Galatians 4:21-5:1
In order to stop the ripple of false doctrine, you must cast out the false teachers and their false teachings. You cannot blend or compromise the truth with that which is false. Nor can you pick and choose which parts of the bible you want to believe, and which parts you do not want to believe. We must never sacrifice truth for anything, even unity. “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not do send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household,” Matthew 10:34-36. Truth and error cannot mix. When the Lord saves your soul and you begin to understand what the Scriptures teach, your life will be being changed. You find freedom in Christ that you never had before. Before the Lord saved your soul you were trying to earn your salvation; you were trying to appease God with your good works. You hoped at the end of your life that your good works would outweigh your bad works. You never had rest, and you couldn’t have rest. Works for salvation is bondage. Oh, but what joy filled your heart when Jesus Christ saved your soul! You went about singing and making melody in your hearts toward the Lord. Then out of no where here comes false doctrine trying to take your joy in Christ away.
This is another reason it is important to be part of a local church that is grounded in the doctrines of the bible. The local church should be a safe haven for us and our families. Outside of these walls we will be exposed to and attacked by false doctrines and false teachers, but inside these walls we should rest knowing we are protected from those who would rob us of our liberty in Christ Jesus. The place we meet in is called the sanctuary. You may not realize it, but one of the reasons we look forward to meeting together is because of the protection we find here. The elders will not allow anyone or anything to come in here and feed us heresies. We want to grow in the word of God. “If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strifes, railings, evil surmisings. Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself,” I Timothy 6:3-5.
Right doctrine produces right living. Right doctrine keeps our focus on Christ, whereas false doctrine puts our focus on self. When we are focused on self, we are in bondage, and we are miserable. I do not want to be a miserable Christian. How about you?
Last week we looked at Galatians 4:21; let us start in verse 22 this week. “For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman,” Galatians 4:22. The bondmaid was Hagar who bore Ishmael. The freewoman was Sarah who bore Isaac. “But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise,” Galatians 4:23. Let us turn to Genesis 15-16 and look at how this came about. God promised Abraham and Sarah a son. They took matter into their own hands. It is obvious at this time they did not trust God to do what He said He would do. They tried to help God do what He apparently could not do. They had a lack of faith in God’s word. Ishmael was born after the flesh; in a lack of faith. They tried to accomplish what God had promised by their own ways. They added to God’s word what seemed right in their eyes. The result was utter failure. Paul knew the Judaizers would understand what Paul was saying.
“Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar,” Galatians 4:24. “Allegory” in this verse means that which represents. Ishmael and Hagar represent the law and Jerusalem which are under bondage. This even applies today to those who are trying to earn their salvation by keeping the law. They do not believe God can do what He said He would do through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. So, they try to keep the law to earn their salvation. The result is utter failure. This produces bondage. “For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children,” Galatians 4:25.
“But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 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. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise,” Galatians 4:26-28. The children of promise are those who believe by faith. Only God could do what He said He would do for Abraham and Sarah. Isaac means laughter; and what great joy we have when we trust the promises of God. No one in their right mind would cast out Isaac to embrace Ishmael. Especially when they see the hatred Ishmael has towards the promised son.
“But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage,” Galatians 4:29-5:1. Turn to Genesis 21:1-10. Those who are trying to earn their salvation are persecuting those who have trusted Christ to save them by faith. We may not be under physical attack here in America, but we hear things like; you must be baptized to be saved; you must speak in tongues to be saved; you must keep the law to be saved; etc. There is not freedom in those things. Cast those things out. Flee from those kinds of teachings, and from those teachers. Do not let them sway you. Stand fast in Christ Jesus! Keep those cords of bondage cut away from you by growing and being grounded in the scriptures. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast,” Ephesians 2:8-9.
The false teachers like to boast in what they have accomplished, and they like to pretend they have something you do not have. Listen, if Jesus Christ has saved your soul, you are free in Christ Jesus. This does not mean that you are free to sin, but that you are free from trying to earn your salvation. This makes us not want to sin. Have you thanked the Lord for saving your soul? Cast out false teachers, and cast out their false doctrines. Please send questions and comments to richardsonbaptistchurch@gmail.com. Soli Deo Gloria.
