Paul is making some concluding comments and having finished his argument about legalism, he wants to be practical in terms of helping the Galatians become mature in their churches.

Paul appeals to the Galatians not to follow the zealous Jewish teachers. He reminds them of their care and honour for him when he was with them even though he was ill. Paul uses the Old testament story of Ishmael and Isaac to illustrate that the Galatians belonged to the new covenant, not the old.

The Gospel and Adoption into God’s Family: Galatians 4:1-7Paul introduces the ideas of adoption and inheritance based on the experience of the Gentile areas he is preaching to. Adopted children could inherit all that belonged to the family. All those blessings are ours in Christ Jesus. We do not need to look back.

Paul explains the three dimensional Christian life: the past - justification; the present - access to God’s grace: and the future - eternity with God. Suffering is a part of life but we have the Holy Spirit to enable us

Paul develops his teaching about the power of sin and explains how sin came into the world through Adam and Eve. Only Jesus' sacrifice can break the power of sin. The Law of Moses increased the sense of what sin is.

Paul encourages his readers to believe that they have moved from a life in slavery to sin to living in God’s grace. He refers to baptism which clearly shows dying to the old life and rising up to new life. We need to count ourselves dead to sin.

Paul uses the imagery of slavery to show what was the old life but compares it to the freedom of the new life. We are obligated to please God in response to God’s generous love towards us. We choose to follow God.

Writing to those who knew the Law of Moses, Paul uses the example of marriage to demonstrate the breaking of the law that binds a woman to a man when the man dies. The same radical change is made for Christians who are in a new relationship with God.

Paul is aware that many in the church in Rome knew and were influenced by the Law of Moses and the Ten Commandments. He speaks of his own experience, recognising his own need of the gospel.

On the basis of Paul’s argument until this point, he states that the Christian is living a new experience of God’s forgiveness. Paul uses the imagery of baptism and the sacrificial ritual of the Day of Atonement to explain Christ’s death on the cross. He defines what it is to be a Christian.