Calvary Bible College 1100 Caprice Drive • Castle Rock • Colorado • 80109 Tel: 303.663.2514 • Web: www.ccbccastlerock.org

Galatians: The Preparation, The Teaching NT359

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Class #8 Interpretation Notes 4:8-20 Deliver us from Turning Back

Thought Flow into 4:8 When you came to know Christ thru faith you became a child and heir of God through Christ, and in contrast

is your past ....

NKJV 8 But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. Exposition 8 But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served or were a slave to those which by nature are not gods, but men make them gods. -on: ‘But then’ links us to the contrast of v.7 which was their state when saved. It also links us to v.9’s ‘But now’ which signiBies their current state under the bewitching inBluence of the Judaisers, back to the beggarly elements... -Longenecker: Though the pre-Christian experiences of Jews and Gentiles were decidedly different, Paul thinks of both as times of enslavement, as per v.3. -Fung: Paul elsewhere makes it clear that “if there be so-called gods, … yet for us [Christians] there is one God, the Father” (1 Cor. 8:5f.); these so-called divinities are actually nonentities, though behind them may lurk demonic inBluences (cf. 1 Cor. 8:4; 10:19–21).

Thought Flow into 4:9 You went from slaving to what is not even known as gods and now you want to go back ....

NKJV 9 But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? Exposition 9 But now after you have known God by experience, -Not just that you know God by experience but that He experiences you and is interactive and working out this great salvation in you, and you know His working in you.

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-George: This sort of intellectual knowledge is necessary but not sufBicient for the kind of transformation Paul described as having taken place among the Galatians. Paul’s concept of knowledge was more closely related to the Hebrew verb yādaʿ, which is frequently used in the Old Testament to refer to the kind of personal intimacy .... as in Gen 4:1, “Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain.” “To know” God in this kind of experiential intensity implies a divine-human encounter in which the total self, not merely the mind or thought processes, is claimed and transformed. -God initiates, God seeks. There are none that, of themselves, seek after God, Rom. 3:11 -God does not go to Bible College and Wednesday night services to know us, but we do, in order to know Him and know ourselves thru His cross stained eyes, by His Holy Spirit. v.9 cont. .... or rather are @irst known by God, -A knowledge that knew everything about us and in spite of the darkness of that knowledge, He still desired not just knowing about us but knowing us intimately and with that personal interchange comes change and transformation. -God the ‘Spirit’ is called the ‘Holy Spirit’ predominantly in the New Testament (93 times in the NT, 67 times from Acts thru Revelation, only three times in the OT!). And after believing in Christ CruciBied when the Holy Spirit comes into any life where Christ is asked to come in, He begins to make that life ‘Holy’ as He is and because He is Holy. He transforms that life. That is how the Galatians were known by God. The Holy Spirit makes Holy, set apart vessels unto God our Father. v. 9 still cont. ... how is it that you turn again to the weak without power and beggarly or worthless elements, to which you even now desire again or once more to be in bondage (from Sonship back to

Slavery)? -Longenecker: The object of the Galatians’ attention had become Torah submission, which Paul here calls “the weak and miserable basic principles”—carrying on the epithet τὰ στοιχεῖα (“basic principles”) used for the Mosaic law in v 3 and adding the highly uncomplimentary adjectives ἀσθενῆ (“weak,” “powerless,” “feeble”) and πτωχά (“poor,” “beggarly,” “miserable,” “impotent”). -on: you turn again .... -Longenecker: The use of πάλιν (“again,” “once more”) that appears here and in the appended relative clause points up the fact that Paul lumped the pre-Christian religious experiences of both Jews and Gentiles under the same epithet, that of being τὰ στοιχεῖα or “basic principles.” For though qualitatively quite different, both have been superseded by the relationship of being “in Christ.” -on: weak and beggarly or worthless elements, Guzik: These elements of the world are weak because they offer no strength; they are beggarly because they bestow no riches. All they can do is bring us again into bondage. -Guzik: Paul used the same word for ‘elements’ in Galatians 4:3. As Christians, we can place ourselves under the bondage of a works based, “cause and effect” relationship with God—and this is moving backward, not forward. By writing ‘turn again’, Paul shows that the Galatians were not turning to a new error, but coming back to an old one; the idea of a works relationship with God. Though works based,

the Galatians were going from pagan works to the works of Judaism under the very law that God Himself

gave, but not for their salvation and freedom. -Longenecker: Beyond question, Paul’s lumping of Judaism and paganism together in this manner is radical in the extreme. No Judaiser would ever have accepted such a characterization of Torah observance; nor would those in Galatia who acceded to their message. By accepting circumcision and the observance of Torah that went with it, they had no thought of returning to paganism. Such a move, they believed, would bring them closer to perfection in their Christian lives.

DEEPER Longenecker: In fact, they might even have thought that obedience to the Jewish law was their only real protection

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against the ethical perversions associated with their former paganism. For Paul, however, whatever leads one away from sole reliance on Christ, whether based on good intentions or depraved desires, is sub-Christian and therefore to be condemned. Martin Luther (taking up the imagery of one of Aesop’s fables) is true to Paul’s thought here when he speaks of one who desires to supplement faith by works as being like “the dog who runs along a stream with a piece of meat in his mouth, and deceived by the reBlection of the meat in the water, opens his mouth to snap at it, and so loses both the meat and the reBlection” (“The Freedom of a Christian,” Luther’s Works, 31.356).

Thought Flow into 4:10 What are some examples of those weak and beggarly elements....

NKJV 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years. Exposition 10 as an example You are now observing days and months and seasons and years. -Dr. Arnold: They observe ‘days’, the Sabbath; ‘months’, the new moon festival; ‘seasons’, the Jewish festivals; years, the sabbatical year and the year of jubilee. There is nothing wrong with observing these on a voluntary basis, but they were making them mandatory, which would lead to bondage. -Longenecker: But what exactly do the four terms themselves signify? ἡμέρας (“days”) probably refers to sabbath days, but may also include special festivals of a day’s duration. μῆνας (“months”) may have reference to monthly recurring events (cf. Isa 66:23) or to the appearance of the new moon that marked the beginning of each month (cf. Col 2:16; also Num. 10:10; 28:11; 1 Chr. 23:31). καιρούς (“seasons”) seems to have in mind the great feasts of the Jewish calendar, such as Passover and Tabernacles, that were not limited to one day. And ἐνιαυτούς (“years”) could mean the recognition of sabbatical years, of the year of Jubilee, or of Rosh Hashanah, the start of the new year on the Birst day (or Birst and second days) of the month Tishri.

DEEPER -MacArthur: During his ministry in Galatia, Paul doubtlessly gave believers the same warning he gave to the church at Colossae: “Let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day-things which are a shadow of what is to come; but the substance of their meaning and fulBilment belongs to Christ” (Col. 2:16–17). “If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world,” he continues, “why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, ‘Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!’ (which all refer to things destined to perish with the using)-in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against Bleshly indulgence” (vv. 20–23).

Thought Flow into 4:11 After he ‘examples’ their return to weak and beggarly things he expresses his deep concerns for them ....

NKJV 11 I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain. Exposition 11 I am afraid or I am fearing for you, lest I have labored for you in vain. -Longenecker: ‘I am afraid for you’, In the indicative (the action of departing is real) is used because the Galatians’ departure from the Pauline message had already begun, but the present also tense indicates that its Binal result is as yet undetermined. There is hope for a turnaround! -What is he fearful of regarding them? That they would go back into bondage. Remaining in Christ they would be useful in Christ’s ‘Kingdom Growing Program. But if in bondage to someone or something else, they would not be serving the interests of the Lord Jesus Christ. They would the subject of a

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reclamation. -For a similar ‘fear’ see on your own 1Thes. 3:5. Longenecker’s summary of 1:6-4:11: Having argued from (1) the Galatians’ own experience, (2) the example of Abraham, (3) crucial portions of the Scriptures, and (4) traditional confessions and statements drawn from the proclamation of the early church, Paul concludes his rebuke section of Galatians (1:6–4:11) with an expression of concern for his Galatian converts. Matters were at a crisis point in his converts’ spiritual experience, and Paul fears for their welfare and for the effectiveness of his ministry among them. With his arguments concluded, Paul now turns to the request section (Brethren I urge you ...) of his letter (4:12–6:10).

Thought Flow into 4:12 Paul does not want the Galatians to misinterpret his fear for them or that he regrets his labor towards

them ....

NKJV 12 Brethren, I urge you to become like me, for I became like you. You have not injured me at all. Exposition 12 Brethren, I urge or command you to become like me in my current state, for -Longenecker: The imperative γίνεσθε ὡς ἐγώ (“become like me”) assumes, of course, that the Galatian Christians were not currently like Paul, for they were beginning to observe the Jewish calendar and dietary laws as necessary for a proper Christian lifestyle and they were contemplating circumcision as requisite for a true biblical faith (cf. 1:6–9; 4:9–10). Nonetheless, Paul still thinks of them as Gentile Christians who have not as yet fully apostatized. v. 12 cont. ... I became like you. -The second part of the entreaty requires an understood verb, either the present tense (“I am”) or the perfect tense (“I became”)—or perhaps the second aorist middle read as a historical aorist (“I became”). This third is preferred based on context. For how they are becoming now is how Paul was historically before Christ. v.12 cont. still .... You have not injured me at all. -Longenecker: “you did not wrong me,” is susceptible to a number of interpretations. It could be read: (1) you did not wrong me when I was with you, but now you are treating me as your enemy (cf. v 16); (2) you did not wrong me, but have wronged Christ or God (cf. 1:6); or (3) you did not wrong me, but have wronged yourselves, is more likely the correct interpretation.

Thought Flow into 4:13 Because I became a man separated unto Christ and no longer under the law I suffered greatly physically

NKJV 13 You know that because of physical inBirmity I preached the gospel to you at the Birst. Exposition 13 You know to this day (perfect tense) that because of through, while in physical inBirmity or weakness I ‘preached the gospel’ (εὐαγγελίζω) to you at the Birst of at least two visits. -on: ‘infirmity’ (“weakness”) is a term denoting any kind of weakness, as opposed to ἰσχύς (“strength”) -on: ‘at the Birst’ is taken: at the Birst plus follow up visit: the eastward journey from Pisidian Antioch to Derbe of Acts 13:14–14:20, with the westward retracing of the same route as mentioned in Acts 14:21 being “the latter”.

Thought Flow into 4:14 I need to remind you how you responded to my physical in@irmity, you did not treat it as a judgment from

God, in fact you acted just the opposite ....

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NKJV 14 And my trial which was in my Blesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.

Exposition 14 And my trial which was in my Blesh you did not despise or reject or spit me out, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. -There is a great deal of uncertainty when this ‘trial’ in Paul’s Blesh occurred. It appears to have come after Barnabas and he arrived in the region to Antioch Pisidia where he Birst preached in the Galatian region in Acts 13:14. The Birst persecution of any kind does not come until Acts 13:50 and they were only expelled from Antioch. They then ‘shook off the dust’ (Acts 13:51) and came to Iconium. As was his custom Paul went the synagogue (Acts 14:1) and spoke to a mixed multitude. Violence erupted against them (14:5), but they Bled before any injury occurred. They came to Lystra. A great healing occurred and they went from being call Zeus and Hermes to being stoned in 14:19 and Paul being dragged out of the city and left for dead. As the disciples watched and gathered around him he rose up and went back into the city then departed the city (14:20) to Derbe. They preached the gospel there and departed and went back the way they came and conBirmed the brethren in each of the cities they Birst preached at, and appointed elders in each city (Acts 14:23-26) and returned to Antioch Syria. -The physical persecution he experienced was at Lystra where Paul was stoned and left for dead. Perhaps the after affects of this stoning lingered on with Paul and perhaps it was here that he Birst encountered his thorn in the Blesh the messenger of Satan, and or an eye impairment that he alludes to in our v.15. -George: Whatever the nature of Paul’s physical afBliction, it must have resulted in some kind of bodily disBigurement or obviously unpleasant symptoms so that his condition was a “trial” to the Galatians. In the culture of the times, such inBirmity and weakness was commonly seen as a sign of divine displeasure and rejection.... - ...But the opposite reaction came from the Galatians they 1-received him; 2-not just received him but received him as an angel from God; 3-even as Christ Jesus Himself which points to how well Paul portrayed Christ Jesus among them and how well he represented Christ to them.

DEEPER: George: Paul would have stood in stark contrast to the strong, good-looking “super-apostles” who boasted in their physical prowess, rhetorical eloquence, and academic achievements. The Galatians would have been tempted to reject scornfully one of whom it was said, quite apart from his physical malady, that “his actual presence is feeble and his speaking beneath contempt” (2 Cor. 10:10, Phillips). But to their credit the Galatians had not yielded to this temptation. On the contrary, they had received Paul “as an angel of God, as … Christ Jesus.” Some have seen in this expression a reference to the incident of Acts 14:8–18 when Paul and Barnabas were mistaken by the people of Lystra for the Greek gods Zeus and Hermes. On that occasion the two missionaries tore their garments and cried, “Men, why are you doing this?” However, here in Gal 4:14, Paul did not criticize the Galatians for their exaggerated devotion to a human preacher; rather, he commended them for their ability to recognize and receive him as a true apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thought Flow into 4:15 Your good reactions to the message and to me went beyond the norm ....

NKJV 15 What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. Exposition 15 What then was (but not now) the blessing from above you enjoyed? For I bear you witness or I testify

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on your behalf that, if possible, you would have plucked or torn out your own eyes and given them to me.

-Longenecker: The question is rhetorical, implying that a former state had come to an end, but without good reason. The inferential particle οὖν (“then”) looks back to those former days depicted in vs. 13–14 when relations between Paul and his converts were joyous.

Thought Flow into 4:16 That blessedness we enjoyed together is gone and has been replaced by ....

NKJV 16 Have I therefore become at some point in the past up to now your enemy because I tell you the truth? Exposition 16 Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth? OR ... -Longenecker’s translation: “so, it seems, I have become your enemy because I am telling you the truth!” Elsewhere in the NT ὤστε (“therefore,” “so”) is always used at the beginning of independent clauses to draw an inference or conclusion from what has just been stated (cf. Gal 3:9, 24; 4:7, etc.). -Fung agrees with Longenecker: The versions commonly render the verse as a (rhetorical) question; but since the word with which the verse begins (hōste, RV “so then”) is not used elsewhere in the NT to introduce a question, we may have here not a question but a statement. Either way, Paul speaks of himself as having become the Galatians’ “enemy.” -Spurgeon: There come times with all God’s servants when certain people proclaim something fresh and new in doctrine, and then the old messenger of God, who was blessed to them, comes to be despised. I have lived long enough to see dozens of very Bine fancies started, but they have all come to nothing. I daresay I shall see a dozen more, and they will all come to nothing. But here I stand. I am not led astray either by novelties of excitement or novelties of doctrine. The things which I preached at the Birst, I preach still, and so I shall continue, as God shall help me.

DEEPER George: “Speaking the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15) is both an antidote to false teaching and a worthy means of building up the body of Christ. This was Paul’s approach from the beginning of his ministry in Galatia, and it also marked his present intervention in the crisis that occasioned this letter. Had Paul not included the present paragraph, along with a few other references scattered throughout the letter (e.g., 1:11; 5:10; 6:9–10), we might suppose that his passion for truth had overshadowed his commitment to love. However, just as we cannot separate sound doctrine from holy living, so neither are we free to denigrate the truth of the gospel at the expense of the expression of love. In Galatians Paul was waging a Bierce battle for the souls of people he loved dearly, a people who once at least felt the same kind of warm affection toward him.

When pastors become estranged from their people for whatever reason, it is always appropriate for them to try to win back the former affection and goodwill of their Block, just as Paul was doing here with the Galatians. But we must remember that the pastor is not called to be popular but to be faithful. He has been commissioned by the Lord of heaven to preach the Word of God in season and out of season; he must not fail in this divine assignment whether he be applauded warmly or shunned as a leper. For the man of God there is an arena of approval inBinitely superior to the opinion of his congregation, or the applause of his peers, or the approval of some denominational bureaucracy or board.

Thought Flow into 4:17 ! 6

Behind my becoming your enemy are the Judaisers who have stirred you up in a zealous way ....

George’s intro to 17-18: Before declaring again, in vs. 19–20, his enduring love and anguished concern for the Galatians, Paul took a long sidewards glance at his opponents, whose nefarious (wicked) activities had precipitated the present crisis in Paul’s relationship with the Galatians.

NKJV 17 They zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them. Exposition 17 They zealously court you, but not for your good; yes, they want to exclude or separate you from me, in order that you may be zealous for them. -Fung: The ultimate aim of the agitators was for the Galatians to seek them (cf. NASB), not Paul, as their exclusive teachers, receiving their directions from them and obeying the law which they observed. -on: exclude you: So, it seems natural to interpret the desired exclusion as being one from Paul’s leadership and fellowship (“from us”), which would also be, of course, at least in Paul’s eyes, exclusion from Christ (cf. 5:4) and from God, ‘who called’ them (cf. 1:6).” -They are a somewhat Bickle people. Truth is second to them, unlike the Bereans who enjoyed Paul but were concerned about verifying the truth of what he said. The Galatians on the other hand put a lot of stock into the messenger of the message. They were persuaded by the Judaisers to reject the one they would have given their eyes to. Having discredited the messenger, they then moved into a new message: Christ + Law keeping + circumcision = salvation. -It is always the desire of Satan’s Messengers of Light to Birst exclude or separate you from true fellowship by Birst planting within you ‘Has God said?”. They do this while you are still in true fellowship. They then discredit the one you are under in a way that leads you to their version of the truth, a sort of spiritual half and half. They then make themselves and their success very attractive to you. Pretty soon you occasionally miss the true fellowship for the ‘shiny’ fellowship. Then over time you are gone altogether, bewitched by a man and by enough of the truth that you miss out on the lies.

Thought Flow into 4:18

Reserve being zealous for good moral sound things and not just when I’m around to guide you

NKJV 18 But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you. Exposition 18 But it is good to be zealous in a moral or intrinsically good thing always, and not only when I am present with you. Longenecker: “good is always to be courted in a good way” and not just when I am with you guiding and verifying and applying the content of the good you are zealously courting. -Not just zealously courting good things, but to do so correctly, in a correct way as when I am around to guide you into correct truth. Paul in Rom. 10:2 says this: 2 For I bear them (his people) witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to correct knowledge (epigenosko). 1 Tim. 4 says: 4 God... who desires all men to be saved and to come to the correct knowledge of the truth. And 2 Peter 2:20 parallels in some ways the Galatian church at the time of Paul’s writing to them: 20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the correct knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. -The Galatian Christians had been courted, seduced, and bewitched by false teachers whose true aim was

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to alienate their affection from Paul and to enlist them as devotees in their own campaign of self- promotion at the expense of Paul.

DEEPER George: The phrase “not just when I am with you” reBlects the deep hurt Paul felt because of the Bickle affection and shifting loyalties of his erstwhile disciples. Although he was not much to look at physically, Paul’s actual presence and unique personality had no doubt contributed to the overwhelmingly favorable reception the Galatians granted to him during his Birst sojourn among them.

Thought Flow into 4:19 Paul in the midst of some tough exhortations reminds them of who they are and yet he is in pain because of

them. Not that they have harmed him, but his pain is for them ....

NKJV 19 My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, Exposition 19 My little children (as opposed to uios, adult children), for whom I labor in birth pangs once again until Christ is formed (‘morphed’ only here = built out) in you, -An abrupt change of tone occurs as Paul Binishes off this section in vs. 19–20. Rather than the polemic or attack towards the Judaisers of vs. 17–18, these verses express deep affection, concern, and perplexity. -Yet we see Paul’s great faith, not towards them, but towards God that He will complete the form, Binish and build of Christ in them. Yet this will be completed after a separation from these false teachers and their false teachings. -on: formed: ‘morphed’: Changed to the point where Christ is very distinctive in them and about them. -on: once again, back to the basics, back to Christ CruciBied and all of the grace that Blows from Him, and back out from under the law and any required rituals of Judaism from the Judaisers.

Thought Flow into 4:20

I wish I was there in your presence but I am preparing and heading for the great council in Jerusalem (Acts

15)

NKJV 20 I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you. Exposition 20 But I would like to be present with you (instead of this letter) now and to change my tone or voice; for I have doubts or perplexities about you. -Longenecker translates: “how I wish I could be with you now and exchange my voice [for this letter], because I am perplexed about you.” - Longenecker: The concerns of Paul in 4:12–20 come to a head in the emotionally charged words of v. 20. -The particle δέ (untranslated) seems not just to be a connective but to have the force of signaling a conclusion. -George: Paul brought this section of the letter to a close by expressing his desire to be with the Galatians in their time of crisis. If, as we have suggested in the introduction, Galatians was written on the eve of the Jerusalem Council mentioned in Acts 15, then Paul would certainly have had ample reason for not being able to drop his other responsibilities and return immediately to Galatia. When he did visit the region again sometime later (cf. Acts 16:1–6), he would have been able to conBirm the Galatians in their faith and receive a Birsthand report on the effect of his letter to them. For the moment he wished he could be there in person and thus “exchange my voice [for this letter].

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DEEPER George: This entire passage has a great deal to say about ministerial ethics and the proper relationship between pastor and people. On one level it is a classic case of “sheep stealing.” The Judaizers wormed their way into the congregations of Galatia by criticizing and attacking the apostle Paul. They tore him down in order to build themselves up. Their way of doing ministry was as perverted as their doctrine was corrupt. By contrast, Paul’s missionary methodology was to preach the gospel to the unevangelized, “so that I will not be building on someone else’s foundation” (Rom 15:20). False teachers today, no less than in apostolic times, frequently prey on the evangelical labors of others, bewitching God’s people and leading many astray. -We ask the question where are or what was wrong with the elders appointed by Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14:23, which reads: 23 So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

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Calvary Bible College 1100 Caprice Drive • Castle Rock • Colorado • 80109 Tel: 303.663.2514 • Web: www.ccbccastlerock.org

Galatians: The Preparation, The Teaching NT359

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Class #8 Application Notes 4:8-20 Deliver us from Turning Back

Attitude to adopt or change

Prayer to pray

Principle to follow or claim, or a relatable parallel

Love to receive or give

Issue to resolve

Command to obey

An activity to avoid or stop

Truth to believe, memorize or meditate on (8th application point)

Paul is continuing to exhort these Gentile Believers to not go back into bondage

− Their being tempted to go back into bondage by turning to legalism

o Choosing Rules over personal relationship

Let’s quickly review vs 7 since vs. 8 is connected to it

7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God

through Christ.

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Remember your identity…You are sons now; not slaves

− Sonship has privileges. One of those privileges is that we get to call Him Daddy

o This hits home with me because I haven’t been able to speak to my

earthly dad since I was 29 years old, but I can talk to my heavenly Father

24/7. A VIP pass through the blood of Jesus Christ

8 But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served (one in total service to another; obey) those which by nature are not gods.

Paul, here is reminding them of what? Their history

− What was your life like before you knew Jesus Chris as personal Lord and

Savior? Who or what did you serve?

Before we knew God; we, just like these Gentiles, we served little “g” gods didn’t we

− What are some of the little “g” gods that Christians still serve today?

− Unrighteous mammon – Wealth

o Some people are owned by their wealth; it’s their hope and trust

▪ Do we possess our possessions or do they possess us?

− Achievement or personal accomplishment

− Pleasure…(The Corinthian church)

− Popular opinion…Approval from others

− We serve ourselves and what’s we think is best for us

9 But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that

you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in

bondage?

“But now” – this is a game changer phrase How often is that phrase used?

− Found 69 times in the bible

o 28 times in the O.T.

o 41 times in the N.T.

− Found 10 times in the Gospels

− Found 23 times in Pauline Epistles

Let’s look at a few examples of how the phrase “But now” is a game changer for us

Romans 6:20-23 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What

fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of

those things is death.

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22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you

have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of

sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 7:6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by,

so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the

letter. (the law)

Ephesians 2:11-13 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called

Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands

— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the

commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no

hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were

far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Ephesians 5:8-10 Walk in Light 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of

light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and

truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.

Then I thought of the phrase…“But GOD”

− 18 times in Paul’s letters

o Look all of them up; some of them will really minster to you

▪ Let’s look one of the most known “But God” statements

Romans 5:6-8 6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the

ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man

someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates…

(present tense- action in progress) His own love toward us, in that while we were

still sinners, Christ died for us.

− Did God demonstrating his own love towards us and Jesus’s obedience to God’s

love change things for us? ABSOLUTLEY!

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But now after you have known God

My personal history (as a Baptist) …Does God really want us to know Him? Doesn’t

He just want to smack us when we get out of line? Jeremiah 9:23-24 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his

might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; 24 But let him who glories glory in

this, That he understands and knows Me (intimately and personally), That

I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.

For in these I delight,” says the Lord.

after you have known God, or rather are known by God

Which is more important?

− The latter is what makes us Christians…being known by God

how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements?

You know what this is? A useless exchange − What are some useless exchanges we can make as believers?

o God’s plans for our plans

▪ Our flesh does not like not knowing where we’re going, why we

are going there and how we are going to get there

Does legalism announce to you that is it going to place you under bondage?

It’s tells you that it’s progressive…you’re moving forward into higher planes of

spirituality

− when in reality… you’re actually going backwards

Warren Wiersbe said… "One of the tragedies of legalism is that it gives the

appearance of spiritual maturity when, in reality, it leads the believer back into a

'second childhood' of Christian experience."

10 You observe days and months and seasons and years.

− The Galatian believers were trying to earn God’s favor by observing

religious days

What’s wrong with that?

− Their motivation behind the observing was wrong

o Voluntary observation vs. mandatory observation

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We shouldn’t be trying to obey God’s commands in order to earn His favor, we

should want to obey His commands because we have already received His favor.

What are some ways we try to impress people for the wrong reasons?

− Buy stuff we don’t need to impress people we don’t even like

− Exaggerate our past achievements to make ourselves seem better than what

we really are

− Be vulnerable…How do you do it or have done it in the past?

11 I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.

Labored means "to labor to the point of exhaustion. This is what real concern for

people looks like…As pastors, we labor for people to the point of exhaustion

− “can’t love people in a hurry”

Are we this concerned for our brethren that have turned to legalism?

− Do you know people who are in bondage to legalism?

o I do! Breaks my heart!

− Would you put up this type of fight in order to bring someone back that was

turning away from God?

o Or have you given up on them?

▪ There comes a time when you stop reaching out, but you never

stop reaching up on their behalf

12 Brethren, I urge you to become like me,

Is Paul saying that he is perfect here? “become like me”…I am your leader

− Not at all! Paul wants them to follow Jesus the way he is following Him

1. With consistency (has Paul’s message changes even when it has been

challenged externally and internally? NO!

2. With liberty (freedom)

o Paul was under the law and knows it’s yoke

o but the Gentile believers have never been under it, but are being led

to believe that they need to place themselves under it

Paul says “become like me”

− Do we live a consistent spiritual life? Do we set a pattern for people to follow?

− Do we live like we are free?

for I became like you.

Paul says, “I can relate”…I used to live my life trying to be accepted by God based on

what I did for Him, but not anymore

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Relating to people based on where they have come from and where they are at is

very helpful to help lead them to where they need to go

You have not injured me at all. (you’re actually injuring yourselves)

Is Paul calling a personal injury lawyer to go after the Gentile believers?

− He cares, he is concerned, but he is not taking this personal

Be personal…Don’t take it personal. They are not rejecting Paul.

− Who are they in the process of turning away from who?

o Their Heavenly Father who they have known and are known by

− Be personal…Paul is open and transparent with them about who he used to be

and how the cross of Jesus Christ set him free from every from bondage he was

under

13 You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the

first.

An attitude to adopt or change:

Your personal problems (including physical infirmities) can become gospel

opportunities

− Did God use Paul’s infirmity to bring people to Christ?

2 Corinthians 12:6-10

For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I

refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from

me. 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the

revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me,

lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord

three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient

for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will

rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon

me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in

persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

− Paul’s greatest personal struggles and weaknesses were used by God

− In order to display God’s perfect strength in spite of Paul’s weakness

o and to bring people into God’s Kingdom

▪ He will do the same for you

14 And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you

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received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. 15 What then was the blessing

you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out

your own eyes (torn in his flesh?) and given them to me.

Do you avoid people that are in pain or people going through difficulties?

− You might think of them as high maintenance

Are you willing to reach out and care for them as if they were Jesus Christ?

1. Are you hospitable? Do you open your home for God’s use?

2. Would you welcome needy people with open arms like the Galatian believers

welcomed Paul?

o It’s going to be inconvenient and it’s going to cost you in some way

3. Do you make judgements about people based on their personal appearance?

4. Are you willing to give up things you can’t get back?

16 Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?

− The truth hurts to hear sometimes doesn’t it?

o That doesn’t mean we should silence it!

o That doesn’t make the person telling us the truth our enemy

− Do you want people in your life that tell you want you want to hear or what

you need to hear?

o Consider the source that the truth is coming from

▪ Critics just want to tear you down

▪ Friends want to build you up in the Truth

Proverbs 1:5 says that…

A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,

If you need to change an attitude or an action, just take steps to do it; own it!

17 They zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you

may be zealous for them.

Are there false teachers or religions that are passionate about wanting to spend time

with you or meeting a financial need for you? Quick to give you attention?

− Attention you may have been longing for

But where are they leading you? To isolation and separation;

Why this approach?

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− They want to be the only voice you’re listening to

o Charles Manson was a master at this

▪ Remove the old voices, so you become the new and only voice

what’s their motive? It’s no good…they want you to be zealous for them;

− They make you think it’s about you, but all alone it’s about them

o Manipulation tactics (selfish motivates) to support their own cause

18 But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am

present with you.

Zeal needs a proper target and a proper object

− Test your passions to see if they center on Christ and honoring him before

place yourself fully behind them

o What and who am I doing this for?

19 My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, 20

I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts

about you.

When people you love are struggling with their faith…are you willing to labor for

them like a mother does to bring her child into the world?

− Do you have extreme pain over their condition?

− Are you willing to experience the pain over and over again?

− 2:30 am in the morning sleep-deprived pain when they need someone to talk

to?

− Inconvenient pain

Are you willing to continue to pray for them, be a ministry of presence for them and

walk through it with them?

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Calvary Bible College 1100 Caprice Drive • Castle Rock • Colorado • 80109 Tel: 303.663.2514 • Web: www.ccbccastlerock.org

Name _______________________________________________

Galatians: The Preparation, The Teaching NT359 Class #8 Homework APPLICATIONS: Attitude to adopt or change or is there a Prayer to Pray or a Principle to follow or a relatable Parallel to recognize and Pray thru or Love to receive or give or an Issue to resolve or a Command to obey or an Activity to avoid or stop

Assign one from the parts of Galatians we have covered to date to the letters of the acrostic we have developed thus far and explain your personal application:

A

P

P

L

I

C

A

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