You who desire to save themselves by works. Abraham had 2 sons, one by a bondwoman and the other by a freewoman. Those born of bondwoman is through the flesh and freewoman through the promise. These are symbolic. There are 2 covenants, one by Hagar at Mt Sinai in Arabia who is in bondage with her children. The other is the Jerusalem above which is free. We are as Isaac was, children of the promise. Scripture says "Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman" Thus, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.
1) We tend to look towards our works to cover for our misdeeds only by grace through faith can we be cleansed with his blood.
2) The bondwoman is by Abraham own human initiative. The freewoman is by the initiative and act of God. The righteousness obtained by one's own effort is just like Ishmael, illegitimate.
3) Just as Hagar was a handmaid of Sarah, so is the law a handmaid of the promise.
4) Just as Sarah barrenness was removed through God's intervention rather than by human effort, so the curse will be removed in a like manner.
5) We are free
Many times we like to believe in salvation by works that we may do as we please and atone for our mistakes. However, that is not possible, because only a perfect sacrifice can atone for sin. A similarly convicted man cannot atone for the one before him. We are saved by grace through faith and we should remember that although the law is important it is not the be all and end all.
We can only be saved through the promise of faith, the law cannot save us it is illegitimate.
However, the law serves the promise. It compliments it so we cannot do away with it.
Everyone saved through Christ is a child of Sarah.
All children of Abraham are free. The gospel is about freedom. Any religion that imparts fear and subservience is not of Christ.
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