Gospel Typology

Imagine, using what Moses actually said in the law to talk about the law, not what tradition says, or a rabbi, or someone else’s subjective interpretation. Can we not presume to do the same with Abraham? Shouldn’t we use his true experience, what he actually did, to teach the truth? Of course we should. That’s just good hermeneutics. But it makes Paul’s use of allegory in v. 24 the source of some confusion.

Negatively, allegorical interpretation ignores the literal, historical meaning of Scripture and often produces bizarre, untethered and imaginative conclusions. Positively, a wholesome example allegory is John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress.  In it he portrays various stages of the Christian life through a series of coded characters, events, and places. It is a teaching tool, nothing more.

Practically, the tool Paul employs under inspiration from the Holy Spirit is be better characterized as typology. While that word may be unfamiliar, the practice isn’t. Jesus used typology often. One notable example is found in John 3:14, where He references Moses and the bronze serpent as a prefigure of His crucifixion.  “…as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up…” (see Numbers 21:9).

That is what Paul does on our text, insisting that Abraham’s history with Sarah and Hagar corresponds to the ongoing struggle between the law and grace in the church of Galatia. Join us today as we dive into Gospel Typology from Galatians 4:21 - 31.