LETTER TO THE GALATIANS
Regression From Sonship to Slavery (4:8-10)
INTRODUCTION
For a moment, step back and think about where Paul has taken us so far in Galatians. He starts out defending his gospel of grace by faith first by defending his apostleship and second by defending his gospel by referring first to the actions of the Holy Spirit and to Scripture itself (especially the passages on Abraham). By the time he has finished, you would think we would say that we are saved by grace through faith and that we now live the saved life by faith. Yet Paul has taken us much higher than what we expected. We are not merely saved. At the point of salvation, the Spirit of God's Son Jesus comes to live within us to transform us into sons and daughters of God. Lofty indeed. At this point, we should just fall down in worship at the very thought of what God is doing in us and in our midst.
Unfortunately, though, we don't process what it means to be transformed into sons and daughters of God because we are so concerned about being fashionable.
Too often we feel that the latest fashion is an improvement on what came before it. C.S. Lewis calls this “chronological snobbery.” He goes on to say that vogue (fashion) comes and goes but mainly goes." The truth, though, is that not all progress is beneficial. It can actually be harmful, counterproductive.
C.S. Lewis gives us the example of a man who sets out on a journey in his car. He has a set of instructions before him: take the first right, then take the second left, go north for 5 miles and then take the next left, etc. Now suppose he follows all those instructions to the “t” EXCEPT FOR THE FIRST ONE. He may be progressing down the road, but he is going to end up at the wrong place because he is progressing down the WRONG road. The best thing he could do is trace his way back to the beginning and start all over again on his journey. Until he does, he will never arrive at the right destination.
This same kind of situation appears to be happening in the Galatian churches. The Judaizers are promoting a “new and improved” kind of Christianity. The Judaizers claim that they are progressing in Christianity. Yet, that is not how Paul views this situation. Once these Judaizers started down the road of legalism, they might have been progressing; however, they were progressing down the wrong road and were going to end up at the wrong place.
| 8 However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years. |
Commentary
First, Paul reminds them of their days before they became Christians. (Mark well what he is saying because it is going to have a tremendous impact on what he says in v. 9.) Before they became Christians, they were slaves to those which by nature are no gods; in fact, they were nothing more than mere idols.
Now look at v. 9. According to Paul, when the Galatians agree to impose the Law of Moses upon the Christian Faith, they are “turn[ing] BACK AGAIN to the weak and worthless ______________ things, to which you desire to be enslaved ALL OVER AGAIN!” This is radical on Paul’s part. If you take his words seriously, Paul is claiming that if the Galatians follow the lead of the Judaizers, they will be guilty of idolatry, even slavery itself of which they were apart before they became Christians. They were turning BACK to idolatry and slavery. This is not progress. Applying the Law to the Christian Faith is regress; what’s even worse, it is idolatry and enslavement. (If you think that is harsh, wait till we get to chapter 5.) God has called us to be sons; by returning to the Law, we are rejecting sonship and becoming slaves.
How far have the Galatians regressed? According to verse 10 what have they started to observe?
They are actually observing the Jewish religious calendar as a means of trying to be more spiritual. They believe that observing the Feast of Tabernacles will make them godlier; they think that observing the Feast of Pentecost makes them right with God. The truth is that for 2000 years, millions, billions of Christians have not observed these feasts and yet they have had a wonderful relationship with Jesus Christ, growing into His image. Knowing about and even observing the feasts might give you a deeper appreciation for certain aspects of Christianity; however, observing them will NEVER make you more spiritual or like Christ. They have regressed from being sons to being slaves.
PERSONAL APPEAL (4:11-20)
Introduction
Unfortunately, this next section in Galatians tends to get overlooked or minimized by NT interpreters. It is not as juicy as the one above and definitely not as juicy as chapter 5; however, this passage more than any other passage in Galatians shows you the heart Paul has for the Galatians. It is the appeal of the heart of a pastor for his flock. Paul literally aches for his Galatian flock.
| 11 I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain. 12 I beg of you, brethren, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have done me no wrong; 13 but you know that it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the first time; 14 and that which was a trial to you in my bodily condition you did not despise or loathe, but you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself. 15 Where then is that sense of blessing you had? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I therefore become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17 They eagerly seek you, not commendably, but they wish to shut you out in order that you may seek them. 18 But it is good always to be eagerly sought in a commendable manner, and not only when I am present with you. 19 My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you— 20 but I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. |
Commentary
Too often we think that pastors are emotionally removed from their flock. It is sad but true that many times the pastors in our churches are not truly “shepherds.” They may be good preachers; they may be good CEO’s. The problem is that the word “pastor” literally means “shepherd.” He is one who leads, cares for, and feeds the flock. Paul demonstrates this attitude when he writes:
“Having thus fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own ____________, because you had become very dear to us” (1 Thess. 2:8).
As a good shepherd, Paul didn’t simply give the Thessalonians or the Galatians the gospel of salvation. He gave them himself. The result was that whenever his flock went astray, Paul would be deeply distressed:
“Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense _______________?” (2 Cor. 11:29).
The answer to both these questions is “NO ONE!” Paul said, “When you hurt, I hurt! When you fall into sin, I suffer!”
Look at the different ways Paul expresses his deep concern for the Galatians.
Something had really troubled him when he first came to them. A problem with his eye? We don’t know for sure. For this reason, our imaginations don’t need to take flight and claim that the thorn in his flesh was an ailment in his eyes (2 Cor. 12:7). Where Scripture is absolute, we need to be absolute. Where it is fuzzy, we need to be fuzzy AND NOT VICE VERSA!
The analogy gets a little twisted here. Paul is in labor, trying to produce the image of Christ in the Galatians. By yielding to circumcision and the Law as a means of growing spiritually, the Galatians have destroyed the image of Christ within them. Paul is fighting now to produce the image of Christ once more in them. Again, it is all about becoming like Christ.