Overview of Galatians 4

Says Galatians 4 moves from the heir who, while a child, “is no different from a slave”, though “the owner of everything”, through God’s sending of his Son and of the Spirit of his Son, to an appeal not to turn back to the stoicheia, and then to Abraham’s two sons, the two covenants, and the children of the free woman. When “the time had fully come”, “God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law”, “to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons”. “God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”” So they are “no longer a slave, but a son” and “an heir through God”. Paul fears they are “turning back to those weak and worthless principles”. “Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman”. “we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman”. The movement from guardian to sonship in 3:23–29 is already treated in Under a guardian until Christ and Sons, heirs and one in Christ.

Implies Believers are sons and heirs through God, not slaves. Abraham, Hagar, Sarah, Ishmael and Isaac are treated as historical persons, and the Genesis account as history which Paul reads.