. Our quarrel is not with those wholive in manifest sins. Our quarrel is with those among them who think they livelike angels, claiming that they do not only perform the Ten Commandments of God,but also the sayings of Christ, and many good works that God does not expect ofthem. We quarrel with them because they refuse to have Jesus' merit count alonefor righteousness.

St. Bernard was one of the best of themedieval saints. He lived a chaste and holy life. But when it came to dying hedid not trust in his chaste life for salvation. He prayed: "I have lived awicked life. But Thou, Lord Jesus, hast a heaven to give unto me. First, becauseThou art the Son of God. Secondly, because Thou hast purchased heaven for me byThy suffering and death. Thou givest heaven to me, not because I earned it, butbecause Thou hast earned it for me." If any of the Romanists are saved itis because they forget their good deeds and merits and feel like Paul: "Not having mine own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is throughthe faith of Christ." (Phil. 3:9.)

VERSE 31.Sothen, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

With this sentence the Apostle Paul concludeshis allegory of the barren Church. This sentence forms a clear rejection of therighteousness of the Law and a confirmation of the doctrine of justification. Inthe next chapter Paul lays special stress upon the freedom which the children ofthe free woman enjoy. He treats of Christian liberty, the knowledge of which isvery necessary. The liberty which Christ purchased for us is a bulwark to us inour battle against spiritual tyranny. Therefore we must carefully study thisdoctrine of Christian liberty, not only for the confirmation of the doctrine ofjustification, but also for the comfort and encouragement of those who are weakin faith.