Paul presents a series of arguments in support of his position regarding the Law. For example, he refers to Abraham as the father of the faithful and insists that Abraham's righteousness could not have been obtained by obedience to Mosaic laws because those laws were not given until centuries after Abraham died. Hence, Abraham must have obtained righteousness by faith. But if Abraham's righteousness was achieved by faith, the same must be true for all of his spiritual descendants. When God made his great promise to Abraham, all of Abraham's descendants were included. Christians are, according to Paul, of Abraham's seed, for it is said, "If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." This same point is elaborated somewhat further in the allegory of Abraham's two sons. One son, Ishmael, was born of a slave woman, but the other son, Isaac, was born of a free woman. Ishmael represents people who are under bondage to the Law, and Isaac represents people who are free in Christ: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
The Epistle to the Galatians concludes with a description of the kind of life that a person will live who is filled with the Spirit of God, a life that sharply contrasts to the kind of life a person will live who has carnal desires. The quality of living is determined by whether or not an individual is possessed by the Spirit of Christ.
