Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father. So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world. But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God....But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? You observe days and months and seasons and years....Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman. But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise. This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar....And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.Here Paul gives two more allegories to illustrate his point that we are to live by faith, and not by the rule of law.
In the first, he compares those who live by the law to a child who is under guardians and managers. Even as adults, if we live under the management of rules that tell us "do this" or "don't do that", then we have never matured. We are still under the authority of a guardian. Only when we are free from the law can we mature and come into our inheritance.
God has adopted us as his own children. Because of the this, He sent the Spirit of Jesus into our hearts.
When we pray, we are not praying to a God who is far away in Heaven. He is not far away, but is near. I have heard some preachers suggest that we imagine Jesus in the room with us. Then talk to him as if he is sitting nearby. But Jesus is closer than that. He is in your heart. Not the physical organ, but the deepest part of who you are, where your spirit resides.
Jesus said, "In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you." [John 14:20 NASB] Because the Spirit of Jesus is in your heart, His spirit and your spirit become one. He is in you, and you are in Him. When you seek God, don't look for Him on the throne of Heaven because you can't go there in this life. Don't imagine him sitting in the room with you because that still places Him too far away. You will find God in your own heart, because He has placed His Spirit there.
There is a false religion that teaches that humanity is divine. Or that God lives in the heart of all men. Truth, they say, is found by looking within yourself. Don't confuse what I'm saying with that. People are not divine. God does not live in the heart of all people, only those who have placed their trust in the Lordship of Jesus. And we do not find any answers by looking within ourselves, but by seeking God, who is within us.
Having been set free from constraints of law, why do we insist upon being bound by religion. Religion says go to church on Sunday (or Saturday or Friday, depending on the religion). Religion tells us to eat at certain times, or fast at certain times, or which foods to eat or which to avoid; what to drink or not drink; which holidays to observe. The list goes on and on, and the more legalistic the religion, the longer the list becomes.
When I first came to Christ in the 1970's, many churches were still caught up in what was called the "holiness movement". Although there was nothing holy about it. "Holiness" churches mandated a dress code for church services. The top button must be buttoned so that you would not be a temptation to others. Women wore dresses, not pants. It was a sin to go to a movie theater (because we know what people do in the dark). Boys and girls could not go to the beach together, lest they see each other in revealing swimwear and be tempted. And on and on. Violations of the code would have you removed from the church.
The holiness movement has evolved. Church leaders decided to take a stand against "legalism" by dropping prohibitions about such things as dancing and theater attendance, while continuing to condemn alcohol and tobacco use as sin. Put another way, they couldn't live by their own rules, so they made the rules easier, but still remain in bondage to the letter of the law. They just changed some of the letters.
"But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?"
You who insist on being ruled by the law are like the children of Hagar the bondwoman. You are living in the flesh, and trying to make yourself righteous by acts of the flesh. You are like a child who puts on his dad's oversized shoes and coat and says, "I'm all grown up". But, in truth, you are still immature, the son of a bondwoman living under the authority of a tutor. The goal of "holiness" is to be free from sin, but no act of will, which is of the flesh, can free you from sin.
But God's promise to us is that we can be free. We are children of God and children of promise. God doesn't want your religion, he wants a relationship with His children. Walk in the freedom that God has given you. The Holy Spirit is alive in your heart. Listen to Him, and trust Him to lead you into righteousness.
It may be scary to leave behind the rules of religion and rely on the Holy Spirit for every moral decision. It takes faith. But the rewards are far more than worth it. When you are free from the law, you are free to have a mature relationship with God the Father. When you are free from the bondage of religion, the Holy Spirit will free you from the bondage of sin.
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