(…)



To be honest with you this is a very serious issue for me:
- Because of that wrong quote referenced by Paul.
- Paul’s tone in that letter towards “Hagar”, because even GOD himself showed sympathy towards her in (Genesis 21) and Paul did not !!!
Dear Sam, you know when one is quoting in speech passages from the Bible, if it is by memory that you are doing so, you will never have it perfectly right. But enough to make your point. An example of this is** Mohamed who in the Koran quotes so many inaccurate passages of the Old Testament and the New Testament**, that some times even one wonders if he ever read them, or was just reported speech from other people what he quote.
So do not get so worry about it, the profound meaning does not change.
I personally think that verse is not inspired by the Holy Spirit, that is why it’s ambiguous!, if it had been really inspired by the Holy Spirit, then it would be completely different and maybe that story itself would not have mentioned at all, because why would GOD re-quote a racial discrimination verse for an incident which will never reoccur again!
**I can see here your whole point about all your disagreement. **
First:
I do not believe it was
a racial discrimination that event with Sarah and Hagar, her Egyptian maid.
Hagar had a son with Abraham.** She got proud about it and started to look down on Sarah**. This is not a racial discrimination but a
despise situation in which the maid now thought herself the important one. After Sarah complained about this to Abraham he told her to do with the maid as she wished: “And when Sarah dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.” But then came back and submitted herself to Sarah.
We are, the ones who believe in Christ, like Saint Paul is saying in this passage that you quote partially:
“28
Now we, brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 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. 30 But what does the scripture say? “Cast out the slave and her son; for the son of the slave shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” 31
So, brethren, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.”
Do you understand what Saint Paul is saying:
that you and me and everyone who believes in Christ are like the son of the free woman, we who have been born in the Spirit, and that are, as it were, like Isaac, children of the promise.
Therefore the ones that are not jet born of the Spirit, still in the flesh and behave like the son of Hagar, Ishmael, of whom the angel precisely told Hagar:
“12 And he will be a wild man;** his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him**; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”
Second: Now you can see how the Holy Spirit is using Saint Paul to make a difference,
not between races, but between people who have been born in the Spirit and the ones who still in the flesh. And we know which are the works of the flesh:
“17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are plain:** fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity,
strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, 21 envy,** drunkenness, carousing, and the like**. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. 24
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Gal 5 17-24
**THIS IS THE REAL DIVISION AMONG PEOPLES: THE ONES BORN IN THE SPIRIT AND THE ONES WHO CONTINUE TO BE IN THE FLESH. **
I hope you can understand Saint Paul now better… if not, I really tried my best
In the love of the truth,
Gloria
.**