Pastor John,
Galatians 4 says this:
- This Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and she corresponds to present-day Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.
- But the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all,
What is the difference between the Jerusalem in verse 25 and the Jerusalem in verse 26?
Verse 25: “present-day Jerusalem, for she is in slavery”
Verse 26: “but the Jerusalem above is free”?
Michelle
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Hi Michelle.
I am glad you are not just reading the Bible, but are also thinking about what you are reading.
In Paul’s day, the “present-day Jerusalem” was the city of Jerusalem in the land of Israel. That Jerusalem and those who belonged to her were still in bondage because they were still under the law and were required to keep it. On the other hand, the Jerusalem that was “above” and free is the New Jerusalem (Rev. 3:12; 21:2) that belongs to “the Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16), that is, to the people who have received the holy Ghost and have been circumcised in their hearts, not their bodies (Rom. 2:28–29).
We who have been baptized into the body of Christ are “free” from the law (Rom. 7:4) so that we may live and worship in the newness of eternal life (Rom. 6:4). Our beautiful Jerusalem, with its gates of pearl and its streets laid with transparent gold, is still to come; nevertheless, it is our home.
I hope that helps explain the difference. Thanks for the question!
Pastor John
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