Isaac and Ishmael (Galatians 4:21 - 5:1; John 8:31-38)
/Galatians 4:21 - 5:1
John 8:31-38
Isaac and Ishmael serve as object lessons to us of the difference between the works of man and the work of God—one leading to banishment and the other to inheritance.
I. Isaac and Ishmael (Genesis 15, 16, and 21)
A. One From Your Own (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:1-3)
B. The Way of Man (Genesis 16:1-4)
C. The Way of God (Genesis 21:1-12)
II. The Allegory (vv. 21-24)
A. Have You Not Read Moses? (v. 21)
B. Abraham’s Two Sons (v. 22; cf. Genesis 25:1-6)
C. What Each Represents (vv. 23-34)
D. Not Paul’s Insight (John 8:31-38)
III. The Two Covenants (4:24 - 5:1)
A. Ishmael = Sinai / Mosaic Covenant (vv. 24, 27, 29-30)
B. Isaac = Abrahamic Covenant (vv. 26-28, 31)
C. Do Not Return to Slavery (5:1)