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CHPATER 4The saints are children of God by adoption—Paul calls the Galatians back to Christ—He compares the two covenants. |
The saints are children of God and members of that eternal universal 'Jerusalem' that is 'above' by adoption into membership of Israel, those who prevail in Christ—Paul call the Galatian saints back to Christ as members of his eternal Jerusalem—And Paul compares the two covenants, the limited old covenant of membership by descendant birthright and that of the universal covenant of all being the children of the mother of us all whether Jew or Gentile, of every nation, creed and people, to be one in God. |
ISRAEL, those who prevail with God, will come of every people who have
ever lived, past, present and further. We are all able to be accepters and
partakers of God's eternal plan and of membership in his kingdom, his 'Jerusalem'
which is that eternal Jerusalem above that was before the foundation of the world
and will be for ever more that Holy Realm of God's presences on into eternity
forever.
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1 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 abondage under the elements of the world: |
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4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God
asent forth his bSon,
cmade of a dwoman, made under the law,
5 To aredeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the badoption of sons. 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. |
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7 Wherefore thou art no more a
aservant, but a bson; and if a son, then
an cheir of God through Christ.
8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye adid bservice unto them which by nature are no cgods. |
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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 abondage?
10 Ye observe adays, and months, and times, and years. 11 I am afraid aof you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. |
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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 ainfirmity of the bflesha I preached the gospel unto you at the first. 14 And my atemptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. |
13a infirmity of the flesh Many have so thought to consider that Paul had actual physical afflictions of various natures and types. Whether this be the case or not, it is not what Paul speaks of here. The 'infirmity of the flesh' is the same as the weakness in men spoken of in Ether 12:27. For all men have the universal weakness of the natural man within them. And whether they do recognize such in some actual infirmity of in the whole of the very nature of the natural man, it is the same. For natural man is by his nature an enemy unto God, That is this physical mortal being in its carnal and natural state, being subject to the cravings and weaknesses of the flesh, is by it nature prone to be led by the things of the flesh, the physical nature. Yet this mortal housing also houses that which is eternal and divine in that it is the spirit of either a son or daughter of God. Thus in our temporal being we have an innate and inherent weakness, however expressed, which leaves us short of the perfection of God and prone to satisfy our natural cravings and infirmities. Yet within each of us is that spirit child of God, which may be norished and brought up to learn to control and manage this natural being or body which houses it. It is in that struggle of the spiritual over the natural that we will all come to know and understand that as mere mortal men, we stand before God as but 'wretched men of the flesh'. That is our weakness, our thorn in the flesh, yea, our very 'infirmity of the flesh' before God. And it is only by our yielding unto the things of the Spirit, that we may be able to come unto God. And if we will but come unto Christ in faith with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, willing to submit ourselves unto the mind and will of God in all things and to be led of him by the Spirit of God which may come to dwell within us, than is his grace sufficient for us unto the bring us unto his salvation and exaltation. | |
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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 atruth? 17 They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them. |
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18 But it is good to be
azealously 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 astand in doubt of you. |
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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 abondmaid, 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. |
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24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the
two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to
abondage, which is bAgar.
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 aJerusalem which is abovea is free, which is the mother of us all.
 First. Foremost I should think is that very eternal 'Jerusalem' which is spoken of in the 4th vision of Zechariah, chapter 3, explained more in the right column. Second. Next I would consider that in the days of such as Adam and Enoch and others of that era, there would be a 'Jerusalem' society. The city of Enoch which was translated and taken up would be of such calibur to so qualify as being a 'Jerusalem', that is a city of Zion. Third. After the flood of Noah the status of a Jerusalem society until the time and operation of Melchizedek is of question. But certainly the city of Melchizedek, as it is also indicated as being translated, would certainly quailify as a city of Jerusalem and also as the true real basis for the name of the later city of Jerusalem of the Hebrews, the name of Melchizedek's city being Salem, the Salem of Melchizedek which the person of Melchizedek was renamed after one of the names of Jehovah/Jesus, being the Prince of Peace. Fourth. The fourth such identifiable Jerusalem would be the Jerusalem of King David. It does not matter that the name was already so applied to the city from the time of Melchizedek. In truth it did become a separated societal entity under the rule of Israel in the kingdom named for Judah. Others. Other such Jerusalems societies whether by that name or not we have no specific knowledge of may have also existed such as a possiblity among the Jaredites. But only the cities of Enoch and Melechizedek have the noted distinction of being known to have been translated, therefore reaching the very height of a Jerusalem as being taken into the Kingdome of God. Also whether the first city set foreth by Joshua as the place of the tabernacle, Shilo, whether it was a Jerusalem city is of question. Shilo is taken to mean the same as Christ and thus it was a city of God. Also whether the Nephite nation during its 200 year period of righteousness after the visit of Christ in America gives rise to another Jerusalem society though the one chapter of 4 Nephi does not give enough information to conclude upon it. Fifth. We know from the Book of Mormon and latter day revelation that upon the American continent about the land of Independence Missouri and Adam-Ondi-Ahman another city of a New Jerusalem will be built by those of the descent of Joseph identified as being Ephraim and his companions of the restoration. Sixth. There is this particular city of Jerusalem above which this verse may reference and which may also be the same as the first. That city of the New Jerusalem is promised to come down out of heaven as a part of the Millennial Day and reign of Jesus Christ on earth to be a part of the Jerusalem societies here upon the earth which are to be identified with the Kingdom of God. It would seem that when ever a society group become converted to the Lord and strives to seek his word and gospel to live it and become a part of the kingdom of God, then they are at least on their way to being a Jerusalem city, a Zion and destined to be take up into the Kingdom of God. |
26a Jerusalem which [that] is
above Perhaps one must first come to understand that the name and
concept of 'Jerusalem' is not limited to an earthly duration of time. It fact
it was before the foundation of the world and will extend beyond into eternity
from whence the name and concept is of. Scholars will tell you that it is a
name/word which predates the Hebrews or Israelites, but from what perspective?
Various sources give it various meanings. In middle Old Testament history there
is the city of Melchizedek named Salem or Shalem or some variation of the
Hebrew word 'shalom'  meaning peace which in turn is
from the root word 'shalem'  denoting completeness,
wholeness and soundness, or even a state of 'perfection'. Others give its
meaning to be but a more modern definition of what Jerusalem is, 'The Holy
City'. The prefix of the name is also variously listed from meaning 'city' or
'community' to 'teaching' or some other meaning, but with it being 'Y@' in the
Hebrew lexicon listing, one can hardly leave out the concept of it being of
'Jehovah'.The first place according to chronology that the Bible refers to it just happens to be 'before the beginning'. That is when on comes to understand that Zechariah's visions, particularly his fourth of chapter 3 of Zechariah, were not needfully of this world but even of times past as times to come. In Zechariah 3:2 of the vision of the pre-existence's council of determination and declaration, states that the 'LORD', meaning Elohim, rebuded Satan [Lucifer], and 'chose' 'Jerusalem', which could be considered as being the 'teaching of Jehovah of peace' to even being the 'people or community of Jesus'. That the LORD GOD ELOHIM would use that 'compound' meaning word of Jerusalem even before the casting out of Satan in conjunction with the 'war in heaven' is significant. It means that in the days of Adam there would likely be a word name 'Jerusalem' and that it was not only any later creation but in part applied to the city of Melchizedek, which by the way is another name for Jehovah just as Jesus is also. In this present verse in Galatians where it speaks of that Jerusalem which is above, it well references that people or concept of a heavenly 'Holy City' 'above' and not to the earthly city of Jerusalem in Judea except as it relates to being of Jehovah or Christ. And that 'Jerusalem' which is of heaven is figuratively the 'mother' of us all as we so chose its precepts over those of Satan in the pre-existent realm. |
Which Is Above Is Free |
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27 For it is written, aRejoice,
thou bbarren 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 achildren of promise. 29 But as then he that was born after the aflesh bpersecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. |
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30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture?
aCast 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. |
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