In Galatians 4:28–5:1, Paul reminds believers that we are children of promise, not slaves, and urges us to reject legalism, remember our true identity in Christ, and stand firm in the freedom His grace has secured.

In Galatians 4:21–27, Paul uses the stories of Hagar and Sarah to contrast two ways of relating to God—one through human effort and one through divine promise. Those who depend on their own wisdom and strength find only frustration and bondage, but those who trust God’s promise experience true freedom and joy. The gospel reminds us that freedom is found not in what we do for God, but in what God has done for us in Christ.

Presenting the truth, even in love, can be costly. In Galatians 4:12-20, Paul urges the Galatians to return to the freedom and joy they once knew and reminds them of his affection for them. Like a loving Father, he contrasts his longing for Christ to be formed in them with the false teacher's desire to use and enslave them. 

In Galatians 4:8-11, Paul reminds us that before Christ we were enslaved to false gods—impersonal masters that demanded everything and gave nothing. But now, through Jesus, we are known and loved personally by the living God who calls us His sons and daughters. Paul has argued that in Christ we exchange our slavery for sonship, and now he grows deeply personal—pleading with the Galatians not to reverse course and trade their sonship for slavery. 

In Galatians 4:1–7, Paul paints a powerful picture of our adoption into God’s family—no longer slaves but beloved sons and daughters. Through Christ’s redemption and the Spirit’s witness, we are free to live with confidence, intimacy, and joy as heirs of our Father’s kingdom.

In Galatians 3, Paul shows that the law’s purpose was never to save but to reveal our sin and point us to Christ. In verses 23-29, he explains that the law imprisoned and guarded us until faith in Christ was revealed. Now, in Christ, we have a new identity, a new unity, and a new inheritance. The gospel truly changes everything!

In Galatians 3:15–22, Paul explains that God’s promise to Abraham came long before the law—and the law didn’t cancel or replace it. The promise was always pointing to Christ, the true “offspring” of Abraham, through whom the blessing would come. The law was given later to reveal sin, not to give life or replace faith. In short, God’s promise stands firm—our inheritance comes by faith in Christ alone, not by keeping the law.

In Galatians 3:1–14, Paul confronts the Galatian believers—and us—for drifting from the gospel. He shows how easy it is to begin by grace but slip back into self-effort, warns of the damage it brings, and calls us to daily rehearse the good news: Christ crucified for us, Christ living in us, and the Spirit empowering us.

In Galatians 2:17-21, Paul reminds us that we are justified not by law-keeping, but by faith in Christ, and what this means for our practical, everyday living. If we, like Paul, renounce law-keeping as a means of salvation and trust in Christ alone, then we are dead to the curse and burden of the law, alive to God, and living under the good, wise, and gracious reign of King Jesus, who loves us and gave his life for us. Living out of that identity, Paul has all the motivation in the world to pursue holiness.

This week in Galatians 2:15-16, Paul takes Peter and the Jewish believers to the heart of the gospel: we are justified—declared right with God—only through faith in Christ, not by any human status or activity. This essential truth must be guarded and proclaimed, for it is both the foundation and the fuel of the Christian life.