The Bible — World English Bible
Galatians 4
In brief
In Galatians 4, Paul compares the believer to a minor heir, who is no different from a slave until the time set by the father. God sent his Son to redeem and to give adoption: the Spirit cries “Abba, Father!” Paul is worried to see the Galatians going back to religious slavery, and speaks to them as a father, until Christ is formed in them. The chapter closes with Hagar and Sarah, two covenants, and the children of promise.
The chapter in 5 parts
1But I say that so long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a bondservant, though he is lord of all,
2but is under guardians and stewards until the day appointed by the father.
3So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental principles of the world.
4But when the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law,
5that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of children.
6And because you are children, God sent out the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!”
7So you are no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
8However at that time, not knowing God, you were in bondage to those who by nature are not gods.
9But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, why do you turn back again to the weak and miserable elemental principles, to which you desire to be in bondage all over again?
10You observe days, months, seasons, and years.
11I am afraid for you, that I might have wasted my labor for you.
12I beg you, brothers, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong,
13but you know that because of weakness in the flesh I preached the Good News to you the first time.
14That which was a temptation to you in my flesh, you didn’t despise nor reject; but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
15What was the blessing you enjoyed? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me.
16So then, have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?
17They zealously seek you in no good way. No, they desire to alienate you, that you may seek them.
18But it is always good to be zealous in a good cause, and not only when I am present with you.
19My little children, of whom I am again in travail until Christ is formed in you—
20but I could wish to be present with you now, and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.
21Tell me, you that desire to be under the law, don’t you listen to the law?
22For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the servant, and one by the free woman.
23However, the son by the servant was born according to the flesh, but the son by the free woman was born through promise.
24These things contain an allegory, for these are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children to bondage, which is Hagar.
25For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to the Jerusalem that exists now, for she is in bondage with her children.
26But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
27For it is written, “Rejoice, you barren who don’t bear. Break out and shout, you who don’t travail. For the desolate have more children than her who has a husband.”
28Now we, brothers, as Isaac was, are children of promise.
29But as then, he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now.
30However what does the Scripture say? “Throw out the servant and her son, for the son of the servant will not inherit with the son of the free woman.”
31So then, brothers, we are not children of a servant, but of the free woman.
Key verses
But when the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law, that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of children.
The center of the Gospel in two verses: at the moment God chose, his Son came as a man, under the law, to redeem and so that we might receive adoption. Salvation is presented as the Father's initiative.
And because you are children, God sent out the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!”
The Spirit of the Son is sent into believers' hearts and cries “Abba, Father!” Our relationship with God is not only a status, it becomes a lived intimacy.
So you are no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Three statements in a row: no longer a slave, a son, an heir. Paul wants the Galatians to see themselves as God sees them, and not as people who must still earn their place.
My little children, of whom I am again in travail until Christ is formed in you—
Paul speaks like a mother in labor: his aim is not that the Galatians follow rules, but that Christ be formed in them, meaning that his likeness grows in their lives.
Now we, brothers, as Isaac was, are children of promise.
Like Isaac, believers are children of promise. Their identity comes neither from their origin nor from their efforts, but from what God has promised and accomplished.
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Frequently asked questions about Galatians 4
What does “Abba, Father” mean in Galatians 4:6?
“Abba” is an Aramaic word that expresses a child's closeness to his father. Paul says that the Spirit of Jesus, given to believers, cries this word in their hearts. It means that our relationship with God is not that of a fearful slave, but that of a child who can come near freely.
What is the main message of Galatians 4?
The believer is no longer a slave but a son and heir, thanks to the work of Christ. Going back to rules to earn a place before God is going back to slavery. Paul wants his readers to live by grace and to see Christ grow in them.
What does “until Christ is formed in you” mean?
Paul compares his anguish to that of a mother giving birth. His desire is that the Galatians resemble Christ more and more in the way they live and love. It is not about effort under the law, but about growth that God produces.
Who are Hagar and Sarah in Galatians 4?
Paul retells the story of Abraham, who had a son by the slave Hagar, Ishmael, and a son by the free woman Sarah, Isaac. He turns it into an allegory: Hagar represents the covenant of Sinai, which bears children into slavery, and Sarah the promise, which bears free children. Believers are the children of the promise.
Articles quoting Galatians 4
World English Bible translation — public domain.