Galatians 4:8-20 Fear for the Galatians WC
McCarter
Introduction
Do you
remember what you were before you gave your life to Christ? Or can you imagine
what you would have been apart from Christ?
Think about
the Exodus generation. They were freed, but they wanted to return to slavery in
Egypt.
The
Galatians were entertaining the thought of doing just that–returning to bondage
to the things of this world instead of trusting Christ for salvation. They were
not able to enjoy the benefits of the Gospel.
READ Scripture- This is the Word of God
Freedom vs. Slavery (8-11)
After
revisiting again with the Galatians that fact that they have been saved from
this present wicked age, Paul now has a question for them. He must plainly
voice his fear for them. Those Galatian Christians, and all believers, were
once in bondage to the things of this world. They were orphans. But, because of
what Christ had done in them, they were adopted into God’s family. They were
made sons and daughters of God in Christ. They were not bound to the elements
of this world. They were heirs of God. So, the most obvious question that Paul
needed to ask them was, Why are you
returning to bondage? If all things are yours because of your inheritance
in Christ, then why are you returning to bondage under the weak and beggarly
elements of this world?
I love that
phrase that the apostle uses in verse nine. A whole lot of things can be
categorized under the designation “weak and beggarly elements of this world.”
For example, the apostle says in verse ten, “You observe days and months and
seasons and years.” The Jews, and the Judaizers who wanted to put the demands
of the Mosaic Law on the Gentile Christians, were all about remembering feast
days and holy days. They would fast for this and that. They would sacrifice for
this and that. But their hearts were not right.
Do we have
holidays that we celebrate? Sure, we do, and that can be important and
enjoyable, but we should not be bound to them. We should not be enslaved by
them. I am thinking of one church in particular, and I know of many, that were
not progressing in Christ. When it came to faith in Christ and a knowledge of
the Scriptures, they were weak. They did not celebrate the things of Christ,
but when July 4th came, the entire building would be decked in red,
white, and blue. They would go all out for American holidays with decorations,
cantatas, and celebrations of all kinds, but they were not too interested in
the things of God. That is not only sad but also dangerous.
What else
could we put under the umbrella of “weak and beggarly elements of this world”
that people become enslaved to? Well, we could probably come up with a long
list that could include things from grievous sins to simple things that we have
no business feeling bound to. We trap and enslave ourselves in various sins of
the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. We also
enslave ourselves to things that we feel “guilted” into by others.
Paul says in
so many words, Why are you enslaving
yourselves to the things of this world, whether sinful or not, when you can be
free sons of God with an ongoing relationship with Him? It is easily
explained why someone may be trapped by various “gods” if they do not know the
true and living God. Yet, it is inexplicable why a Christian, who knows God and
is known by God, would again desire bondage to the world.
Paul’s Relationship with the Galatians (12-16)
Paul and the
Galatians hit it off from the get-go. They loved and cared for one another. If
you have not heard Paul’s heart thus far, you hear it beginning in verse
twelve. He refers to the Galatians as brethren. This is a term of endearment.
He considered them equals–friends–family. Interestingly enough, “this is the
first imperative in the letter that calls on the Galatians to take action”
(Moo, 281). What action is it? “I urge you to become like me, for I became like
you.” How did Paul become like the Galatians? Although he was a Jew, he
abandoned the law and came out from under its bondage like a Gentile. In what
way did Paul want the Galatians to become like him? He wanted them to forever
abandon the law for righteousness and trust Christ for their justification
before God.
With the
sentence, “You have not injured me at all,” Paul begins to talk about his relationship
with the Galatians. From the beginning, they had a healthy and happy
relationship. As verse 13 indicates, Paul had some sort of illness that caused
him to stay in Galatia. Many believe, as I do, that Paul contracted some kind
of disease (which in another place he calls the “thorn in the flesh”) that
caused problems with his eye sight and made him physically unattractive.
Apparently he contracted the chronic disease when he was heading to the region
of Galatia and it had gotten so bad that for some reason it forced him to stay
there for an extended period of time. The Galatians could have despised and
rejected him for this obvious weakness, but instead they received him as an
angel, or messenger of God. They consider him to fully represent Christ in their
midst. They enjoyed many blessings through Paul’s ministry there. Paul even
says in verse 15 that the Galatians loved him so much that they would have been
willing to pluck out their own eyes and given them to him. That is a strong and
loving relationship! Thus, in verse 16, he wants to know what the deal is now.
Why have they changed their mind? Now Paul is the complete opposite to them. He
has become their enemy, at least in their minds.
Judaizer’s Relationship with the Galatians (17-20)
The last paragraph
today tells us what has happened. They Judaizers have come into their churches
and flattered them. Paul says, “They zealously court you.” Paul’s analysis of
the situation is that the Judaizers were going all out to bring the Galatians
under their influence, but once they had them hooked, they were going to cut
them loose in order to drive the Galatians to want them all the more. Paul’s
point is that what appears to be genuine concern on behalf of the false
teachers actually has ulterior motives. They do not care for the Galatians that
way that Paul does. Another term of endearment is used in verse 19, “my little
children.” This is a phrase that teachers used of their disciples. He says, Listen, I am willing to sacrifice a lot for
you, but they are not willing to sacrifice anything. My ultimate goal is your
well-being, but their ultimate goal is their prestige. I want to see Christ
formed in you, but they only want to see themselves formed in you.
Lastly, Paul
voices his doubts for them once again. The apostle was forced to use a tone of
rebuke. He did not want to, but he was forced to as a shepherd of their souls.
He took the responsibility for their spiritual conditions upon himself. He
labored and sacrificed all for them. They were not appreciating the benefits of
the Gospel because they so quickly were leaving it to be bound by the law as
taught by the Judaizers.
Conclusion and Christian Application
(1) One of the great lessons that we can
take from this passage is how the congregation and the pastor relate to one
another. I am not an apostle, so we must be careful with our comparisons to
Paul and the Galatians. I am your pastor and teacher. Notice verse 14 says that
the Galatians received Paul as Christ Himself meaning that they received Paul’s
message about Christ. Notice in verse 19 that Paul wanted Christ to be formed
in the church. What can we learn from this? A congregation should listen for
the message of Christ in their pastor, and the pastor should look for the
formation of Christ in the congregation. This is how we should view one
another. It is not about appearance, wealth, prestige, or any of the like. It
is about Christ. Do you hear me teaching the things of Christ? Do I see you progressing
in trusting Christ?
(2) The primary lesson that I want you
to take home with you is that you cannot go back to what you were before
Christ.