The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Galatians 4:21-26, “Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the law?
22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman.
23 But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise.
24 This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar.
25 Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she (Israel) is in slavery with her children.
26 But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.”

I have always been interested in genealogy. It’s fascinating to find and read about your ancestors…where they were born, what they did for a living, who they married, the children they had, how they died, where they were buried –and the list goes on and on. Both sides of my heritage goes back into the 1700s. The Jeffries were English; the Andersons were Scots.

What is more interesting is my spiritual heritage. My parents were led to faith in Jesus Christ by their parents; and their parents came to Christ through their parents. The influence parents have upon their children is of enormous value! Parents who participate in worldly activities are saying to their children, “This is acceptable activity for you.” Those who emphasize Christ and His Church are setting a holy pattern for their children.

The apostle Paul had previously led the Galatians to faith in Jesus Christ. Yet, they had gotten spiritually off course, believing now that they were saved by keeping the Law –the Ten Commandments. In the attempt to re-stabilize them in the Christian faith, Paul uses the Old Testament genealogy of Ishmael and Isaac. Isaac was the son that God had promised to Abraham and Sarah.

Rather than wait, as the LORD has said, Abraham and Hagar, Sarah’s maid, elected to have a child of their own. Yet, that was not acceptable to the LORD. When the LORD ultimately told Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away, it was descriptive of His replacing Old Testament Law in favor of New Testament grace. Thereafter, the LORD directed us all to turn away from sin and accept the LORD Jesus Christ as our Savior.

The key question is: have you turned from sin and accepted Jesus? If not, remember that there is a limit to God’s mercy, just as there is a limit to the time we have on Earth. “Today is the day of salvation.” Tomorrow may never come. What if it doesn’t?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom