Revive Us Again | Week 13 | Acts 15

The Jerusalem Council and the Question of Law or Gospel

If you will stay in Acts chapter 15, we will be considering the Jerusalem Council, and particularly verse 1, verse 5, and verse 11. Acts chapter 15, verse 1, verse 5, and verse 11. This is our 13th message through this series.

Let me pray. Oh God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God, I pray that you fill me with your Spirit to proclaim to your people the magnificent works done that day at the Jerusalem Council, where man stood up, professed believers, and proclaimed a false gospel.

And you, through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, reveal to them the true gospel. Lord, with that same Spirit, Lord, reveal to your people today the difference between a false gospel and the true gospel.

I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. All right, so our overarching theme through this series has been Revive Us Again. We've been asking the question, what is revival? The great Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones says this, Revival, above anything else, is the glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

It is the restoration of Him to the center of the life of the church. So the question is, is Jesus the center of the life of the church? I made mention, I don't know if it was last week or a couple weeks ago, about how some women on their table, they'll have a centerpiece.

And it might be flowers or something of the sort, right? It might be just a bowl with some apples and bananas that aren't even real, right? It's fake fruit, right? And so this is the picture that Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones has given to us.

Is Jesus the centerpiece? Is He why we are here, right? If you're coming to church to find a wife or to find a husband, okay, I'm not saying please find your husband or your wife here in church. But is Jesus the centerpiece?

Is He why we gather? Some of us can be, let's say, introvert or extrovert or whatever, and we come to congregations just to fellowship. Ladies and gentlemen, there's nothing wrong with fellowshipping, but is Jesus the centerpiece?

Is He why you're here? And while you're here enjoying Jesus, you are able to enjoy His people. Is Jesus the centerpiece? Is He our main focus? Is He who we are looking toward? Because if He is, there will be revival.

We can experience revival now if Jesus is our centerpiece, if He's why we are here. The theme for this section of scripture that we're looking at today is law or gospel. And my proposition is this. A person doesn't have to become a Jew first in order to become a Christian.

The question we so often, at least me, myself, personally, have to answer is, are we made right with God by keeping His law, or are we made right with God by His grace through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ?

Ladies and gentlemen, both of those cannot be true. Both of them cannot be true. Only one of them is true. Do we have to keep God's law to be made right with God? Or are we made right with God by His grace through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ?

And that's the difference between the gospel and another gospel that isn't the gospel, that is no gospel. In our outline, we're going to outline some biblical truths. Biblical truth number one is that salvation is not through the Jews, but through Jesus Christ.

Biblical truth number two, in Christ there is no Jew or Gentile distinction. And biblical truth number three, the old covenant customs of Moses has come to an end. And as we transition, some Jews, namely these Judaizers that spoke up that day at the Jerusalem Council, had an unrealistic view of their purpose at that time.

An unrealistic view. They somehow believed that Jesus was something that was added to the old covenant Jewish religion. Yeah, we'll take that. We'll fit them in here somewhere. In their view, in order to get to Jesus, you had to go through Judaism.

To them, Judaism had become the path to the door of salvation. In their minds, they had become the gatekeepers. And what they were doing, they were manipulating the truth. John MacArthur speaks about this as they say, they believe that they was the door to the door.

There was a time where I lived in some apartments. And the apartment complex had two doors. And the door led to a hallway. And at the end of the hallway was another door for an exit. But there were multiple apartments inside this hallway.

And so it's the view that you had to go through this one door to get into your door. And that's what's taking place here to give you a visual. They believed as Judaizers that you had to become a Jew first in order to receive the blessings of God.

They were manipulating the truth. In the same way that we would say that Jesus is the only way to the Father, which is true. The scriptures plainly say those words. Jesus teaches the truth. They would say that Judaism was the only way to Jesus or the only way to be saved.

They understood that Jesus was the Messiah. Verse 5, it calls them believers. But they didn't understand that Jesus had brought the new covenant. Through this ordeal, and what is clearly seen in this letter, What is clearly seen in the letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul was no fan of these Judaizers.

Philippians 3, verse 2 says this, Paul speaking, Look out for the dogs. Look out for the evildoers. Look out for those who mutilate the flesh. Speaking of circumcision. Galatians 5, verses 11 and 12 says this.

Again, Paul speaking. But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision. So when did Paul preach circumcision? When he was a Pharisee. Before Jesus came and struck him with blindness and revealed to him who he is.

And saved him. He says, brothers, if I, but if I, brothers, still preach circumcision. Why am I still being persecuted? If Paul didn't want to be persecuted, all he had to do was preach circumcision. In that case, the offense of the cross has been removed.

Listen to this. I remember when I said this the first time,.

I said, woo, like they got really big.

He says, I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves. He said, I wish those who are teaching you that you must be circumcised would cut off their manhood and would become like women who have no authority to teach.

The context of what we're focusing on today has been read in your hearing. It was almost something else read, but it was read in your hearing. Thanks, Habs. We love you, brother. Paul and Barnabas were in Antioch.

So if you go to the next chapter, I love it. Paul and Barnabas were in Antioch. These professed believers come to Antioch and they start teaching that you must be circumcised in order to be saved. Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem, the headquarters of the church, and what takes place is called the Jerusalem Council.

And they may mention not only was you to be circumcised, but these Gentiles were to be ordered to keep the law of Moses. And then Paul, James, and the leaders, the pillars of the church, come together and they weighed these matters out.

And I'm going to read verse 10 first, and then I'm going to go back and look at the text that we're focusing on. Verse 10. Now therefore, why are you putting God to the test? By placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear.

Peter here understands that no one has been able to keep this law. He understands. He sees it. He understands that he hasn't been able to, and none of the fathers have been able to keep this law. You want to know how he understands this?

Because of the sacrificial system. Constantly, day by day, year after year, lambs and all other kinds of animals, goats and pigeons, were sacrificed for people's forgiveness of sins. If you want to know, has man been able to keep the law, all you had to do was look to the priest, look to the sacrifice.

Daily they were in the temple performing sacrifices because people could not keep the law. He understands that. He sees that this is coming to him in a time such as this. So before they go to the council, chapter 15, verse 1.

But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.

Verse 5.

So this is now they're at the council in Jerusalem. But some believers who belong to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, It is necessary to circumcise them, speaking of the Gentiles, and to order them to keep the law of Moses.

This right here tells you that if they're unable to keep it, there has to be a sacrificial system. Now, verse 11. This is what they said. Peter's speaking. But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.

We believe that we, the Jews, will be saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they, the Gentiles, will. That salvation for the Jews and the Gentiles are the same. It's the grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen? Amen.

Salvation Is Through Jesus Christ, Not Judaism

Our salvation has to do with us being saved from the wrath of God. Our salvation has to do with us, you and I, being saved from the wrath of God. In past messages, we saw that the only way to have peace with God is to be justified by faith.

That we, in one sense, are an opposing army coming against God. God, through His prophets, has sent out delegates. The final prophet, being Christ, comes and He proclaims this message and He sends His apostles to be His delegates.

And the only way for us to have peace with God, for God not to destroy us in His wrath, is for us to be justified, made right. Well, how are we made right with Him? It's by us believing in Jesus Christ.

Turn with me, if you will, to the Gospel of John 3. I told Pastor Cal earlier that we're going to be doing a lot of reading today because what's taking place in the Jerusalem Council, I feel the Scriptures give a better answer than me just rambling thoughts.

Look at verse 36. John 3, verse 36. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Say that again. Whoever, red, yellow, black, or white, Jew or Gentile, whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Eternal life is given through our believing in Jesus and not through Judaism. Not us entering into the door of Judaism to get to God, but by our believing in Jesus Christ. Now the question is, what does it mean to obey the Son?

And the answer is, to believe in the Son is to obey the Son. In John 3, the command is to believe. Your responsibility that God is going to hold you to is belief. Do you believe? If you believe, you have eternal life.

If you don't believe, you did not obey the command to believe. And it says that the wrath of God remains upon that person, the person that doesn't believe. To trust and to rest in the finished work of Christ on that cross is to obey.

Now, turn with me to Ephesians 2. Ephesians 2. We're going to read verses 1 through 10. Again, there's going to be a lot of reading. Ephesians 2, verse 1. Paul is speaking to the church. And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked following the course of this world, following the prince and the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

He says you were dead following this serpent, this devil. You were following after him. How were you following after him? It's going to tell us. Among whom you once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of our body and the mind.

The word mind here is imagination. And were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind. So we're headed in the path of Satan. We're doing his will.

Verse 4.

But God, being rich in mercy because of the great love in which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. By grace, you have been saved and raised up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

So that in the coming ages he might show his immeasurable riches of his grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Verse 8.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. This is that believing we were just looking at.

Through faith.

And this, speaking of faith, is not of your own doing. It is the gift of God. Not a result of works so that no one may boast. Verse 10. For we are his workmanships, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are saved by the grace of God. We're following the devil. We're doing the will of the serpent, the will of Satan. We hear the gospel. And those whom God has chosen, who were created in Christ Jesus, are plucked from the fire, are plucked from the will of Satan.

It's been said that mercy is you not getting what you deserve. And grace is you getting what you don't deserve. In mercy, Jesus takes upon himself the punishment that you and I deserve. And in his grace, Jesus clothes us in his own righteousness.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are saved by Jesus Christ. We are not saved by entering into the old covenant system of Judaism. We're saved by what God has done for us in Christ Jesus. God sending his son to perform a task that's been too heavy for anyone to perform.

The yoke was too heavy.

Jesus says, take my yoke upon you. My burden is easy. The load is light. I'm sure I messed that quote all up. In mercy, Jesus takes upon himself our punishment. And in his grace, this is what we don't deserve.

He clothes us in his righteousness. Now let's look at another biblical truth. In Christ, there is no Jew and Gentile distinction. Now again, in Ephesians 2, it clearly gives us this answer. It's clearly seen.

I mean, to be a dispensationalist is to argue against this text. It is mind-blowing to me how someone can be a dispensationalist when it's so absolutely clear. It is to actually deny the clear text. Ephesians 2, look at verse 11.

Therefore, remember, at one time you Gentiles in the flesh called the uncircumcision by what is called circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands. Remember that you, speaking to the Gentile, you were at one time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope in with our God.

Speaking of the old covenant, we were strangers. We were alienated. We had no hope. There wasn't a sacrificial system for us. But now, in Christ Jesus, you who were once far off have been brought near, how?

By the blood of Christ. Verse 14. For he himself is our peace, who made us both, who's the both? Jew and Gentile. Who made us both one. Who made us both, Jew and Gentile, one. And has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law and commandments expressed in ordinances that he might create in himself one new man in the place of the two, so making peace.

Through what Christ has done, there is no Jew and Gentile distinction. If you're in him, there is no Jew and Gentile distinction. And might reconcile us both, Jew and Gentile, to God in one body. What's the body?

The church.

In one body, through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. At this time, it was really hard for the Jew to receive the Gentile as their brothers. To them, they were dogs. They were sinners. Verse 17.

And he came to preach peace to you who were far off, that's the Gentile. And peace to those who are near, that's the Jew. For through him we both have access to one spirit to the Father, so then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens.

Now go back to verse 12. Remember at one time, separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise. Now look at 19. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens.

Citizens where? Speaking of Israel. With the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundations of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone in whom the whole structure is being built together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Ladies and gentlemen, according to Ephesians 2, 11 -22, to separate the two, Jew and Gentile, into separate churches is sin.

It's sin. That's why I have beef. I love the Jews for Jesus. I love these movements, but there shouldn't be separation. I'm glad that God's doing a work among the Jews, but there's one church. Christ came to make the two one new man in himself, one new people.

I would go as far as to say, for any ethnic group to separate themselves because of their ethnicity is sinning.

It's sinning.

Outside of a language bearer, there should be no separation. There's no such thing as a white church. There's no such thing as an Asian church. There's no such thing as a black church. There's no such thing as a Jewish church.

There's only the church. Only the church. There is no distinction. If you're in Christ, you're one new man, and you better love your brother. If you don't love your brother because of their ethnicity, guess what?

You are walking in darkness, and there is no truth in you. The God whom you profess to believe in doesn't understand your ways. You're not doing His will. You're following the course of the world, the imagination of your mind.

You're doing the will of Satan.

Galatians 3, verse 28 and 29.

There is neither Jew nor Greek. Think Gentile here. There's neither Jew nor Greek. There's neither slave nor free. There's neither male or female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are in Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring and heirs according to the promise.

Ladies and gentlemen, one group of people does not enter into another group of people in order to get to enter into Christ. We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ. And those that are in Jesus Christ become a part of Christ.

We enter into Christ. He enters into us, and we are the Israel of God. Our last biblical truth, point number three. The old covenant customs of Moses has come to an end. The old custom covenant of Moses has come to an end.

Acts 15, verse 1. But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.

Verse 5.

But some believers belonging to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, it is necessary to circumcise them, the Gentiles, and to order them, the Gentiles, to keep the law of Moses. Circumcision is the sign of the Abrahamic covenant, while the sign of the Mosaic covenant is Sabbath keeping.

And I don't have time to take you there and read it, but if you want to look at that later with me, I'd gladly show you. Circumcision is the sign of the Abrahamic covenant, while the sign of the Mosaic covenant is Sabbath keeping.

And the seal of the old covenant, thank Abrahamic and Mosaic, the seal of that covenant is circumcision. Ladies and gentlemen, I take the position that if the sign is no longer in use, if the sign isn't valid, then the covenant itself is no more.

So if Paul's teaching that circumcision is no more, that means the Abrahamic covenant, listen, according to the flesh, is no more. In the Abrahamic covenant, there's two promises made. One to the physical descendants, and the other to the spiritual, the true Israel.

That covenant, according to the flesh, end it. And I believe the same thing goes with the Sabbath keeping, although we can talk about that later, I can't dive too deep into it. Galatians 2, verses 19 -21, Paul speaking, For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. In the life that I live, in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me.

Notice he didn't say, I live by the law, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself up to me. Verse 21, I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness, law keeping, if righteousness were through the law, Christ died for no purpose.

He's saying if you can become righteous with God by keeping the law, Christ died for no purpose.

No purpose.

Do we live by faith or by keeping the law? Galatians 3, turn with me there. Galatians 3, verses 10 -14, For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, for it is written, Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law and to do them.

Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for the righteous shall live by faith. Verse 12, but the law is not of faith. Rather, the one who does them shall live by them. Christ redeems us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.

For it is written, cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree, so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles so that we might receive the promised spirit through faith. Now what I want us to do is to stay in Galatians, mainly because it's in Galatians where we see Paul deal with the situation that's taken place at the Jerusalem council.

Let's go to chapter 1 to paint the picture. Chapter 1, beginning in verse 6. Again, I told you it's going to be a lot of reading. Paul writes to the Galatian church, the Judaizers had infected the churches of Galatia.

And here's his response to them. Now what was the Judaizers preaching? You must be circumcised and you must obey the custom of Moses. We saw that in Acts chapter 15. This is his response. I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.

Not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preach to you, let him be accursed.

This means to be cut off, separated. It's given the idea of circumcision. In circumcision, you cut off that piece of skin and it's separated. This is the visual that he's given. I hate to be so giving it to you, but that's the visual.

To be accursed is to be cut off, is to separate and be thrown away. Verse 9. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches to you a gospel contrary to the one that you received, let him be accursed.

They received the gospel of grace, that Christ Jesus died for their sins according to the Scriptures, was buried on the third day, rose again according to the Scriptures. And if you believe, you're saved.

Verse 10. For am I now seeking the approval of man or God? Man here will be the Jews. Or am I still trying to please man back when he was a Pharisee? Or am I trying to please God now that he's a Christian?

I would not be a servant of Christ. If he was trying to please man, he says that he would not be a servant of Christ. The two do not work together. I believe this other gospel that isn't a gospel is the Abrahamic covenant according to the flesh that was for the Jews to bring about the seed, which is Christ, as well as the Mosaic covenant, the custom of Moses, the law of Moses.

The law was added to the Abrahamic covenant and it is not good news.

It's not the gospel.

If I was to tell you in order for you to have peace with God, you must keep the law. Is that a gospel? No, it's not a gospel.

That's not good news.

That's bad news.

Right?

As reformed people, we use God's law, the first use of the law, we use God's law to show people their sin. The law shows us that we're sinners, that we've broken God's law, we've committed treason against the king, and he is going to destroy us in his wrath.

That's what the law shows us. If it were good news, then the Judaizers would be correct in their assessment in saying that we must first enter through Judaism to get to Jesus in order to be saved. And that would mean that Christ died for nothing.

Christ coming into the world, giving up his life for us so that we can be with him in heaven is absolute proof that that law is no more. Now, again, let me go ahead and phrase this. Y 'all know that I hold to the Ten Commandments, and I'll explain that more in a minute.

Right?

I believe in the Ten Commandments. The moral law still applies to us today, so don't think in your head,.

Jeff is tripping.

I'm not tripping. I'm just giving you Bible. I'm trying to rightly divide the word of truth for you today. The gospel isn't a gospel. The gospel that isn't a gospel, Abrahamic Covenant according to the flesh, Mosaic Covenant according to customs and law, is a dandable heresy, if that's what you're preaching today.

I would say that to these movements that are popping up, Torahism, these supposed Christians who claim to hold to the Torah. They're nothing more than Gentile Judaizers. It's a dandable heresy. They're not Christians.

It is saying that you must enter into the covenant of works in order to be saved by grace. In order to receive grace, you must enter into a covenant of works and do commandments in order to receive grace.

It's not the gospel. And if someone preaches that kind of gospel, they are cut off from Christ. They're nothing more than the skin that's removed in the circumcision.

Harsh words.

They prove that they were never a part of the church. There's no difference between a Jew that believes and a Gentile who believes. And as a matter of fact, when one or the other comes to Christ, they are one, and I said it earlier, the Israel of God.

However,.

There is a distinction between the Old and New Covenants. The Old Covenant was for the Jews, while the New Covenant is for all those in Christ. I read something on Facebook yesterday that everyone who was born is born into the Old Covenant and they're pointing back to Abrahamic and Mosaic.

And that's just not true. Everyone who is born, they're born under the federal headship of Adam. But in order to be in the Old Covenant, you had to be a Jew or a proselyte. A Gentile could become a Jew as a proselyte.

That's that Old Covenant system. The Old Covenant was done away with while the New Covenant is eternal. I want to study this a bit more today before we wrap this up in a bow. Galatians 3, look at verse 15.

This right here is pivotal. This right here, if I was to debate someone concerning this subject, this is where I would go. Verse 15, To give a human example, brothers, even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified.

So this is saying when two parties come together and makes a covenant, you can, after the covenant's been made, whether it's cut or signed, back then it would have been cut. Now today we just sign on a piece of paper.

We don't cut ourselves and rub our blood together, right? You cannot add to it. And if you do, it could be ratified. I mean, it can be annulled. It can be voided out. Verse 16, Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring.

It does not say, and to offsprings referring to many, but referring to one, and to your offspring, who is Christ. So who's this offspring that it's referring to?

Christ.

Verse 17, That is what I mean. This is what I mean. The law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God as to make the promise void. So this is not a man-made covenant.

This is a covenant with God. And in this covenant that God made with Abraham, God added to the covenant. He added the law.

He added Moses.

A covenant here is speaking about the Abrahamic covenant. The law is speaking about the Mosaic law. The promise here is speaking about Genesis 12, verse 7, which says,. Then the Lord appeared to Abraham and said, To your offspring I will give this land.

Galatians is telling us that the land promise was promised to Abraham, but it was referring to Christ. Christ is going to receive the land. You follow me? This is not like man's covenant. Man's covenant cannot be added to.

Clearly in this text we see that God has added, that this is God's covenant, not man's, which is the Abrahamic covenant. In the Mosaic covenant, the law was added to it, but it does not make the promise void.

That promise is the land promise that was promised to Christ. Now let's go further. Verse 18, this is important. Verse 18,. For if the inheritance comes by the law, what's the inheritance? The land that's promised to Christ.

For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise. But God gave it to Abraham by a promise. Why then the law?

It was added.

You see that?

It was added because of transgressions, right here, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made. And it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. Now the intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.

Verse 21, Is the law then contrary to the promise of God? Certainly not. For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. If that law, if the Mosaic covenant could give you life, then righteousness would be by the law.

This is telling us that it was never meant to give us life. But the scriptures imprison everything under sin so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.

So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came in order that we might be justified by faith. Now, for those of you who have kids, have you ever had a babysitter? Have you ever had someone to watch your kid?

That person was your child's guardian until you came and picked them up. Once you picked that child up, that guardian had no say-so over your kid. This is the visual that Paul is trying to give to us.

The old covenant of bondage was only until Christ. Ladies and gentlemen, do we circumcise our kid according to the custom of Moses? Alright, that means that covenant, Mosaic covenant that was for the Jews is no more.

And the law was added to that covenant. If we carry something on Saturday, will we be stoned? Hebrews tells us that our rest is in Christ. He is our Sabbath. If there's no sign of the covenant, there's no covenant.

Those covenants are no more. They're no more. One more long passage, Galatians 4. This is going to show us... Well, two more long passages, excuse me. I was going to summarize one. I was like, man, we're not doing it any justice.

So let's look in chapter 4, beginning in verse 21. You're going to see that it's not just one covenant, it's two covenants. That's what I'm aiming to prove right here, and that one is no more.

Beginning in verse 21,.

Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, under Moses, do you not listen to the law? For it is written, Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and another by a free woman. Talk about Hagar and Sarah.

But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born according to the promise. Now this may be interpreted allegorically. These women are two, count them, one, two, two covenants.

One is Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery. She is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia. She corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children, speaking of the old covenant.

The old covenant of bondage. The Jews were in slavery to this old covenant. Verse 26,. But the new Jerusalem above, I mean, but the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother, speaking of Sarah. The Jerusalem above is the new covenant.

For it is written, Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear, break forth and cry aloud,. You who are not in labor, for the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband.

Now Paul is speaking to these Gentile brothers. Now you brothers, like Isaac, are children of the promise. But just as at that time, he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, and so also is now.