Galatians 4:8-20: Paul’s Concern for the Galatians

We’ve covered a lot over the last several posts in this study of Galatians. We’ve seen Paul get real with the Galatians, calling them out for not only going back to the law but turning their back on God. And y’all, it’s about to get even crazier. I mentioned in another post that this letter is a great example of apologetics and I stand by that statement still as we continue in this portion of Scripture. Paul doesn’t try to placate feelings but he’s still kind and speaks in love. Remember: if it’s not said in love, it doesn’t need to be said. Period. If it’s not said in love, it is said out of a desire to be right which isn’t what we’ve been called to do.

With that being said, it’s time to dive into this next section of the book of Galatians. Here is where Paul clearly lays out his concern for these people.

Enslaved to What Are Not Gods

This section begins with Paul reminding the Galatians of what their situation was like before they knew God. Galatians 4:8 says, “when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.” This “refers to the demonic spirits that controlled the Galatians’ former religious practice.”¹ Those demonic spirits were “false gods such as Zeus and Hermes.”² Paul isn’t mincing words, he’s laying out plain as day. What they experienced in following their old religion kept them enslaved. As we’ve been talking about over the last several weeks, the main focus of this letter is that salvation comes by faith alone, not by works or the Mosaic law. So it is interesting that Paul would speak to their past religious experiences. He’s making sure that they don’t miss the fact that they’re, yet again, choosing to go back into slavery.

“The slavery that the Galatians are in danger of embracing again is not just a matter of forfeiting sonship but of abandoning the true God.”³ In the last post I highlighted that “sonship” wasn’t just a word of love but had actual legal standing. The fact that the Galatians (and us) were able to claim sonship under God means that they legally had a right to the inheritance left for us through Jesus. So the idea of “forteiting sonship” isn’t a small thing at all, but it pales in comparison to the reality of abandoning God Himself.

Known by God

Paul drives this point home in the next verse, saying that now that they “have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?” (Gal. 4:9). First Paul points to the fact that not only do they know God, but that God knows them. The God who created the heavens and the earth, the God who gave His son to die on a cross, truly knows them, has saved them.

He makes sure that God is in the rightful place in the list of priorities while also reminding them of what they’ve already gone through. The phrase “to know” comes from the Greek word “gnontes, from ginōskō, [which literally means] “to know intimately and on a personal level.”⁴ That intimacy with God was something that the Galatians experienced first hand. And yet they’re still choosing to turn back.

As much as I’d like to say that I would never do this, I definitely have. I’ve had experiences that are so mindblowing that you’d think I was crazy if I told you. And yet I’ve turned my back on God. I used to say that I could never doubt God because of what I’d seen. But I still decided that I knew better than Him, that He could never give me what I truly wanted. Us humans are stubborn, self centered people.

After saying that, he tells them that they’re turning their back on God, back to the slavery that they were once so grateful to be free from. Going backwards to live under the law is to choose slavery, to choose being stuck instead of walking in freedom through Christ.

Days and Months and Seasons and Years

Verse 10 speaks of “days and months and seasons and years.” This all goes back to the Mosaic covenant laws and the activities required. “Under the influence of the Judaizers the Galatians had at least begun to observe the Mosaic calendar… They observed these special times, thinking that they would thereby gain additional merit before God.”⁵

Paul continues to hammer the point home: none of that gets them closer to God. Doing those things gets someone no closer to justification or salvation. “To require Christians to follow such OT laws is to forfeit the gospel of justification by faith alone, in Christ alone. This also clearly implies that Christians are no longer under the Mosaic covenant.”⁶ The real question that Paul was asking was “why would they be attracted to a system that was weak (it could not justify or energize for godly living) and miserable (it could not provide an inheritance)?”⁷

Labored in Vain?

In verse 11 Paul finally says what we all may have been wondering, “I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.” After all that he did and went through, after all that he saw them through, they still chose to turn their back on God, going back to a system that will never save them. He not only sees how this is impacting them but also himself.

Become As I Am

I can almost hear the exasperation when he says, in verse 12, “brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong.” He asks them to become like him. When he says “as I am,” Paul is saying that he “is free from following Mosaic ceremonial regulations, and living by faith in Christ.”⁸

Paul once again speaks to their past experiences to help remind them of what the truth is. He did this in 3:1-5 and does it once again here. In verse 13 he speaks of a “bodily ailment” that kept him there, giving him the opportunity to preach to them. While we don’t know what the illness was, we do know that it kept him there. This is a prime example of the Lord using the negative things for our good. Paul was struggling, but because of his struggles he was amidst the Galatians. God then used him to change their lives, introducing them to the gospel. It’s a simple passing comment, but this is a great reminder to all of us that we don’t know why we go through what we do but that God will always turn it around for our good.

Anyway, “whatever his infirmity, the Galatians did not treat Paul with contempt or scorn as a weak messenger but rather received him as one would receive an angel or even Christ Jesus Himself.”⁹ The beauty in this is that it shows that they really did have the love of Christ in them. They took care of him, going out of their way for him, “although [his] condition was a trial [for them]” (Gal 4:14).

Something Shifted

And yet now, after experiencing the Judaizers false gospel, something shifted. “They no longer contemplated his presence among them with “joy.” Rather, they now acted as though he had become their enemy, for the simple reason that he had been telling them the truth.”¹⁰ What they were once grateful for they now acted like he was out to hurt them.

For No Good Purpose

In verse 17, Paul highlights something important. “They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them.” Not everyone who flatters you has good intentions. Not everyone who listens to you wants to see you succeed. The Judaizers were making the Galatians feel good, but only for their own purposes. “They want to form an exclusive club of people who observe Jewish ceremonial laws, keeping out any who will not give in to their demands.”¹¹ Paul wants them to open their eyes and see the truth for what it is.

The Anguish of Childbirth

In verse 19, Paul says that he is in “the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in [them]!” He wanted more than anything for them to be transformed into the image of Christ. “This expression describes the Christian life as a kind of reincarnation of Christ in a believer’s life. This is in fact God’s ideal and purpose—for Christ to live His life in and then through each believer.”¹² Although he labored for this to be the case, they had actually gone backwards. He wanted to be with them in person, to call out the specific behaviors, answer their questions and get them back on the right track.

Not a Neat Ending

This portion of the book of Galatians isn’t unfortunately wrapped in as neat a package as the last several have been. Paul seems like he is at the end of himself, dealing with the Galatians and what they’re doing. But this is the reality of life. Things don’t always go the way we want, even when it seems like things are going well. There are many people in my life that I have had to simply surrender to God. Even though it seemed like what I was saying or doing made a difference, things turned on a dime. And honestly I hate it.

It breaks my heart and makes me wonder what it is that I did wrong. But the truth is that it is up to God who turns to Him. We have to do our part, yes, but we cannot become so frustrated at ourselves that we take our eyes off of God.

Remember that the letter doesn’t end here. It isn’t a pretty “ending” but that’s because God’s not done and there’s so much more for you to learn.

Don’t forget to check out the past posts if you haven’t already.

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Footnotes

1. Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2252.
2. Donald K. Campbell, “Galatians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 602.
3. ESV Study Bible, 2252.
4. Campbell, “Galatians,” 602.
5. Ibid.
6. ESV Study Bible, 2252.
7. Campbell, “Galatians,” 602.
8. ESV Study Bible, 2252.
9. Campbell, “Galatians,” 602.
10. Ibid.
11. ESV Study Bible, 2252.
12. Campbell, “Galatians,” 603.

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