In Christ, Grace is our mother.

Believers, consider the story of Abraham whom God declared righteous apart from works (because he believed God) and was promised Isaac, just as we who are in Christ have the gift of righteousness and inherit the promise because we believe.

After God declared him righteous, Abram went on to sleep with Hagar (via Sarai's engineering) to get a son. The housemaid Hagar got pregnant, became VERY proud and began to despise her madam! See the account in Genesis 16-

"Sarai was Abram’s wife, but she did not have any children. She had an Egyptian slave named Hagar. 2 Sarai told Abram, “The Lord has not allowed me to have children, so sleep with my slave. Maybe she can have a son, and I will accept him as my own.” Abram did what Sarai said. 3 So after living ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai gave her Egyptian slave to Abram as a second wife. 4 Abram slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant. When Hagar realized this, she became very proud and began to feel that she was better than Sarai her owner."

What does this have to do with believers in Christ today?Remember John 1:17- "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."

Hagar and Sarah typify the two covenants of Law (Hagar) and Grace (Sarah.) See this in Paul's analogy in Galatians 4:

21 "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 is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. 27 For it is written,

“Rejoice, barren woman who does not bear;

Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor;

For more numerous are the children of the desolate

Than of the one who has a husband.”

28 And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. 28 But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also. 30 But what does the Scripture say?

“Cast out the bondwoman and her son,

For the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman.”

30 So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman."

Bear in mind that “according to the flesh” means “by human effort, merely of human origin or empowerment.” 4561. σάρξ (sarx) -- flesh.

In Christ, we are children of the free woman. Grace is our mother. Abraham, then Abram (a picture of faith) and the slave woman Hagar (a picture of the law) still had some strength in them when they got together to produce Ishmael. Ishmael was a work of human striving at bearing fruit. They bore fruit, but not according to God's will. Even if they had 100 sons together, none of Hagar's kids can ever inherit the promise of God to Abraham (faith) because Hagar (law) was involved. The law is not of faith.

Like Isaac, good works are EVIDENCES OF and not CONDITIONS FOR for our salvation. In Christ, we get to bear fruit by grace and not through human effort at obeying the law.

Remember when Hagar realized she was pregnant, she became very proud and despised Sarah (Grace.) Hagar had fertility. She took pride in her ability to bear fruit and she lorded her "pregnancy achievement" over Sarah (Grace.) As if her fertility and even the way she got into Abram's bed and the pregnancy itself were her own personal accomplishments. She could not refuse.

She was a slave! Hagar is a picture of those who profess Christ but wish to be under law today; those that Paul is addressing in Galatians 4:21- "Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the law?"

Such boast in their puny efforts at obeying the law and think that the "good things" they do is why they bear fruit! Hagar contributed nothing to her own fertility. Even getting into Abram's bed would have been impossible for her had it not been for Sarah's error. But she became proud and even despised Sarai for Sarai's barrenness! Reminds us of those who boast in their own ability to do right, despise others for their sins and wonder why they just won't stop sinning/do right.

Such publicly say things like: "I obeyed the law/fasted/paid my tithe/sowed seed, etc and so God saw my hard work and rewarded me for my efforts. You'd better do same and stop sinning so God can bless you!" This is as useless and as pointless as Hagar telling Sarah: "You'd better stop being barren by yourself and have a child so that God can bless you." 

Believer, the reason we are not committing particular sins or facing certain challenges is because we have not been tempted beyond what we can bear in those areas. Same thing with how some people are barren and some are not. If a big enough temptation/trial came our way and it was up to us to save ourselves, we would all fail. We see this in the story of Peter's denial of Christ. His love for Christ was genuine; he had good intentions, but the arm of flesh will fail. Trust in the Lord for with every trial, "...He’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; He’ll always be there to help you come through it." 1 Cor. 10:13 (MSG)

Children of Grace, by Grace, never invite Hagar aka the law (human effort at getting right with God or receiving from Him) into your heart of faith. Like Sarah, this will only cause you more pain! Don't worry about those who boast that their good works and efforts at obeying the law is what makes God bless them and persecute you for not doing things their way. See yourself as barren Sarah aka having nothing to show but your believing in Jesus Christ in your desire to bear fruit; though your Isaac, whatever it may be - even freedom from acts of sin, may take time to arrive, he will surely arrive and you will have great joy.

Isaac was a work of faith. Sarah had been barren since she was of childbearing age. She was doubly barren when Isaac came as she was way past menopause. Abraham's strength to reproduce was gone too. No human striving involved here as it was with Hagar (law.) Isaac was born by grace (Sarah) through faith (Abraham.) God planned in advance this good work long before his birth. We see this reflected in the lives of believers in Ephesians 2:

“8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works,so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

See the TPT:

“8 For it was only through this wonderful grace that we believed in Him. Nothing we did could ever earn this salvation, for it was the gracious gift from God that brought us to Christ! 9 So no one will ever be able to boast, for salvation is never a reward for good works or human striving.

10 We have become His poetry, a re-created people that will fulfill the destiny He has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. Even before we were born, God planned in advance our destiny and the good works we would do to fulfill it!”

Salvation here is not just being saved to go to heaven; it is also deliverance from the molestation of enemies and redemption from all earthly ills- barrenness in any facet of life. It is being saved from the penalty, power, presence and pleasure of sin. The word used in the original Greek translation of the New Testament is Swthria (pronounced soteria) and it encompasses all these meanings.

Those who are trying to obey the law to get right with God (walking according to the flesh) walk in their own plan. They might see some QUICK results for their striving, but like Ishmael, such works are not according to God's will. There is no inheritance of God's promise here, because Romans 4:

“13 Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. 14 If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. 15 For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)”

Some who profess Christ have Hagar (the law) as their mother. Such are still using their ability to obey the law as a yardstick for their acceptance before God. But in Christ, Grace is our mother. We are accepted in the Beloved and GET TO do works of faith, yet not us but Christ in us.

As it was between Ishmael and Isaac, those who desire to be under the Ten Commandments persecute those who are under Grace, even describing God's saving grace as license to sin!

“But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also.”

"...so it is also now." So children of Grace born according to the Spirit, let's rejoice for we are in good company!

Right believing always produces right living.