Galatians:4
Seeker Overlay ON
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Now I say ,
That the heir ,
as long as he is a child ,
differs nothing from a servant ,
though he be lord of all ;
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But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father .
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Even so we ,
when we were children ,
were in bondage under the elements of the world :
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But when the fullness of the time was come ,
God sent forth his Son ,
made of a woman ,
made under the law ,
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To redeem them that were under the law ,
that we might receive the adoption of sons .
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And because you are sons ,
God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts ,
crying ,
Abba ,
Father .
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Therefore you are no more a servant ,
but a son ;
and if a son ,
then an heir of God through Christ .
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Howbeit then ,
when you did not know God ,
you did service unto those who by nature are no gods .
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But now ,
after you have known God ,
or rather are known of God ,
how turn you again to the weak and beggarly elements ,
whereunto you desire again to be in bondage ?
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You observe days ,
and months ,
and times ,
and years .
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I am afraid of you ,
lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain .
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Brethren ,
I beseech you ,
be as I am ;
for I am as you are :
you have not injured me at all .
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You know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first .
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And my temptation which was in my flesh you looked down upon not ,
nor rejected ;
but received me as an angel of God ,
just as Christ Jesus .
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Where is then the blessedness you spoke of ?
for I bear you record ,
that ,
if it had been possible ,
you would have plucked out your own eyes ,
and have given them to me .
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Am I therefore become your enemy ,
because I tell you the truth ?
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They zealously affect you ,
but not well ;
yes ,
they would exclude you ,
that you might affect them .
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But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing ,
and not only when I am present with you .
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My little children ,
of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you ,
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I desire to be present with you now ,
and to change my voice ;
for I stand in doubt of you .
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Tell me ,
you that desire to be under the law ,
do you not hear the law ?
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For it is written ,
that Abraham had two sons ,
the one by a bondmaid ,
the other by a freewoman .
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But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh ;
but he of the freewoman was by promise .
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Which things are an allegory :
for these are the two covenants ;
the one from the mount Sinai ,
which genders to bondage ,
which is Agar .
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For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia ,
and answers to Jerusalem which now is ,
and is in bondage with her children .
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But Jerusalem which is above is free ,
which is the mother of us all .
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For it is written ,
Rejoice ,
you barren that bear not ;
break forth and cry ,
you that travail not :
for the desolate has many more children than she which has a husband .
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Now we ,
brothers ,
as Isaac was ,
are the children of promise .
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But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit ,
even so it is now .
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Nevertheless what says the scripture ?
Cast out the bondwoman and her son :
for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman .
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So then ,
brothers ,
we are not children of the bondwoman ,
but of the free .