READ Galatians 4:8-11

Paul, in this section of Galatians, turns his attention to the Gentile portion of the church.  His appeal concerns forging ahead in their Christian walk and making sure that they do not turn back.  Over my 44 years of full-time ministry, I have seen many who professed salvation in Christ, who turned back into what they were before their profession.  Paul speaks about the time prior to salvation when he states in verse 8:  "Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods."  Prior to coming to Christ, they served idols which they now realized were not gods at all.  Who or what are you serving today?  

"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" (vs. 9).  In coming to Christ, they now knew God and had that testimony. His thought is, ‘Why are you returning to the feeble and wretched principles whereby you desire to return to bondage?’ More simply the thought is, why do you, who have received sonship, want to go back to being a slave? They had been redeemed from servitude and had been elevated to sonship in Christ. Why would they want to return to the bondage of the Mosaic Law?  Paul uses the evidence found in verse 10, "Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years."  The reference is to Jewish Sabbaths, Jewish new moons, Jewish holy days, and Jewish sabbatical years.  Though set free from the entangling details of that law, now some were seeking to return to that briar patch. It was an obsolete system. Though Paul, as a Jew, continued to observe many of these Jewish traditional rites, his objection was their intrusion into the gentile church as a legal and spiritual mandate.  Gentiles were never under these stipulations and nothing had changed in Christ. Moreover, for Jewish believers, these Jewish customs should remain just that—customs. No longer were they bound by them. This was particularly so regarding one’s standing before God. One was not saved by keeping all the various aspects of the Jewish law. Neither was one kept saved by their observance. The converse is also true. Failure to observe the law could not in any way remove their salvation.  The situation was so dire Paul says, "I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain."  The thought is, ‘I am afraid for you.’ He feared the attack made by these Judaizers had thoroughly confused them and worse yet, led them astray. That fear was magnified when he considered all the spiritual work he had invested in them. He feared his labor had been in vain.

My prayer for you, and for me, is that we will stand firm in our Christian faith, forging ahead in our life with Jesus Christ and not turning back.

Your Friend and HIS,

Pastor Abbott

MEDITATIONS

1.  Where is the Christian to go to know who God really is?  Do you make it a regular habit of doing this? Why or why not?

2.  What does it mean to “know God”?

3.  What type of attitude are you to have regarding backsliding?

4.  What are some of the results of backsliding? What are you doing to prevent becoming a backslider?