Read: Galatians 4
Galatians 4 begins with a summary of
Paul’s message in Galatians 3. Life under the law was similar to being an heir
and a child: you have been promised an inheritance, but have not yet received
it (v 1-2). Life under Christ can then be compared to life as an adult heir:
you have been promised redemption since God first spoke to Abraham and because
of Jesus have been able to receive that redemption. What a glorious gift this
is for those who love Christ (v 3-7)!
Now that he has fully laid out the truth,
Paul makes a passionate plea to the Galatians. “Formerly, when you did not know
God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know
God – or rather are known by God – how is it that you are turning back to those
weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over
again?” Paul reminds the Galatians of the fire that once burned in their hearts
(v 13-15). He warns them against becoming so caught up in observing Jewish
customs, such as festivals, that they lose the heart of the Gospel (v 10-11).
Paul closes his plea with yet another
illustration of what it means to be a slave vs. a free person. The Holy Spirit
guided Paul to use Hagar and Sarah (Genesis 15-21) to represent the slave and
the free person. Ishmael was born to Abraham and Hagar. He was the result of
taking God’s promise (Genesis 12) and trying to fulfill it by human effort. In
the same way, when we live by the law we are trying to receive salvation by
human effort. Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah. He was the miraculous result
of God’s power, as Sarah was barren. When we receive salvation through faith in
Jesus Christ, we are allowing God to miraculously fulfill His promise in the
way only He can.
Journaling
and Prayer
1. Passion is a wonderful thing, “provided
the purpose is good” (v 18)! God is passionate! He gave us the ability to feel
passion so that we too would be motivated to fulfill good purposes. What are
you passionate about? Ask God if your passion is directed at good purposes. Ask
Him if there is anything He wants you to grow in passion for.
2. Paul first preached the Gospel to the
Galatians because he was sick (4:13). God often allows negative circumstances
in our lives because He desires to use them for eternal purposes, bringing
Himself glory. Ask God is He desires to use anything negative in your life to
build His kingdom.
3. Paul
passionately fought for the hearts of the Galatians. He cared about their
salvation deeply (v 19). There is a battle raging for the hearts and minds of
the Church today. There are many false doctrines being spread by demons. Pray
for truth to reign over the Church. Pray that Christians would saturate
themselves in Biblical truth, so they would know false doctrines from true
ones. Pray that the Holy Spirit would pour out the gift of discernment, a tool
greatly needed in our world. Pray
especially for young people, who are forming their core beliefs in an age when
Christianity is becoming increasingly marginalized. Pray for boldness for
believers to stand for truth.
