Reynolda Church: Audio Podcast

The proclamation of the Gospel is a proclamation of Good News. And everything that makes the Good News good depends on grace. To a confused and disillusioned world, freedom’s calling us to set captives free by announcing the purity and power of the Gospel. Paul doesn’t hide his fury at the infiltration of legalism into the Galatian church. Drawing upon an ancient image from Genesis, the apostle presents an allegory about the conflict of Abraham’s two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. When God’s promise of a son tarried, Abraham and Sarah decided to bring in their maidservant, Hagar, as a surrogate mother. The child she bore, Ishmael, symbolized the product of human effort. When God brought forth the promised miracle, the birth of Isaac, the son of the slave woman mocked the son of promise. Law hates grace. In her frustration, Sarah finally urged Abraham to “get rid of the slave woman and her son.” “Getting rid of the slave woman” means getting rid of every form of legalism so that the power of the Gospel can be re