Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to
WEEK 28
REALIZING THE GREAT COST OF
SALVATION
GALATIANS 4:21–5:1
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. Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. For it is written, "Rejoice, barren woman who does not bear; break forth and shout, you who are not in labor; for more numerous are the children of the desolate than of the one who has a husband."
And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also. But what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman." So then,
brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman.
It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
OUR LOVING HEAVENLY FATHER,
You graciously gave Your Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He obediently took our sins to the cross,
where He bore unspeakable judgment on our behalf
in accordance with Your perfect will. You powerfully declared Him to be the true Son of God
by raising Him from the dead.1
And now through Your precious Spirit
You earnestly invite all who hunger and all who thirst to come (penitently yet boldly) and partake freely
of the bread of heaven and the water of life— without money, and without price.2
Those blessings are given freely to us;
but they were not obtained for us without cost to You. They cost You Your only begotten Son, and they cost Him His life. He bore the curse incurred by our sin. When the law thundered against us like Mount Sinai—
threatening us with condemnation, pronouncing our doom, and consigning us to the darkness of hell3—
Christ silenced the law's claim against us
by taking the condemnation upon Himself. He paid, once for all, the awful price. We could never have fully discharged that debt to Your justice,
even if we suffered an eternity of torment in hell.
So we owe Him everything we are.
We were deeply stained,
guilty of countless sins (both careless and deliberate). Our sins had cut us off from heaven,
excluded us from the commonwealth of Israel, left us total strangers to the covenants of promise—
without hope and without God in the world.4
But then the blessed good news came to us. The gospel declared to us the way of life. Truly it is the power of God for salvation
to everyone who believes.5
Your Spirit graciously drew us into the household of faith
and You adopted us into the family
of Your redeemed children.
The human mind simply cannot fathom
the magnitude of our debt to Your grace. Nor is the human tongue capable of adequately expressing
the fullness of our gratitude for so many undeserved mercies.
We know that there is no merit and no atoning value
in our good works, our prayers, our tears, or our good intentions. Only the atoning blood of Christ
could ever make an appropriate satisfaction for our sins
before You.6
Therefore we were not redeemed with perishable things
like silver or gold, but with that precious blood, shed by the spotless lamb of God. This was the plan of salvation You ordained
before the foundation of the world, for our sake.7
When we ponder these truths carefully,
we are astonished that You would save rebellious sinners. Why should guilty evildoers like us
be washed in the atoning blood of Your Son
and clothed in His righteousness?
Why should we be allowed
to radiate the bright glory that belongs only to You? Why should we be advanced to such a high and eternal state? Why would You choose us to adoption as Your children,
even before the foundation of the world? Such knowledge is too wonderful for us;
it is high; we cannot attain it.8
But we can thank You for Your kindness. We can only do so in a feeble and inadequate way. But in the name of Christ our Savior
we offer what we can of our heartfelt gratitude. Please receive our worship, loosen our tongues,
sanctify our lips, and enlarge our hearts to worship you more fittingly than we are currently able. And may our service be acceptable in Your sight. Amen.
1. Romans 1:4 2. Isaiah 55:1-7 3. Hebrews 12:18-29 4. Ephesians 2:12 5. Romans 1:16 6. Hebrews 9:22-28 7. 1 Peter 1:18-21 8. Psalm 139:6