4 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
12 Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all.
13 Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.
14 And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
15 Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.
16 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?
17 They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.
18 But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.
19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,
20 I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.
21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
30 Nevertheless what saith 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.
31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.
Must-Read Christian Books
Knowing God
A classic that helps believers move from knowing about God to truly knowing Him in a personal and biblical way.
View on Amazon
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life
Practical, biblical guidance on disciplines like prayer, Bible intake, worship, and fasting to grow in godliness.
View on Amazon
Knowing Scripture
Teaches how to interpret the Bible rightly, emphasizing its clarity and our responsibility to study it.
View on Amazon
Finally Alive
A biblical exploration of the new birth and why regeneration is at the heart of the Christian life.
View on Amazon
Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands
Biblical counseling and discipleship that helps believers speak God's truth into one another's lives.
View on Amazon
Respectable Sins
Exposes the "ordinary" sins Christians often tolerate and calls us to gospel-driven holiness.
View on Amazon
The Gospel for Real Life
Shows how the finished work of Christ applies to everyday struggles and assurance.
View on Amazon
The Enemy Within
A modern, accessible summary of John Owen's teaching on indwelling sin and the believer's battle.
View on Amazon
Don't Waste Your Life
A passionate plea to live for Christ's glory rather than trivial pursuits.
View on Amazon
Nine Marks of a Healthy Church
Outlines nine biblical priorities for congregations that want to be faithful and healthy.
View on Amazon
Biblical Theology
A classic work tracing the progressive revelation of God's redemptive plan in Scripture.
View on Amazon
Redemption Accomplished and Applied
A concise, biblical study of Christ's atonement and the application of salvation to believers.
View on Amazon
The Sovereignty of God
A strong, Scripture-based defense of God's absolute rule over all things.
View on Amazon
A Body of Divinity
A warm, devotional exposition of the Westminster Shorter Catechism's doctrines.
View on Amazon
The Gospel Comes with a House Key
A call to radical, everyday hospitality as a means of gospel witness and discipleship.
View on Amazon
The Whole Christ
Deals with legalism, antinomianism, and the grace of God in union with Christ.
View on Amazon
Counterfeit Gods
Exposes modern idols of the heart and points to Christ as our true treasure.
View on Amazon
Shepherding a Child's Heart
Biblical parenting that aims at a child's heart, not just outward behavior.
View on Amazon