SLAVERY AND FREEDOM
In the list comparing Old/First Covenant with New Covenant on the previous page we placed “slavery” in the Old/First Covenant column, and “freedom” in the New Covenant column. It is a hard fact to accept, but religion is slavery. And is an even harder fact to accept that God, in his wisdom, allowed it. We learn these facts in the following scripture:

Galatians 4:21-31: Tell me, you who desire to be under law, do you not hear the law?

COMMENTARY: People who choose to be a part of any Old/First Covenant religion show that they desire to be under (i.e. obey) the laws of that religion. See RELIGION.

It is impossible to understand this scripture without understanding which laws it refers to. See The Law for clues about interpreting the various kinds of laws that exist.

When Paul asks if people hear the law, he is essentially asking if they listen to God’s voice.

Judaism, Christianity and Islam in their many denominational forms are religions because they all have laws (e.g. doctrines, rituals, sacraments, etc.) that distinguish them from all other religions. Therefore, practitioners of these religions, and all other religions as well, show that they are under the laws of those religions. They do not, however hear the spoken word of God’s law and do not have his laws written on their hearts. That makes them Old/First Covenant religionists.

All religious people understand the laws that apply to their respective religions well enough to obey them. But these laws are based on what they read in the Bible or Koran — not on God’s spiritual law spoken to their hearts by the Holy Spirit according to the terms of the New Covenant. In framing their religions according to the written law, religionists have stumbled over The Law: A Stumbling Block.

22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and one by a free woman. 23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, the son of the free woman through promise. 24 Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.

COMMENTARY: Here we see a symbolic explanation of the two covenants.

The Old/First Covenant is represented by the written laws given by God to Israel at Mount Sinai. Anyone who follows (i.e. is under their authority ) those written laws or any other religious law — even a law that appears to be legitimate because it is found in the Bible — is a slave to those laws. They are considered to be children of Hagar who is the mother of Ishmael and who is the spiritual mother of anyone who practices Old/First Covenant religion based on written laws. They are born as a result of fleshly efforts to produce offspring as in Abraham’s case with Hagar.

Since all Old/First Covenant religions try to maintain and grow their religions through evangelism and raising up children in the faith of their parents, all who become converts to a religion are born of fleshly efforts just like Ishmael. They become slaves to those religions. These are the captive prisoners of religion that Jesus came to set free.

The other covenant is the New Covenant. These are spiritual children born to Abraham and Sarah by the spirit of God according to his promise to them that they would have children. These children are free because they are not under the written laws of any religion.

Neither Jews nor Christians will like to accept that Hagar and the written law of Sinai are equated to the present (i.e. physical) Jerusalem. These are all considered to be under slavery. Thus, anyone who subscribes to an Old/First Covenant religion with written laws (e.g. doctrines, rituals, sacraments, etc.) is a slave to those religious laws.

The new Jerusalem is the spiritual community of New Covenant disciples who have been set free from Old/First Covenant rules and regulations (i.e. laws) made by men.

27 For it is written, “Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and shout, you who are not in travail; for the children of the desolate one are many more than the children of her that is married.”

COMMENTARY: Sarah and Rachel were barren for a long time before they had children. They, like their husbands Abraham and Jacob had to endure seasons of childlessness before the promise to Abraham regarding children would be fulfilled. During that season they were not in the travail of giving birth like Hagar and Leah.

And yet, the Messiah came through Sarah and Rachel. And through the Messiah many more spiritual children. For this reason, Sarah and Rachel had good reason to break forth and shout. They did not have as many children as Hagar (one) and Leah (10), but they had children who qualified as New Covenant disciples.

Hagar was not married to Abraham. Leah was married but she was not Jacob’s first choice. They are the desolate concubine (Leah) and slave (Hagar) who have many more natural children than Sarah and Rachel, both of whom were both married and had spiritual children.

28 Now we, brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 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. 30 But what does the scripture say? “Cast out the slave and her son; for the son of the slave shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” 31 So, brethren, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.

COMMENTARY: Hagar’s child Ishmael was born according to the flesh. Ishmael persecuted Isaac who was born of the spirit because he was Sarah’s child.

Since Hagar was a slave, Ishmael is also considered to be a slave. Sarah and Rachel were legitimate wives, so they were considered to be free. Since the Messiah is a spiritual descendant of Sarah and Rachel, he is a legitimate son of God and not a slave. Similarly, anyone who is born of the spirit is considered to be free.

The conclusion we draw from these scriptures is this: Anyone who is under any kind of Old/First Covenant religious law is a slave to that law. This includes both Jews and Christians as well as adherents to any other religion. This conclusion obviously is bad news for religious slaves. They are slaves and don’t even know it.

But the bad news is not the end of the story. There is also good news (i.e. the gospel) that God’s servants have been sent to set captives free from religion.