THE TWO COVENANTS

Lesson 10 for December 3, 2011

Then Abram said, "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!" And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir." Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be."”

HAGAR AND SARAH“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." But Abram said, "Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"

Genesis, 15:1-5

Sarah suggested that Abram should take her Egyptian servant, Hagar, and have a son with her (Genesis, 16). Her son would be legally considered Sarah’s son because Hagar was Sarah’s servant.

Ishmael, the son of works (the slave one) was the result of that attempt of replacing the divine promise with human effort

HAGAR AND SARAH

When time passed and the promise of having a son wasn’t fulfilled, faith began to shake and Abram and Sarah wanted to “help” God.

Thirteen years later, God made the conditions of the covenant clear: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him” (Genesis, 17: 19)

That was a covenant of faith. Believing the impossible (Hebrews, 11: 11-12): that a sterile and not menstruating woman could give birth to a son.

Isaac, the son of faith (the free one) was the result of that covenant

HAGAR AND SARAH

“Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise. which things are allegories. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar. For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written:

"Rejoice, O barren, You who do not bear!Break forth and shout, You who are not in labor!For the desolate has many more children Than she who has a husband."

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman." So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.”

Galatians, 4:21-31

THE ALLEGORY

In this text, Paul is addressing to those “who desire to be under the law” (Galatians, 4: 21)

As we learnt in previous lessons, those wanted to be under the law were those who wanted to gain their salvation by strictly fulfilling the law.

That was the interpretation that the Judaizers did of the covenant God made with Israel on Mount Sinai.

WHO IS PAUL ADDRESSING WITH THAT ALLEGORY?

Here, Paul is not talking about a new pact sealed with the blood of Jesus (Matthew, 26: 28), comparing it with the old covenant (like he does in the book of Hebrews)

If man depends on the works of the law to save himself, he would never be free of slavery. Despite all the things he could do to gain salvation, he would never success.

WHICH TWO COVENANTS IS PAUL TALKING ABOUT?

If we remember who Paul is addressing, we understand that when he talks about Hagar, Ishmael and the Sinai covenant, he is talking about those who try to save themselves by their own merits. That covenant bears “slave sons”.So when Paul is talking about Sarah, Isaac and the promise, he is saying that those who stick to the second covenant are those who accept salvation by faith in Jesus Christ (the promise). That covenant bears “free sons”.

“But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman." So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free” (Galatians, 4: 29-31)

THE INCOMPATIBILITY OF THE TWO SALVATION SYSTEMS

Salvation by works and salvation by faith are totally incompatible. We must “drive out” one of the two salvation systems.

Like the Judaizers in Paul’s time, those who want to deserve salvation cannot accept those who believe that their works are not related to their salvation, but are a result of it.

As he did with the Galatians, Paul invites us to be “sons of the free one”, heirs of God’s promise by faith.

Some are slaves of their works. Others are free in Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Some trust what they can do in this Earth. Others trust what Heaven has already done for us.

Some stare at Mount Sinai, trying to save themselves by their works. Others stare at Christ and are saved by faith.

Ishmael was violent. Isaac was peaceable.

Hagar was a slave, a gift from the Pharaoh to Sarah. Sarah was the lawful wife of Abram.

“In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis, 26: 4) ABRAM

HAGAR

ISHMAEL

MOUNT SINAI

WORLDLY JERUSALEM

SLAVES

SARAH

ISAAC

THE PROMISE

JERUSALEM ABOVE

FREE