Dwell in the Word: Galatians 4:8-20

Consider these questions as you dwell in Galatians 4:8-20:

1. How does Paul contrast the Galatians' former pagan rituals with their newfound faith in Christ, emphasizing the shift from attempting to reach higher spiritual planes to being known by God?

2. What tone does Paul adopt in his writing to the Galatians, and why does he express such concern and disappointment in their return to rites and rituals, akin to a regression to slavery?

3. In light of Paul's admonishment, how can the principle of not turning back to rites and rituals apply to modern-day believers? How does faith in Christ contrast with striving through practices or observances to attain God's favor?

Transcript:

As we come to our passage from today, we see this continuing theme of Paul's here in the letter to the Galatians. This is one main idea, right? He is upset that they have accepted the teaching of the Judaizers regarding circumcision, that they have accepted this idea. Faith in Christ is good, but you need to have the sign of the Old Covenant, circumcision, in order to be a part of the Christian body, in order to be a Christian, or to come to God. Paul is going to go to their past as Gentiles to make a case that you don't need these rites and rituals, even though they are Hebrew rights and rituals, even their Old Covenant Jewish rituals, he compares them to their rituals from their pagan past. We see this here as we look at verse 8: Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. In other words, the rights and the rituals that you had to do in your Pagan practices, and we've talked about what those things are before, you were enslaved to those. You had to do them. That was the way in which you reached out to god. 

That was the way of the gods. It would not be one solitary, Almighty being that they would have been reaching to. They would have been trying to ascend to a higher spiritual plain. You were enslaved to those rituals. They held you captive. Essentially, they were your boss. You couldn't do anything. Then he uses an interesting term of phrase here, doesn't he? He says, Now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God. In other words, you were trying to climb the spiritual ladder to a higher spiritual plane. You were trying to go up, but instead you have been known by God. He has come to you. ' Instead of mutuals, instead of rights, God comes to you and he loves you and you have him by faith. So he asked, How can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world? Slaves, you want to be once more, why would you go back to rites and rituals and practices and days and months and seasons and years, all these feasts, why would you go back to that when you've been known by God? Paul says something harsh, and we noticed this before again; there's a very harsh tone here in the Book of Galatians. 

He says, I'm afraid I may have labored over you. He's saying, Did I waste my time on you? I taught you what the gospel is. I taught you to trust in Christ, and now you're wanting to go back to rites and rituals and all of that, all this trying to climb a ladder, trying for you to reach God on your own. What have I done that you haven't gotten this? Paul then maybe feels a little bit bad for speaking so harshly, and he talks about how they have cared for him with his bodily ailment, that he was able to stay with them longer and he was able to preach the gospel and teach to them longer. That they received him well. He says nice things about them. You received him as if he was an angel of God, or even as they would have received Jesus himself, they've done this good thing. In fact, he says that they would have gouged their eyes out and given them to him. There's an aside here, not really applicable to what we're talking about. But we don't know what this ailment was, but you have to wonder if it wasn't about his eyes, if it wasn't about his poor vision, or maybe he had some infection or problem with his eyes because he said that they were willing to gouge their eyes out and give them to them, not just gouge them out, but give them, give him eyes. 

Maybe this ailment of Paul's had to do with his eyes. Again, we don't know, but that gives us a little hint there. But anyway, we see in verse 16 he says, Have I then become your enemy? You've loved me so much, now I have to be harsh with you. Now, I essentially have to drop the hammer on you. Why have things changed? As we come to verse 18, it said, It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose. Not only when I am present with you, my little children, from whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed. He so deeply desires for them to understand. He so deeply desires for them to grow in faith. He has this anguish of childbirth. It's like they're his children, and he is laboring to bring them to faith, for them to... They've already been brought to faith, to a deeper understanding of faith. He says, I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. He's speaking harshly. He wishes he could come to them and speak to them in tones of loss. 

As we finish up here, I want to give us a little bit of a thought or application for the day. I think it's interesting here what Paul has to say about, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principal of the world whose slaves you want to be once more. It's different for us. Now, we live in a different time. With principal, still applies. There are times where we try to go to something other than just trusting and faith in Christ. We try to climb the ladder on our own. We maybe try rites or rituals or observe certain things or do certain things instead of fully trusting in Christ. But just like Paul said, why would you want to go back to those things? You've been known by God, brothers and sisters in Christ. You've been known by Him. Why would you try to go to Him when He has come to you? Trust in the way that He has come to you. Trust in that alone, because Christ loved you and gave Himself for you, and He comes to you through His word and Spirit, and you have been given the gift of faith. 

That is enough. That is enough. Trust in that today and believe. This is what God has done for us so that we don't have to strive after Him with things that we do, but instead, we can trust that He has come to us in His mercy. His grace.