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Galatians 4

Sonship in Christ

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Now I say, as long as the heir is a  1child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is  2owner of everything,

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but he is under guardians and  1managers until the date set by the father.

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So also we, while we were children, were held  ain bondage under the  1 belemental things of the world.

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But when  athe fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son,  bborn of a woman, born  cunder  1the Law,

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so that He might redeem those who were under  1the Law, that we might receive the adoption as  asons.

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Because you are sons,  aGod has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, " bAbba! Father!"

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Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and  aif a son, then an heir  1through God.

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However at that time,  awhen you did not know God, you were  bslaves to  cthose which by nature are no gods.

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But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be  aknown by God,  bhow is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless  1 celemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?

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You  aobserve days and months and seasons and years.

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I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored  1over you in vain.

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I beg of you,  abrethren,  bbecome as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have done me no wrong;

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but you know that it was because of a  1bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the  2first time;

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and that which was a  1trial to you in my  2bodily condition you did not despise or  3loathe, but  ayou received me as an angel of God, as  bChrist Jesus Himself.

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Where then is  1that sense of blessing you had? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me.

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So have I become your enemy  aby  1telling you the truth?

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They eagerly seek you, not commendably, but they wish to shut you out so that you will seek them.

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But it is good always to be eagerly sought in a commendable  1manner, and  anot only when I am present with you.

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 aMy children, with whom  bI am again in labor until  cChrist is formed in you--

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but I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone, for  aI am perplexed about you.

Bond and Free

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Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not  alisten to the law?

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For it is written that Abraham had two sons,  aone by the bondwoman and  bone by the free woman.

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But  athe son by the bondwoman  1was born according to the flesh, and  bthe son by the free woman through the promise.

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 1 aThis is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding from  bMount Sinai bearing children  2who are to be  cslaves;  3she is Hagar.

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Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.

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But  athe Jerusalem above is free;  1she is our mother.

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For it is written, " aREJOICE, 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."

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And you brethren,  alike Isaac, are  bchildren of promise.

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But as at that time  ahe who was born according to the flesh  bpersecuted him who was born according to the Spirit,  cso it is now also.

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But what does the Scripture say? " aCAST OUT THE BONDWOMAN AND HER SON, FOR  bTHE SON OF THE BONDWOMAN SHALL NOT BE AN HEIR WITH THE SON OF THE FREE WOMAN."

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So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman,  1but of the free woman.



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(Produced: Sat Dec 22 11:24:25 2007)

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