Galatians 4:8-20
Key Verse 19
“My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.”
We have been studying the book of Galatians, in which the Apostle Paul defends the truth of the gospel from attacks by the Judaizers, who were Jews that attempted to add human rules to the gospel. Specifically, they said that obeying Jewish ceremonial laws was necessary for salvation. This attitude is also called legalism. Galatians highlights the freedom that we have through faith in Christ. The law can only show us our sins and our need for the Savior. Jesus accomplished salvation through his death and resurrection. Throughout the book of Galatians, Paul points to this gospel theme. In last week’s passage, Paul taught that the purpose of the gospel is for us to be redeemed and adopted by God. To Redeem is defined as to set free by paying a price. To Adopt is defined as to give the privileges of a son to one who is not a son by nature. Redemption and Adoption are the heart of the gospel message. As sinners, we deserve death. Jesus, as the righteous Son of God, deserves life. But by faith, we accept that Jesus took our death, and he gave us his life. This process has been called the Great Exchange. Paul also showed how our status changes from slaves to sons when we are adopted by God. In today’s passage, we will contrast Paul’s ministry with the ministry of the Judaizers.
First, Confidence in knowing God, not idolatry (verses 8-9)
Let’s read verses 8-9 together, “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not Gods. But now that you know God – or rather are known by God – how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?” Through last week’s study, we thought about the difference between a child, a slave, and a son. The main difference is that a slave is outside the family and under the law’s condemnation; a child has entered the family but is still under the law as a guardian until he comes of age, but a son is under grace and experiences the full blessings of inheritance. Paul compares the Galatians’ former pagan way of life to slavery. They practiced rituals to seek acceptance by the pagan gods. They made offerings to Athena for love and to Ceres for grain. They followed the schedules of the astrological calendar. They worshipped Emperor Caesar for political benefits. But for all their diligent service to these gods, they remained slaves. They could never attain confidence that their work was good enough. They never had assurance that they were loved. They always lived in fear. In their quest for confidence, they tried to make themselves look better than others by competing and boasting. Paul called these “the basic principles of this world”. When we studied the series on Counterfeit Gods a few months ago, we thought about many aspects of idolatry. The dangers of idols of lust and lawlessness are obvious, but anything that we value more than God can become an idol, even if it is a good thing.
In the Old Testament, the Law was an elementary education; it was like the spiritual ABC’s of life. God’s purpose for the law was to lead people to the coming messiah. However, Jesus said that he is “the Alpha and the Omega”, which means that Jesus is our spiritual A to Z. In Christ we have the full revelation of God, and complete redemption and restoration. The basic principles of the world are not only incomplete, but they are also enslaving. As adopted sons of God, the Galatians had learned to call God “Abba Father”. However, the Judaizers told the Galatians that they needed to go back to the law and practice over 600 Jewish ceremonial rituals in order to be accepted by God. The Judaizers not only hindered Paul’s ministry, but they threatened to lead the Galatians back into spiritual slavery. We can see why the Apostle Paul was so alarmed. Why would a beloved child go back to a life of slavery? Paul did everything he could to help them come back to their senses. In chapter 1, he reminded them of their own conversion by the gospel of Christ. In chapter 3, he appealed to their experience of the Holy Spirit. In chapter 4, he argued with them on the basis of history, theology, and daily life examples. Now, Paul pleads with them on the basis of their personal relationship, like a parent agonizing over his wayward child. Paul had thought that the Galatians were born again through the gospel into God’s family. But now he worries whether their faith was stillborn. He reached his wit’s end, unsure how to help them. Paul, who had been strong in his theological defense now reveals his broken heart as a pastor. How could anyone who had received the grace of redemption and adoption by God want to go back to an orphanage? The Galatians had been given the full blessings of God through the gospel, but now they wanted to go back to spiritual slavery. In verse 9, Paul pointed out that it is not what we know, but it is who knows us that makes us sons of God. He said, “But now that you know God – or rather are known by God”. Our confidence does not come from anything that we have done or even from correct theological knowledge. We become confident in our faith when we discover that God knows us, that he has written our names in heaven, and he has revealed himself to us through the gospel of grace. The slavery of legalism always tempts Christians to trust their rituals rather than trust the love of Christ. However, if we have truly become God’s children, our relationship with God will not fail. The more we know God, the more we become confident in his love and forgiveness.
Second, Motivation in joy, not pride (10-11, 13-16)
Let’s read verses 10-11 together, “You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.” The Old Testament law required people to observe special days, months, seasons, and years. There was the Sabbath Day, the Passover season, the Feast of Tabernacles, the Year of Jubilee, and so on. God intended for these events to point to the coming Messiah. They were good things. However, the Pharisees who kept these rituals looked down on everyone else. Jesus scolded them for their lack of love and mercy. Any religion that is based on observing special days reduces a relationship to a ritual. The Galatians’ pagan background had its own rituals too. They celebrated Caesar’s birthday, followed astronomical signs, and waited for lucky days. But they became enslaved by these rituals. Some forms of legalism are exhaustingly complex. But legalism can also take a low standard. Many Christians think that they have kept the law by attending church on Christmas and Easter each year, and they believe that now God owes them blessings. Regardless of legalism’s level of standards, it causes people to become proud. The motivation of legalism is to be better than others. Those who keep the standard are accepted and become proud of their achievement. Those who fail the standard are rejected and despair about their failure. Legalism needs losers to make the winners look good. Otherwise there is no motivation for keeping the law. And regardless of one’s success, the law is a burden. But the motivation of the gospel is joy.
Let’s read verses 13-16 together, “As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. What has happened to all your joy? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?” Before the Judaizers came, the Galatians welcomed Paul’s message with joy, even though he had an illness which appears to have been an eye disease. Maybe he was cross-eyed. But the Galatians joyfully welcomed him as if he were an angel. When we realize that we are terrible sinners who have been unconditionally forgiven by the grace of God, we become joyful. Joy is part of God’s nature which he shares with us as his children. God not only gives us reason for joy because of what Jesus did for us at the cross, he also gives us the experience of joy as one of the fruits of his Holy Spirit. Christians are joyful to do their best to serve God who loved us first. When we fail, we are joyful for Jesus’ forgiveness, and we are joyful that God never disowns us as his children. We even rejoice to be told the truth and are happy to receive correction. Pride and a sense of burden are not the way of the Christian life. Rather, joy in God is our motivation for doing anything, and it is a powerful motivation for serving God. Those who see God’s joy in us are attracted to the authenticity of the gospel without the need for coercion or manipulation. May God give us joy in knowing him and in being his children.
Third, Character in Christ, not self (12, 17-19)
Let’s read verses 17-18 together, “Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them. It is fine to be zealous, provided that the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you.” The Judaizers had misguided zeal for the law. They created a division between Jews and Gentiles within the church. Their zeal turned the Galatians away from Christ and toward themselves. They seemed to have envied Paul’s ministry success and wanted to win their own followers. They attracted the Galatians by flattering them and by planting distrust toward Paul’s message. Paul was not interested in gaining fame through raising disciples or clones. Paul was only interested in leading them to Christ. Paul said in verse 12, “Become like me for I became like you.” Paul became like others so that others could come to know Christ. Paul gave up his own cultural habits and preferences in order to make friends with the Galatians and be a part of their community so that he could share the gospel with them in a way they could understand. Paul eagerly wanted them to have the freedom that he had experienced – freedom from the burden of legalism and the freedom of God’s inheritance.
Let’s read verse 19 together, “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.” Paul’s ultimate goal was to see Christ formed in them. Just as it takes time for a child to grow up, growing in the likeness of Christ does not happen overnight. However, all Christians will eventually grow in the likeness of Christ. This process is called sanctification. It begins when we are born again in Christ and continues throughout our lifetimes. We will not be completely like Jesus until the resurrection. Tim Keller said that a Christian is like an acorn under a marble slab: for a while, it looks like nothing is happening, but one day the growing tree breaks through the marble slab and cracks it in half. The Galatians were like that acorn under the marble slab. The slab of the law impeded their spiritual growth. But like a concerned parent, Paul worried whether they really had the life of God working in them. In his book The Life of God in the Soul of Man, Henry Scougal wrote, “True religion is a union of the soul with God, a real participation of the Divine nature, the very image of God drawn upon the soul.” The more our lives get shaped into the image of Christ, the more consistent we will be in our Christian attitudes and behavior. Paul pointed out that the goodness that comes from Christ in us is not only displayed when the teacher is in the room. Paul’s struggle to help the Galatians grow in their faith felt like the pains of childbirth. He wanted to see them safely delivered as sons and daughters of God.
Today’s passage describes what it means to be a true child of God. It is to have confidence in having a relationship with God. It is to live with joy in God’s love, forgiveness, and restoration. It is to have the character of Christ forming in our souls. Once this growth from slavery to sonship starts to happen in a person’s life, it is really unthinkable to go back to the slavery of idolatry, pride, and self-centeredness. As Christians we are easily tempted by the fame and flattery of legalism. But when we are redeemed and adopted by God, we can have confidence, joy, and Christ-like character. We need to be patient for these qualities to grow in our lives. We need to see God’s broken heart for those whose faith is wavering. Most of all, we need the gospel of Jesus to empower us to live as God’s sons and daughters.