Gal. 4:19-21  "My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, 20 I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you. 21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?

"My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you." According to the above language, we can conclude that Christ had been previously been formed in the Galatian brethren and that he was no longer formed in them and Paul was endeavoring to form Christ in them again. He compared this to a birth in which they had previously been born and needed to be born again. Paul is not speaking here of the new or spiritual birth when we are born of the Spirit of God. Paul is speaking of the brethren having an understanding of the truth of Jesus Christ and what he accomplished for them by his grace. At one time Paul had taught them and they had believed the truth of Jesus Christ and that he had saved them by his grace. They were Paul's children in the true faith of Christ. The truth of Christ had been formed in their minds and hearts. False teachers had come along and deceived them into believing a lie. They no longer believed that Christ had died for their sins and redeemed them to God by his grace alone. They had lost the image in their minds of the truth. The truth of Christ was no longer in the belief system of their mind.

Now Paul was travailing again to teach them the truth of Christ and what he had done for them in redeeming them from their sins by his grace. Paul desired that the truth of Christ would once again be formed in their minds by his preaching and teaching.

"I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you." Paul did not stand in doubt as to whether they were children of God. He had called them little children. He knew that they showed evidences of being born of the Spirit of God. Paul did stand in doubt of their belief of the grace of Christ and that salvation was by grace alone. He stood in doubt of their worshipping God in Spirit and in truth. They had departed from the truth and he wondered if they would be won back to the truth as they had gone so far under the elements of law service and had rejected the truth. Paul desired to be present with them that he might reason with them once again about the true grace of Christ.

"Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?" The law declared that we are under the wrathful judgment of God and that we are sinners and worthy of everlasting destruction from the presence of God and from the glory of his power. It declares that we need a suitable sacrifice to redeem us from our sins. It also shows us that we can never get ourselves right with God, for that we are sinners."

Paul is saying that if we have the knowledge of the law and what it is speaking to us about, then we should not desire to be under the law, but rejoice in salvation by the grace of Christ.

Gal. 4:22-31 

 "For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27 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. 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 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. 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free."

"For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman." The bondwoman was Hagar, and the freewoman was Sarah. Abraham had Ishmael by the bondwoman, Hagar. He had Isaac by the freewoman, Sarah. Hagar was the bondservant of Sarah. She was under service to Sarah. The son of a bondwoman was himself a bondservant. The son of a freewoman was free. This made Ishmael a bondservant and it made Isaac a freeman.

"But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise." Ishmael the son of Hagar, the bondwoman was born after the flesh. Sarah was barren and of advanced age and did not seem to have the prospect of having children according to nature. God had promised to Abraham that he would multiply his seed and that all nations and families would be blessed in the seed of Abraham. Sarah devised a scheme whereby Abraham could have a son by the bondmaid and thus help God fulfill his promise (of course it was foolish to think that God would ever need any help) that He made concerning the seed of Abraham. Abraham took Hagar to wife and she bore him a son, Ishmael. Ishmael birth was according to the desires and efforts of the flesh.

Contrariwise, the birth of Isaac was by promise. When Abraham was 99 years old and Sarah was 89 years old and the reproductive ability of both was dead, God appeared unto them and told them that "at this set time in the next year" that God would restore unto them the time of life and that Sarah would bear Abraham a son and that his name would be Isaac. In this manner, Isaac's birth was by promise from God and contrary to nature, whereas Ishmael's birth was according to the desires and efforts of the flesh.

"Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all." There are several covenants set forth in the scriptures, but only two covenants of worship that God has given. An allegory is something that naturally happened but represents another more important truth. Sarah actually had a child named Isaac by promise from God. Hagar actually had a child named Ishmael according to the flesh. In the allegory, Hagar represents the covenant of worship and service that God made with the children of Israel at Mount Sinai and she is represented by Jerusalem, which now is, and the children that attempt to worship God under this law covenant that are in bondage to the law covenant. Sarah represented the covenant of grace that the Lord established for worship in this New Testament age. She is referred to as Jerusalem, which is above, is free, and is the mother of us all. This covenant of grace, under which we worship God in Spirit and in truth is set forth for us in Rom. 8:29, 30: "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." We are all children of God according to this covenant of grace.

"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." This was written in Isa. 54:1-3 "Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited." It is apparent that the term "desolate" is referring to the Gentiles. The Israelites were married to the law covenant in the Old Testament dispensation. The Gentiles worshipped idols and as such had no lawful husband.

In contrast, now the Gentiles have been brought into the true worship of God and there are many more that are married to the true worship of God than those who previously were married to the law service. Today there are many more Gentiles who worship God in Spirit and in truth than there are Israelites who worship God in Spirit and in truth.

"Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise." In order to see how that we are children of promise, it is important that we see how Isaac was a child of promise. Isaac was a child of promise in the following ways:

    1. Isaac's birth was promised beforehand of God.

    2. Isaac's birth was contrary to nature. The reproductive ability of both Abraham and Sarah according to Romans chapter four was dead. According to nature neither was able to have children. Thus, the birth of Isaac had to be brought about by God.

    3. Isaac was born at God's appointed time and not man's time. God said that at this set time in the next year that Sarah would bear Abraham a son and that his name would be called Isaac.

Similarly, our spiritual birth is like Isaac's natural birth. Our spiritual birth is like Isaac's in the following ways:

    1. Our spiritual birth was promised beforehand of God in the covenant of redemption. Those that God foreknew or chose before the foundation of the world, he also predestinated, called, justified, and glorified. Thus, God promised to cause all that he chose before the foundation of the world to be called into spiritual life in the new birth. This promise was made before the foundation of the world.

    2. Our spiritual birth was contrary to nature. Eph. 2:1-5 shows us how that our spiritual birth was contrary to nature: Eph. 2:1-5 "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)" We were spiritually dead in trespasses and sins. Without spiritual life we could do nothing to bring about our spiritual birth or even assist in our spiritual birth. Our spiritual birth was contrary to nature.

    3. Our spiritual birth was at God's appointed time. The Lord taught us this lesson in John 3:8: "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." Just as the wind is sovereign in its actions toward us so God is sovereign in bringing about the spiritual birth. We are born at our sovereign God's appointed time and not in our time or in someone else's time.

In the above, three ways our spiritual birth is like Isaac's birth.

"But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now." Just as Ishmael persecuted Isaac, so those born after the flesh persecute those who are born after the Spirit. This lesson is also taught us in the case of Cain and Abel. Abel brought forth for worship that which represented Christ. Cain brought forth the works of his hands. God had respect unto Abel and to his offering, but had not respect unto Cain and his offering. Cain became angry and slew his brother Abel. Why? Because his own works were evil and his brother's righteous. Similarly, those who worship under a legalistic works system persecute those who worship under the covenant of grace. The Pharisees and the Sadducees sought to destroy those who worshipped God according to the gospel of the grace of Christ.

"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." Clearly, this teaches us that we should cast out the covenant of the law made at Mount Sinai as a means to worship God. You cannot mix works and grace. Bringing in circumcision into the worship of God under the covenant of grace is the same as bringing in the bondwoman and her son. True worship today is not found under the principles of the law covenant, but is found under the teachings of the covenant of grace. We are heirs of God by grace according to the covenant of redemption. We are not heirs of God according to the works of the law. Thus, we are to cast out the legalistic works system and all legalistic works systems and worship God under the covenant of grace.

"So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free." We are free from the legalistic works system and no longer need to do something in order to get eternal life. We are not under a "grace, but" doctrine, but we are free according to the covenant of redemption and have no need to do something to get right with God, but rather we praise, honor, and glorify God for what he has already done for us under the covenant of grace, and for what he is doing for us under the covenant of grace, and for what he will yet do for us under the covenant of grace. Praise be to God for his unsearchable riches.