It is a good thing that slavery is a thing of the past, or is it a thing of the past? Several groups got together in 2017 and worryingly came up with the following summary, indicating that “40 million people are trapped in modern forms of slavery worldwide: 50 percent in forced labour in agriculture, manufacturing, construction, mining, fishing and other physical-labour industries; 12.5 percent in sex slavery, and 37.5 percent in forced marriage slavery.” From “freetheslaves.net”
Sadly there are far more than that number in slavery, it is a spiritual slavery. The Holy Spirit helps us to live in freedom not in slavery. We want to live a life that is free and not in suppression. In Galatians 4 Paul speaks about how we live by slavery because we do not accept the free gift of salvation from Jesus. We choose to live by trying to please God through doing the right thing in our own strength and we neglect the free gift from Jesus. We take matters into our own hands.
“For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman.” Galatians 4:22, NLT.
“Paul compares Hagar to Mt. Sinai. In other words, she is analogous to the old covenant (it was given at Mt. Sinai) in this allegory. Hagar was a slave. And those who put themselves under the law to try to earn salvation are slaves. Hagar was a man-made attempt to gain God’s promise. And those who in the new covenant period put themselves under the law are also making a man-made attempt to gain God’s favour. Both are bound to failure. In short, Paul is saying that those under the law are slaves. Those under the old covenant are slaves. They are slaves to the rituals and rules of the law, with no hope of being good enough to be saved. They try so hard to fulfil the law, but will ultimately fail. The sad part is that it is needless for them to be slaves anymore. Jesus came to set them free, but they missed it.” From “studyandobey.com”
“So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.” Galatians 4:31, NLT.