“But what does the Scripture say? ‘Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.’” (Galatians 4:30, ESV)
On occasion in life, we must do the most uncomfortable things. One of these is cleaning up messes. Right after Hurricane Katrina went through New Orleans, I went on a mission trip along with a group of college students to that city. Our job was to do mud-outs, which basically meant taking out water soaked and rotten goods from a home and removing carpet, wallboard, and insulation. It was dirty and hard work. The reason we had to do this was so that all mold and mildew would be removed from the home prior to redoing the interior. It was necessary to cast out the contaminated materials so that the home would not be infested with mold after being redone inside.
Continuing with the allegory, here Paul gave a harsh exhortation to the Galatians. “Cast out the slave woman and her son.” Remember that the slave woman, Hagar, represented the Judaizers, the legalists, who were teaching that legalistic obedience to the law was necessary for justification. Their message was in direct opposition to the message grace, that by faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross one is justified.
This message of the Judaizers was a deadly heresy. One that undermined the true gospel and would leave people with no hope. It was something, that if not cast out, would spread to others like mold in a building. Moreover, this heretical teaching had already influenced some in the church. Thus, Paul wrote that they must cast out both the “slave woman and her son.”
What would this mean to the Galatians? It meant that they must cast out both the Judaizers who were preaching the heresy, and those whom they birthed into their false teaching. Both the false teachers and those who decided to follow such teaching needed to be removed from the fellowship. Of course, some who were persuaded to follow the legalists’ teaching would have the opportunity to repent and return to the truth.
What Paul is alluding to in this passage is church discipline. Churches have a serious responsibility to maintain purity in the fellowship. This includes purity in doctrine. Heretical teachings cannot be tolerated in the church. Paul wrote to Timothy that the church is to be the “pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15, ESV). If the truth is compromised, the church has no consistent message and this will bring confusion and division.
Jesus presented the methodology for handling such issues in the church. We see His words in Matthew.
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” (Matthew 18:15–17, ESV)
From personal experience, dealing with this type of thing is not easy. It is never fun. Yet it is essential. Purity of doctrine is essential in order to prevent it from infecting others in a congregation.
Renewing the Heart 