To what does “slavery” refer?

Explanation:

Paul says that Hagar is Mount Sinai, which corresponds to present-day Jerusalem. His point is that Hagar was a slave who bore children of slavery. Since Hagar and Mount Sinai correspond with Jerusalem, the children that Jerusalem bears are enslaved. What does Paul mean that the children that Jerusalem bears are enslaved? It means that those who think the most appropriate way to live is according to the letter of the law are enslaved by the law.

We can deduce that Paul means that those who live according to the law are enslaved by looking back to Galatians 3:21–4:11.⁶ First, Paul explains that the law does not make anyone alive, but it consigns all to sin. Then he says that before faith came, the Israelites were imprisoned by the law, which acted as a disciplinary guardian. Next, he says that those who have put on Christ are free, but those under guardians and trustees, are slaves. Finally, Paul says that by observing days, months, seasons, and years, those of Jerusalem are enslaved to the elemental forces of the world. In other words, to live according to the law is to be imprisoned and enslaved, because the law can only show one his sin, but cannot set one free from sin.⁷ Thus, all who live according to the present Jerusalem, that is, the law, are enslaved.

Counterargument:

To understand what Paul means when he says that the present Jerusalem is in slavery, we need to understand the first-century context. The Jewish people have been conquered by the Romans and so are no longer sovereign over themselves. In other words, the present Jerusalem, that is, the Jerusalem of the first century, is enslaved by the Romans. That Jerusalem is enslaved by the Romans is why Paul can compare her to Hagar, the slave woman.

Response to counterargument:

This argument will not do because an interpretation must make sense first according to the immediate and broad literary context. Paul has clearly contrasted the freedom of the gospel with the slavery of the law throughout his letter. The law brings a curse (Galatians 3:10), while faith in Jesus Christ makes one a son, and therefore an heir (Galatians 4:7). The notion that Paul suddenly comments on the political situation of Jerusalem is far removed from the scope of Paul’s letter to the Galatians.

Explanation:

Paul says that present Jerusalem is in slavery with her children. We can understand what he means by looking ahead to Galatians 5:1–3. There he uses the opposing concept of freedom in Christ, to draw out the fact that adherence to the law means slavery. First, he says that for freedom Christ has set us free, so he warns not to fall back into slavery. How might the Galatians fall back into slavery? Paul says that if they get circumcised, they commit themselves to upholding the whole law, and he has already explained that if one is bound to the whole law, one is cursed (Galatians 3:10). Thus, slavery has to do with the law, while freedom has to do with Christ.

Counterargument:

It is hard to see why Paul would characterize the law of God as something that enslaves. We know that the law is good (Romans 7:12) because it reflects the will of God, so it’s hard to see how Paul could compare it to Hagar. On the other hand, Paul has already explained that the Galatians were formerly enslaved to the elementary principles. These have to do with the basic principles of nature, such as the wind, fire, and water.⁸ Thus, when Paul talks about being enslaved, his point is that one should not elevate the law as though it were itself a cosmic force of nature.⁹ In other words, to be enslaved is to worship the law as though the law function as a cosmic force, and not something that revealed the will of God.

Response to counterargument:

The problem with this counterargument is that it overlooks Paul’s statements about the law in Galatians 5:1–3. There, he does not say that if you worship the law, you will go back into slavery. In other words, it is not the Israelites' attitude toward the law that is the problem. The problem is that human nature is corrupt so that it is not possible to uphold the law. According to Scripture, unless one can uphold the whole law, one is cursed (Galatians 3:10). In other words, to rely on the law as a means of justification is to curse and enslave oneself.

It’s difficult to see what the weakness of this view might be. Paul clearly explains throughout Galatians that to rely on the works of the law is to be imprisoned and enslaved. That is why Hagar is allegorically Mount Sinai and corresponds with the present Jerusalem.

Explanation:

When Paul says that Hagar is Mount Sinai and she corresponds to the present Jerusalem so that her children are enslaved, he seems to suggest that the Jewish people are slaves. Of course, it is highly unlikely that Paul would label Moses and all the prophets as slaves.¹² Rather, he likely makes a point about biblical interpretation and applies it to everyone in the church. In other words, the person who takes Scripture literally without thinking about the spiritual meaning of a passage is a slave, while those who understand the spiritual meaning are free.¹³

Counterargument:

The problem with this argument is that it’s based on a false premise. Paul is not saying that Moses and all the prophets of Israel are slaves. We know that Paul esteems his Jewish heritage and the fact that God used the Israelites to further his historical redemptive plans (Romans 9:4–5). Rather, Paul’s point here aligns with his intention throughout his letter to the Galatians, which is that by works of the law, no one is justified before God (Galatians 3:11). His point is that the present Jerusalem, that is, the Jews who are contemporary with him and do not accept that justification is through faith in Jesus Christ, are enslaved.