⁹ And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’^(A) I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

⁸ Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’^(A) For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

²⁷ for all of you who were baptized into Christ^(A) have clothed yourselves with Christ.^{(B) 28} There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free,^(C) nor is there male and female,^(D) for you are all one in Christ Jesus.^{(E) 29} If you belong to Christ,^(F) then you are Abraham’s seed,^(G) and heirs^(H) according to the promise.^(I)

⁷ Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”^{[a](A) 8} In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children,^(B) but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.^(C)

²⁶ “Fellow children of Abraham^(A) and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation^(B) has been sent.

³³ They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants^(A) and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

²² For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman^(A) and the other by the free woman.^{(B) 23} His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh,^(C) but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.^(D)

²⁴ These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. ²⁵ Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. ²⁶ But the Jerusalem that is above^(E) is free, and she is our mother. ²⁷ For it is written:

²⁸ Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise.^{(G) 29} At that time the son born according to the flesh^(H) persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit.^(I) It is the same now. ³⁰ But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”^{[b](J) 31} Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman,^(K) but of the free woman.^(L)

Abraham Justified by Faith

4 What then shall we say^(A) that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh,^(B) discovered in this matter?

⁵³ Are you greater than our father Abraham?^(A) He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”