Sorry, I was delayed in posting this new sermon due to weather and other matters.
Galatians: A Study of Christian Freedom
Lesson 11: Backsliding! Galatians 4:8-12
This is a brief passage that contains some interesting insights into both the dynamics of legalism and the commitment the evangelist makes to the evangelized.
There’s a term that one was popular in the Baptist vocabulary: Backsliding. It referred to the actions of one who had embarked on following Christ or perhaps “got religion” but had retreated, returned to old ways of living. The term isn’t popular anymore. There are probably several reasons for that. Since those who believe in the possibility of “losing” one’s salvation also use the term, some may want to avoid any confusion on the issue. Then, too, some may feel it’s too judgmental a term. And, perhaps, we’ve come to a point were the term is meaningless since we’ll put up with just about any behavior from church members so we won’t risk offending them.
Paul didn’t worry about that. Some of the Galatian Christians were sliding back, sliding back into slavery.
It was a betrayal of their new identity.
8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods.
Paul now seems to be speaking directly to the Galatians, the church members from a non-Christian background. He is not being politically correct. He says bluntly that before they trusted Christ they “did not know God.” Of course, Paul knew that Gentiles believed in many gods but, as a Jew, he did not acknowledge that any of these gods were real:
1 Like Isaiah, Paul may have been thinking of how these “gods” were carved of wood or stone, the creations of some artisan with no reality behind them;
2 Like many Jews, he may have believed there were evil spirits behind these “gods.” The Bible’s view of these evil spirits or daemons is not that of the average Hollywood film; in the Biblical view, their behavior is more subtle and crafty, though their intent is just as destructive.
In any case, it was the nature of these “gods” to be enslaving, not liberating. The very idea that these Christians might return to that life was shocking.
Of course, the Judaizers would protest that the Galatians were not returning to their pagan religions, they were embracing a Jewish lifestyle. Paul would have understood this. I think his point is the stunning one that returning to a rule-based, law-way to salvation (whether Jewish or pagan) would have the same result—spiritual slavery.
9 Now, however, that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits? How can you want to be enslaved to them again?
In their new life, the Galatians now knew the real God. More significantly, they were known by God. Paul is not playing word games, he is hinting at an intimacy with God that just did not exist in the Galatians’ former life. The relationship was not one-sided.
With this in mind, Paul wonders how they could possibly turn back to what they had before, even if it was in another form. Their old gods were “the weak and beggarly elemental spirits.” They were inherently weak and possessed no spiritual resources to change the Galatians’ lives. They were weak, bankrupt, and poor. Again, Paul isn’t suggesting these gods exist; he is discussing their contribution to the lives of the Galatians.
In the same way, the Judaizers’ rules and taboos were powerless to liberate them or bring them closer to God. Yet, the Galatians seemed willing to go back to a way of life that offered only bondage and slavery. Their outward manner of life would have changed but the effect would be the same.
10 You are observing special days, and months, and seasons, and years.
Their backsliding was manifested in several ways but Paul picks one way in particular. They were assigning special value to certain days above others. The idea is probably that they were observing the Jewish Sabbath and other holy days, adding to their observance the notion that doing so was necessary for their salvation.
That context needs to be remembered because this is not a condemnation of observing “special” days. In Christian history some strict sects have forbidden their members to observe Christmas and Easter; others forbid even the observance of birthdays. During the Commonwealth period in seventeenth-century England you could be arrested for wishing someone a “Merry Christmas.” That was not Paul’s intent here. He was addressing a specific problem in a specific situation. It’s a reminder that Bible study requires us to examine the full context of the passage—which includes the historical and cultural context.
If we look at the entire body of Paul’s writings, it would be safe to say he was indifferent to certain practices or observances. If some believers abstained from eating meat, that was fine; if some believers enjoyed a good steak, that was fine. The same principle applied to observing special days. All Paul cared about was that no one became entrapped by these activities or ran roughshod over a fellow believer’s sensibilities and that no one became divisive or judgmental over things like diet or holidays.
Very likely, the Galatians who were observing these “special days, and months, and seasons, and years” were judging those who did not follow their example. They would have pointed to their practices as evidence of their spiritual superiority over others. On the one hand, this would have created division in the churches and, on the other, it would have caused those who hadn’t embraced such practices either to feel resentful about being judged or question the security of their salvation.
In Galatians, Paul deals with tactics sometimes used by the cults—though some of these tactics are occasionally used by more orthodox groups. The tactic here is to micromanage the lives of their converts; in so doing they extend their control over the converts and reinforce the notion that members of the group are just a little better than non-members.
At the beginning of this series I said legalism is alive and well. Legalism not only weighs down believers with rules, it generates discord and alienation. You’ve probably seen it at work.
[Discuss among yourselves.]
No wonder Paul admitted…
11 I am afraid that my work for you may have been wasted.
Remember Paul’s earlier question (3:1): How could you forget the crucified Christ who was so clearly proclaimed to you? Paul was thinking of the Christ-centered focus of his preaching. He had worked hard to make clear what the crucified Christ had accomplished. Now, he is daring to ask if that work was fruitless. This shows the level of his frustration.
But he didn’t simply fear that his work might have been wasted; he feared for the spiritual welfare of the Galatian Christians.
I’ve heard conference speakers say something like to pastors: “You shouldn’t worry about your people. They’re not yours. Just do what you’re supposed to do and let God handle things.” Paul was no model of that attitude. He surely did what he was supposed to do but he still feared for the Galatian’s welfare.
You can hear that passion in the plea he makes.
12 Friends, I beg you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have done me no wrong.
Some translations put this verse with the next paragraph which makes sense considering the last part of the verse but I think the thought of the first half of the verse fits better with what Paul has just said. So, we will consider that part of the verse now.
Paul addresses them as “Friends” when only a short time before he had called them “Stupid Galatians.” He is pleading with them. What did he want? He yearned for them to renew their relationship him. Apparently, he sensed the Judaizers had been somewhat successful in driving a wedge between Paul and the Galatian converts. He wants things back the way they were. He wants them to understand that what he had thus far said reflected no hostility toward them for they had done nothing to harm him. In any case, the immediate anger had subsided and now he approached them on the basis of their common spiritual status.
The words “become as I am, for I also have become as you are” have a twofold implication, one relating to the past and the other to the present.
In sharing the gospel with the Galatians and other gentiles, Paul had, virtually, become a gentile himself—eating with them, traveling with them, and worshipping with them. Now, he wanted them to become like himself, enjoying the full benefits of the gospel. The Expanded Bible captures the meaning of the verse: “12 Brothers and sisters, I became like you [living like a Gentile to win them to Christ], so I beg you to become like me [depending on God’s grace, not the Jewish law, for salvation]. You ·were very good to me before.”
Paul would write to the Corinthians to explain his fundamental approach to sharing the gospel: “When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.” (I Cor 9:21)
For Paul, evangelism included an identification with those to be evangelized. Of course, this would be genuine, not merely a matter of show. Nor would it deny obvious cultural differences. Paul would never be able to deny his upbringing but his commitment to the Galatians was such that he had table-fellowship with them even though the authorities from Jerusalem might find fault.
This is a significant point so we need to understand it. Paul’s living in a gentile-mode was no mere strategy. He was modeling real Christian freedom. Had he preached grace to the Galatians, all the while believing they would eventually need to embrace the Jewish lifestyle in order to be true Christians, he would have been deceiving them. And his fundamental integrity would not have allowed that.
Even as one born a Jew, he was no longer obliged to keep the dietary rules and observe the high holy days; if he did, that was his choice. Of course, the false teachers who had invaded the Galatian churches wouldn’t have seen Paul that way. They would have claimed Paul had presented only part of the Christian message, that he had omitted the obligation to embrace the lifestyle of rules and observances they were promoting. Paul had to respond to this and not simply to defend himself.
For Paul, evangelism also meant more than merely getting a person into the baptismal waters. In his novel The Princes of Ireland,which begins in the fifth century, Edward Rutherford depicts the missionary Patrick coming to a farm at Dubh Linn and persuading the family there to be baptized in the nearby river, at the “dark pool” that gives Dublin its name. Then, Patrick and his band of priests simply move on. No church was organized, no mature Christian was left at the farm to teach the new converts. They were on their own. As much as we don’t know about the man whose feast day is tomorrow, we are pretty sure the real Patrick would not have done that. Neither would Paul.
He was concerned about the quality of his converts’ lives as Christians. He wanted them to know all the riches that could be theirs as Christ’s People. He would put it this way when he wrote the Colossians: “We proclaim Him, admonishing every person and teaching every person with all wisdom, so that we may present every person complete in Christ.” (Col 1:28 NASB) If that was his goal, he would not have forgotten to give them a new diet if that had been necessary. It wasn’t. Instead, he wanted them “encouraged by all the riches that come from a complete understanding of Christ.” He wanted the Galatians and everyone else who heard him to know just how much Christ had done for them and was doing in them.
That goal drove Paul as he began to reminisce about his earliest encounter with the Galatians.
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If you read this with friends or in a group, you may wish to use the following exercises.
Discuss among yourselves: Whether you have been a believer a long time or a short time, you have probably met those who insist on observing certain rules or rituals that you just don’t see stressed in the Bible. Give some examples and discuss how being around these Christians makes you feel. Finally, discuss how you respond to these fellow believers.
Something to think about at home and discuss with others: How can you better identify with those you know who need to hear the gospel? How far should you go? Once you’ve reached someone, how can you help them toward a solid footing as a believer? Consider raising these questions with other believers.
