Galatians 4:17-20 Podcast To invest in BYM, click here
17 Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them. 18 It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you. 19 My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, 20 how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you! (Galatians 4:17-20)
"Those people" in v.17 are the false teachers who had come from Jerusalem. The motivation in the hearts of "those people" is themselves and getting the Galatians to think they were most spiritual.
In v.19, the Apostle Paul describes spirituality which is the forming of Christ in the life of the believer. The result of this spirituality, among other things, is freedom from the idea that we have to earn God's favor. The Greek word Paul uses for "formed" is "morphothe", which points us to the slow process whereby a baby is developed in the womb of its mother. This is not an over night event. No, it is a process that produces a heart for God in the heart of the believer.
The message of the false teachers was diametrically opposed to the teaching of the Apostle Paul. In v.17 we read "Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them." The motive of the false teachers was human praise. And to get this type of attention they tell the Galatians they will miss God's blessing if they don't accept their teaching of good works.
So the Galatians were circumcised in hopes of earning favor with God. Their behavior was rooted in pride, since they thought that our acceptability before God depends on our good behavior. This is outward compulsion and is always the pattern of the Devil. God always works in the opposite, from the inside out. And, it takes much time to win hearts.
In contrast, in v.19, Paul's message was full of desire to bring glory to the Lord Jesus. When Christ shapes and forms our hearts after His, the result will be the bowing of our lives to Him. This is the product of love.
Faith is the assurance that what God will make of us, and as Christ is formed in us, we naturally want to reciprocate the favor. Faith, in addition, is the confidence that the work of Christ in our lives is far more wonderful than all the praise we could get from people. The problem with self-made men is they tend to worship their creator.
The lesson for us is to surrender our lives to the sovereign One who has our best interest at heart. And, when we do this, we will worship our Creator.
Note that in v.20 Paul was perplexed by the behavior of the Galatians. He was perplexed because he had experienced the grace that alters the heart to the point that we place ourselves on the altar of love.
It is impossible to appreciate God's grace without understanding God's law. His law is like a mirror. When we look into the mirror we see our imperfection. This is where His grace comes in. At this point, it is refreshing, because if the law of God has done it's work, we will be looking for some relief. Once we experience the relief of grace, how can we turn away from Him? This is what perplexed Paul.
In Hebrews 13:9, we read, “It is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace.” The healthiest people in the world are those who are aware of their inadequacies and are able to say, “Lord be merciful to me, a sinner.”
