“Tell me, you who want to be under the law, do you not understand the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. But one, the son by the slave woman, was born by natural descent, while the other, the son by the free woman, was born through the promise. These things may be treated as an allegory, for these women represent two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai bearing children for slavery; this is Hagar. Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written:

“Rejoice, O barren woman who does not bear children;

break forth and shout, you who have no birth pains,

because the children of the desolate woman are more numerous

than those of the woman who has a husband.”

But you, brothers and sisters, are children of the promise like Isaac. But just as at that time the one born by natural descent persecuted the one born according to the Spirit, so it is now. But what does the scripture say? “Throw out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the son” of the free woman. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman but of the free woman.” Galatians 4:21–31

Freedom is what you have when there is no lack of opportunity, ability or availability. Yet in order to be truly free you have to have opportunity, ability, and availability.

Let’s take sky-jumping, for example. Suppose you are on your way to the airport to go up for your first real jump, but your car has a blowout. You are no longer free to jump because the opportunity passes while you wait for the tow truck.

Or suppose you do make it to the airport, but you have no ability—you have never learned about the basics of parachuting. The opportunity is there, but you don’t have the freedom of ability.

But suppose that you make it to the airport, but upon arrival you learn that the sky-diving program has been closed due to a lack of funding. The opportunity is there, the ability and know-how are there, but your availability has ended because the program has ended.

But there is one last requirement for full freedom. Suppose you get to the airport with no obstacle; you have all the know-how necessary; you see that there is one more opening in the sky-diving class, But as you jump, and as you are enjoying the free fall, without knowing it the person who packed your parachute packed it the wrong way — and your parachute malfunctions and will not open. Now, are you free? You have the opportunity to jump, you have the ability to jump, you have the availability to jump, but in jumping, you will die.

Whether you know it or not, everyone is in bondage to destruction. You see, in order to be truly free, it is not enough to have opportunity, ability, and availability. These are all fine, but if what we choose to do leads to death, then we just confirm our bondage to death. But even if we try to always choose life, we still will die. But if we die “in the faith of Christ”, then we live knowing that even though we all die, all we do as people of faith will lead to life — eternal life — not destruction.

Pastor Dave