Study Desk

God made promises both to Abraham and to his descendant. God did not say, "and to your descendants." That would mean many people. But God said, "and to your descendant." That means only one person; that person is Christ.

If the law could give us Abraham's blessing, then the promise would not be necessary. But that is not possible, because God freely gave his blessings to Abraham through the promise he had made.

But when the right time came, God sent his Son who was born of a woman and lived under the law.

God did this so he could buy freedom for those who were under the law and so we could become his children.

Since you are God's children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and the Spirit cries out, "Father."

So now you are not a slave; you are God's child, and God will give you the blessing he promised, because you are his child.

This story teaches something else: The two women are like the two agreements between God and his people. One agreement is the law that God made on Mount Sinai, and the people who are under this agreement are like slaves. The mother named Hagar is like that agreement.

My brothers and sisters, you are God's children because of his promise, as Isaac was then.

Each person should judge his own actions and not compare himself with others. Then he can be proud for what he himself has done.

Anyone who is learning the teaching of God should share all the good things he has with his teacher.

That is, in Christ, he chose us before the world was made so that we would be his holy people—people without blame before him.

Because of his love, God had already decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. That was what he wanted and what pleased him,

and it brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely, in Christ, the One he loves.

In Christ we are set free by the blood of his death, and so we have forgiveness of sins. How rich is God's grace,

let us know his secret purpose. This was what God wanted, and he planned to do it through Christ.

His goal was to carry out his plan, when the right time came, that all things in heaven and on earth would be joined together in Christ as the head.

In Christ we were chosen to be God's people, because from the very beginning God had decided this in keeping with his plan. And he is the One who makes everything agree with what he decides and wants.

So it is with you. When you heard the true teaching—the Good News about your salvation—you believed in Christ. And in Christ, God put his special mark of ownership on you by giving you the Holy Spirit that he had promised.

That Holy Spirit is the guarantee that we will receive what God promised for his people until God gives full freedom to those who are his—to bring praise to God's glory.

I pray also that you will have greater understanding in your heart so you will know the hope to which he has called us and that you will know how rich and glorious are the blessings God has promised his holy people.