I greet all of you in the blessed name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our text for this morning's message is taken from Galatians 4:8-20. In our previous message, we had considered how Paul gave the illustration of the children in those days who were placed under the care of tutors and guardians until the time appointed for them to be adults. Though the child was an heir of the inheritance, as a child he was in no condition to act as a master over the estate. So, as long as he was still a child, he was no different from the servant because both the child and the servant were under the master, even though he was actually the rightful master.
Therefore, just as a child was under the tutors and guardians, Paul said there was a time when the Galatian believers were also under the law, being held in bondage. The law opened up their eyes to their own sinfulness. The law condemned them, and the law served as a schoolmaster to drive them to Jesus Christ, who, in the fullness of time—which means according to God's sovereign timetable of redemption—was born of a woman, born as a Jew, under the obligation to obey and keep the law. Unlike all the other Jews who broke the law, as the mediator between God and man, and as 100% God and 100% man, Jesus Christ lived in perfect obedience to the requirements of the laws of God. That was why he was able to redeem them that were under the law, you and I, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Naturally, we were not the sons of God; we were the enemies of God. But by virtue of what our Lord Jesus had done, we were adopted when we believed in him by faith. When God saved us, we became his children by adoption, indwelled by the Holy Spirit, who enabled us to cry out, “Abba, Father.” Therefore, we were no more children or servants but the sons of God who would inherit eternal heavenly blessings. That was where we ended our last message.
But what would happen if the Galatian believers still remained as children? What happens if they still go back to being like children? That would be most painful and devastating, right? As their spiritual father, what would the Apostle Paul do? He would do everything he could to make sure that they would grow spiritually. The same goes for every pastor, every parent, and Sunday school teacher. When the children placed under our care are not growing spiritually, what will we do? We will do everything we can to make sure that they grow and become more and more Christlike. This is what we want to learn from today's message. The title is “Until Christ Be Formed in You.”
Our first point is “Consider the Lord.” Let us begin with verse 8: “Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.” Paul reminded the Galatian believers of the time when they did not know God. Their religion was about works, and they were serving man-made gods that were not gods at all.
Verse 9: “But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?” A person cannot seek and find God on his own unless God first sought and found him. That was why Paul asked in bewilderment how it could be possible that you have sought and found God, or rather, God has sought and found you, and you have become spiritual sons through Christ by faith now, yet you are going back to becoming a child again and placing yourself under the law. Why do you want to turn back into slavery again?
That is what it means. What were the weak and beggarly elements that Paul was referring to? The word “beggarly” means poor or lacking. The word “elements” means the first principles or the ABCs. He was referring to the ritualistic observances found in verse 10: “Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.” You see, there were special festivals and feast days that the Jews were given, and they had to observe during those occasions. There were special days, months, seasons, and years whereby they were not allowed to eat, drink, touch, taste, or handle certain things. But those special days were types and symbols pointing to someone—pointing to the Lord Jesus Christ, and once Christ had come, all these types and symbols would have to go.
The Judaizers would judge those people who did not follow the ritualistic observations. Most likely, the Galatian believers were afraid to be judged; therefore, they were willing to go back to those types and symbols despite knowing the fact that the Lord Jesus had already come. That was exactly what the Apostle Paul said to the Colossians in Colossians 2:16. Maybe you can turn with me to Colossians 2:16. Let me read for you: “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days.” The Christians were not required to meet on the Sabbath day like in the Old Testament because Christ had come and he had transformed the Sabbath into the Lord's Day by his resurrection, which was known as the Christian Sabbath.
So, Paul went on to say, “Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” In other words, the body is the reality. The reality is Christ. When the reality has come, then the shadow must go. You do not keep on focusing on the shadow; you look at the actual person. One theologian gave this illustration: Let’s say your husband went away for a business trip and you were not able to see him physically. All you have is a photograph of him. You will cherish that photograph; you will look at the photograph all the time, right? But one day your husband returns home to be with you. Will you still be clinging on to that photograph? Surely not, because you have the reality of your husband. Why would you want to gaze at the picture when the actual reality is standing right in front of you?
That was the purpose of the special observations of days and months and times and years. They were but symbols and types; they were the shadow of the real thing, and the real thing has come—that is Christ Jesus. Why go back again to the shadow, to the types and symbols? Does it mean that it is wrong for Christians to set aside a day in a year to remember the birth of Jesus Christ, like on Christmas, or to remember the death and resurrection of Christ, like on Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday? Most certainly not. But if you and I were to observe those days as if they were necessary for salvation, if we were to observe those days thinking that we will obtain certain spiritual righteousness, then we would be sinning.
That was why Paul said to the Galatians: You have already found God; you have known Christ. He has come; you have the reality of him in your life. You are now the sons of God. Why do you want to return to those weak and beggarly elements, to those types and symbols, to those shadows? By doing that, you are desiring to be servants yet again.
So, the first thing Paul urged the Galatians was to consider the Lord. The second thing he urged them was to remember the spiritual leaders. Look at verse 11: “I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain.” Paul was utterly disappointed that the Galatian believers did not remember what they were once before. How could they so easily forget their former bondage when they were trying so hard to earn their own salvation by keeping the law? And now they so easily give up the new freedom and blessings in Jesus Christ. He was afraid that everything he had done for them would be meaningless. The time he had spent teaching them the word of God, his willingness to travel on dangerous terrains, the struggles, the loneliness he had to endure, even the persecutions and stoning that left him for dead—all would be for nothing because they had returned to the old slavery.
My friends, one of the saddest things that could ever happen to a minister is to find out that everything he has done is meaningless—meaningless in the sense that all the time and effort he had put in preparing the messages and preaching them, all the counseling sessions he had with the members, all the evangelism and discipleship Bible studies—everything is meaningless, all because the people have returned to their old former unbelieving way of life. That is the most painful experience—to see a person walking away and then returning to the old unbelieving lifestyle is most painful for any minister, preacher, Sunday school teacher, including parents.
Therefore, Paul said in verse 12: “Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are.” He pleaded with the Galatians to be like him, to be free from earning salvation by keeping the law, to be free from having to live by observing the symbols, ceremonies, rituals, and restrictions. There was a time when Paul had great confidence in who he was and what he had done. He was a well-respected Hebrew of the Hebrews, a Pharisee, a student of the famous Rabbi Gamaliel. But the moment he believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, he considered all those things as dung, which means rubbish. Ever since then, Paul had only one desire, one motivation, one aspiration and that was: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Therefore, he was willing to be a Jew when he was with the Jews; he was willing to be a Gentile when he was amongst the Gentiles, in order that
he may win them over for Christ.
He knew that the Galatians were being pressured by the Judaizers. That was why he said to them, “For I am as ye are.” When Paul turned from Judaism to Christ and became like a Jew and now like a Gentile, ministering to the Gentiles, he paid a very heavy price. He was being ostracized from the synagogues; he was persecuted tremendously by the Jewish people—all for the purpose of forcing him to return back to Judaism. Basically, he was saying to the Galatians, “I was just like you; I knew how you feel. I felt the pressure too. But please do not go back to the slavery, just as I did not return to slavery as well, for I am as ye are.”
Look at the second part of verse 12: “Ye have not injured me at all.” The Galatians had done him no wrong. In fact, they had openly and lovingly accepted him when he was in the worst of circumstances. That was the reason why Paul was so surprised. How could they be so accepting of him then, but so rejecting of him now? Have you ever felt like that, that the people accepted you previously but now they are so against you, so rejecting of you because of certain reasons? You are surprised. Paul was surprised. Previously, the Galatians had not only accepted his messages but also his physical afflictions.
Verse 13: “Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.” What was this infirmity of the flesh? Some people suggested that Paul had contracted malaria, which was very common at that time. Others believe that it was an eye problem. We will come back to this in a moment. But whatever the illness, the Galatians did not despise nor reject him. How do we know? Verse 14 says: “And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.” Some of us may be wondering why the Galatians would reject Paul just because he had some physical afflictions. In ancient times, physical affliction was sometimes known as a form of divine judgment. That was why Jesus’ disciples asked him about the blind beggar in Jerusalem. This is what the disciples said: “Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2). So they had this misconception that physical affliction had to do with divine judgment on the person for certain things he had done. That was the same assumption the three friends of Job made regarding his tragic predicaments. But instead of despising and rejecting him, the Galatians actually received Paul as an angel of God. Now this angel does not mean the angel we think of in heaven; this word “angel” means a messenger of God, even as Christ Jesus means an apostle representing Christ. In other words, they welcomed him; they received him as a preacher, a minister, an apostle of Jesus Christ. They were extremely grateful for the salvation message and the spiritual life that they had received through his ministry.
Then Paul reminded them of a particular incident. Verse 15: “Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? For I bear record that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes and have given them to me.”
The word blessedness means happiness or a feeling of joy. So Paul was saying, what made you lose that joy? For I remember there was a time when you loved me so much that, if it were possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. Obviously, Paul was using a figure of speech because, in those days, there was no such thing as a transplant. So it was a figure of speech that the Galatians would have given up the most precious of all the physical senses—the eyesight—if that could help Paul. They were willing to do so.
Remember, a moment ago, we mentioned that Paul had a physical affliction. Some theologians believe that it was a form of eye problem; that was why, if possible, the Galatians were willing to exchange their eyes for his. There was also the reason why, if you look down to Galatians chapter 6:11, Paul said this: "Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with my own hands." In those days, Paul usually dictated his letters. Someone would copy them down as he spoke, and then, at the end of the letter, he would add his personal greetings with his own handwriting. And due to his eye problems, he would write with large letterings, like our dear Dr. Charles B., who cannot read from a normal Bible; the only way he could read was from a special notebook with large letterings. Thank God for modern-day technology!
But whatever the nature of Paul's illness, his main point was that the Galatians loved him very dearly. However, all of a sudden, the situation had changed because Paul said in verse 16: "Am I therefore become your enemy because I speak the truth?" Whatever Paul had experienced in those days, it is also the common experience of many pastors in the churches today. Initially, the pastor would be welcomed and received by the church members, especially when he's new. The people will say nice things about him, welcome him into their homes; they will be willing to listen to his messages, attend the meetings; they will appreciate the pastor only so long as he does what they want or says what they want to hear.
The moment he speaks certain things that confront them, the moment he speaks and exposes their sins or makes demands that they must obey, that is when they will be offended, and he will be treated as their enemy. Take a moment and consider this: there was a time when the Galatians loved Paul so much that they were willing to pluck out their own eyes in order to help him, and the next moment they treated him as if he was their enemy. What had changed all that? The truth. Sometimes, the truth cuts, and when it cuts, it hurts. When it hurts, instead of focusing on the sin and repenting from it, they focus on the messenger and put the blame on him. That is what people would do to the messenger.
A word to all our children: there may be a time when you say very loving things to your parents, "I love my parents with all my heart; I'm willing to die for my parents." But then, all of a sudden, the situation changed. Why? Because your parents said something about the truth, and it hurts; it cuts. Instead of focusing on the sin and repenting from it, you focus on the way your parents said it, the timing in which they said it, and then you become so angry, and you despise them. Please do not do that. Focus on the message; don't focus on the way the messenger said it or who the messenger is. If it cuts, if it hurts, focus on the sin and then repent from it. That's what God wants you to do.
Maybe you are a fellowship leader, and when you speak the truth, the group members will reject you, or you are a parent—you speak the truth, and your children hate you. In speaking the truth, it is inevitable that some people will be offended. It is a sad reality. The question we need to ask ourselves is this: are we still willing to speak the truth? Are we still prepared to speak the truth if we were to be considered an enemy? I pray that all of us here will answer with an affirmation: yes, no matter what happens, I will always speak the truth.
Our third and final point is: Beware of the false teachers. The real enemies were the Judaizers, or the false teachers. Why? Verse 17 says, "They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them." Now allow me to briefly explain this verse. The word "zealously affect" or the word "affect" means to burn with zeal. You see, the Judaizers appear to be very zealous in pursuing after the Galatians, but their motivations were not good; their motivations were evil. Their purpose was to exclude—the literal meaning is to shut out. Most certainly, this would mean to shut the Galatians out of God's grace, to steer the Galatians away from God. And they do that by making themselves appear to be righteous and holy, so much so that the Galatians would be zealous in pursuing after them instead of God. That is the meaning of "that ye might affect them" or "you might zealously run after them."
One good example would be the cultic leaders. Think about the cultic leaders: initially, they will show great interest and even affection toward prospective members, pursuing after them, running after them, calling them all the time. Their modus operandi is to turn the people away from God by directing them to the cultic leaders. And once the members are pursuing after the cultic leaders, they have achieved their goal. That is what the false teachers are doing too. They will start off by zealously pursuing after the Galatians, but their motivations were not good. And then, in turn, the Galatians will be pursuing after these false teachers—they had achieved their goals.
Paul went on to say in verse 18: "But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you." Paul himself was zealous in pursuing after the Galatians, but it was different; his motivation was not evil; it was for the good thing because he did it out of his love for Jesus Christ. He did that out of his deep desire for their salvation. So it is not wrong when you zealously pursue after the people. What was wrong was the motivation. For Paul, his motivation was good; it was Christ-honoring. And it was not only when he was in their presence, but even when he was in their absence, he still genuinely cared for them. Why? Because they were his spiritual children.
Look at verse 19: "My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you." Paul had brought the Galatians to Christ; he had nurtured them, he had fed them with the word of God, he had helped them to grow in their spiritual life. It was hard work. It was like the illustration he gave: a mother giving birth to a baby. Firstly, she would be pregnant, and then she would have to go through the whole process of pregnancy, and then followed by the pain of the delivery. The Galatians ought to be growing in their spiritual walk; by this time, they ought to be more and more Christlike. That is the meaning of "Christ be formed in you." But sadly, they were still like spiritual children.
So Paul was like saying, "You were saved; you have experienced the transformation; you should be spiritual adults. But now, you are behaving as if you need to be spiritually born again; you are making me feel like I'm going through the whole process of pregnancy and delivery all over again. I feel like a mother who has to deliver the same baby twice." That is what it means.
My friends, as a parent, when our children are not growing physically, emotionally, and spiritually, instead of becoming adults, they are still behaving like little children, making foolish and sinful decisions. It is most painful, right? If we have to go through the whole process of being a mother all over again, are we willing to do that? If we have to drop everything—our jobs, our hobbies, our holidays—and then focus on our children to help them because they are in trouble, are we willing? Are we willing to drop everything and invest all our time, effort, and resources? We are willing because they are our children, and we love them. We will do everything we can so that Christ be formed in them, that they be more and more Christlike.
In a similar fashion, it is sad when the congregation should be growing from spiritual children to spiritual adults, but they are not. The pastor must be willing to start all over again, whether he be preaching, evangelism, discipleship, Bible studies, and so forth. He must be willing to go through the whole process of being a mother all over again, because they are his spiritual children, that he may see Christ being formed in them. That must be our heart's desire. Finally, Paul said in verse 20: "I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you." Paul's desire was to be present with the Galatians so that he could deal with those issues directly and help them to resolve those issues. Once those issues were resolved, then he could change the tone of his voice; he would be able to change the way he was speaking to them. But at this present moment, it was not possible because he was perplexed, troubled, and doubtful of the Galatians.
"Until Christ be formed in you." This must be in our hearts and minds; this must
be the desire we want to see in ourselves, in our children's lives, in our members' lives, that all of us will be growing to be more and more Christlike. Why do you think we spend so much time and effort in the spiritual activities of the church like worship, prayer meetings, fellowship groups, Sunday School, church camps, home care groups? Because we are willing to do everything we can; we are willing to put in all our resources, all our efforts, all our time, and we will not give up until Christ be formed in you.
Let us pray.
Our Father in heaven, we thank Thee for this passage that we are able to consider. These are opportunities for us to learn from the infallible and inherent word. Help us not just to learn them for head knowledge's sake, but to put them into rightful application. We thank Thee for enabling us to study through the book of Galatians. May Thou grant us much understanding as we study Thy word. May Thy people also live out Thy truth as we learn it, as Thou would open our minds and convict our hearts and empower us by Thy Spirit. We are so thankful, and we pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.