Galatians 4:8-11
“Enslaved All Over Again”
March 19, 2006
SI: Paul
continues his strong appeal to Galatians not to reject the Gospel.
A person is right with God through faith in
Jesus Christ period.
The problem in the Galatian churches
was not that they
denied need for faith in Christ,
but that obedience
is part of the formula necessary
for peace with God
and acceptance by Him.
They were legalists.
In this passage he warns them that legalism
is simply paganism
in a Christian clothing.
INTRO: Man named Fred—all buddies married, Fred still
single. Lots of girls.
Friend: What’s the matter? Are you too picky?
Fred: No. Like lots of these girls.
But every time bring one home to meet
parents, mother doesn’t like her.
Friend: Find a girl just like your mother. (Few months later)
Friend: How’s love life? Did you find the girl we talked about?
Fred: Yes.
Found a girl just like mother.
Brought her home, mother loved her.
But she’s not going to work out.
Friend: Why not?
Fred: Because my dad can’t stand her.
Paul makes a striking
comparison in this passage.
He says that Christian
legalism is just like superstitious paganism.
God doesn’t like either one.
Both will enslave you.
Galatians had been pagans.
They worshipped the Greek and
Roman gods and goddesses.
If they wanted success and happiness in
particular area of life—
in romance, or
business. If felt
depressed, anxious, fearful, guilty.
They would go to the temple
of a particular god or goddess—
do whatever
necessary to make that god view them with favor.
Might be
offering a sacrifice, or ritual of some sort.
Might be wearing some kind of lucky charm
bought at temple.
Might be paying to get
fortunes read by priest.
They were enslaved to these
superstitious idols. Vs. 8
“Formerly, when you did not
know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.”
Paul came along as a
missionary. Told them
about true God.
How they could know Him personally through
Jesus Christ.
How they could be loved and accepted by
faith alone.
How they could become sons of God, heirs of
all His blessings.
They accepted the
Gospel. Became
Christians.
Isn’t this wonderful. It’s all God’s grace. He loves us in Christ.
Then Paul left and who came
to these Galatian churches?
Professing Christians of
Jewish descent.
Said: Yes, Jesus is the Son of God.
Yes, you have to have faith
in him to be saved.
Yes, Isn’t God’s grace wonderful.
But the way you know you are
really loved and accepted by God—
is by keeping
certain Old Testament ritual laws.
These are the mark of a real
Christian.
These are the things that make your
acceptance by Lord certain.
Paul says: If you make these things necessary to be
right with God—
then you are going
back to your old paganism.
Just like you are worshipping
the gods and goddesses of
with all their
superstitions and rituals.
Vs. 9 “How is it that you are turning back
to those weak and miserable principles?
Do you wish to be enslaved all over again?”
Notice what it was that the
Galatians were doing to make sure had God’s approval.
vs. 10 “You are observing special days and
months and seasons and years.”
Keeping Jewish calendar: Passover, Day of Atonement, Year of Jubilee.
Is there anything wrong with
this?
Wrong for a Christian of Jewish descent to
keep Jewish holy days
as part of his
heritage? Wrong for
Gentile Christian to decide to do it?
Is it wrong for you to keep
Christian holy days: Christmas, Easter—
as a time of
celebration of Christ’s birth and resurrection?
Nothing wrong it itself.
But whenever keeping those days becomes part
of a formula for getting
peace and
acceptance from God—then that is legalism—
Legalism—even Christian legalism—is
just like paganism.
Paul’s point is that you can
desert the Gospel while claiming to uphold it.
You can introduce self-salvation into the
Gospel message—
and not even
realize you have done it.
These Gentile believers
didn’t think they were turning away from true faith.
They didn’t think they were returning to
slavery of paganism.
They thought they were simply becoming more
serious Christians.
Galatians is in Bible because
legalism is a perennial problem for Christians.
Paul has been addressing this all along—goes
deeper here with more explanation.
This is a subject you must understand, in
order to stay true to Gospel.
Four headings: The appeal of. The forms of.
The effects of. The cure for.
MP#1 The appeal
of legalism
Why is it that Christians all
through the ages have fallen into legalism?
No matter where you look in church history
you will see the pure Gospel
of faith in Jesus Christ alone piled up with
extra requirements.
You would think that because
the Gospel is so unique that this could never happen.
But it does—and it even happens in the best
of churches and to best Christians.
What’s the appeal of legalism
to Christians?
Paul explains this in verse 9
when he says that the Galatians are returning
“to those weak and miserable principles.”
Paul has already referred to
these in reading last Sunday—
but I didn’t comment on them—look at verse
3.
“we were in slavery under the basic
principles of the world.”
What are these basic
principles?
They are the ABCs of natural, human
religion.
Paul is saying that there are
basic principles of religion
that are imprinted on the spiritual DNA of
every person.
These are not good principles—weak
and miserable.
They cannot deliver what they promise.
But religiously all people
are dependent on these principles.
What are they in
particular?
First, natural religion is
self-righteous.
We believe deep down in our bones that
salvation must be earned.
People define salvation differently. Some people, happiness here. Afterlife.
Second, closely related,
natural religion is idolatrous.
We have to have something we can turn to
that will reward us for our work.
Reward with happiness, with security, with
salvation.
Serve something created instead of the
Creator.
Third, natural religion is
legalistic.
There are the actual things we have to do to
get idols to reward us—
certain behavior and rituals.
All people think this way. Charles and Julie Garland—planting church in
Neighbors totally unchurched,
totally non-Christian, even anti-Christian.
Garlands examples how
legalistic these people were—rigid rituals, behaviors.
The only kind of coffee could buy, Songbird
Friendly coffee.
Grown in some kind of environmentally
responsible way, migratory birds.
That would appease
idol—environmentalism—then reward them with
sense of being good people, connected to
earth in meaningful way.
Easy to laugh at that. But we should be laughing at ourselves.
We have the Gospel. Gospel is that you don’t have to appease God.
He calls you into a living
relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.
He adopts us as his sons and enables us to
live in love and gratitude.
But deep down we think its
got to be earned.
So whenever requirements are added to
Christian faith—we are drawn to it.
Sometimes so subtle, don’t even realize its
happening.
Galatians didn’t. They just thought they were becoming more
mature Christians.
But they weren’t. Legalism no different down deep from your
paganism.
Let’s be warned. That’s what this is—a warning.
You are susceptible. I’m susceptible.
Becoming Christian doesn’t destroy the hold
basic principles have on you.
MP#2 The forms
of legalism
What are the forms legalism
takes in the Christian church?
If we got down to specifics there would be
too many to list.
But wise minds have always
pointed out that legalism in the church
falls
into two big categories: Ritualism and Moralism
CS Lewis put it this way.
When Catholicism goes bad, religion of
statues, holy places, and priestly rituals.
When Protestantism goes bad, moral teaching.
Different churches,
denominations, Christians—depending on makeup—
will tend toward two different kinds of
legalism—
one emphasizing rituals, the other
emphasizing morals.
*Both religious rituals and
good works are necessary for the practice of true faith.
You can’t have biblical Christianity without
baptism and Lord’s supper,
church attendance, corporate worship,
public prayer.
You can’t have biblical Christianity without
modesty, sobriety, generosity,
all the other moral virtues, theological
soundness.
You can’t solve the problem
by just doing away with these things.
The problem is that ritualism
and moralism substitute these things
for living dependence on Christ.
Insist that these are proof
of true Christian faith and loyalty to Christ.
The history of Presbyterian
church has numerous examples of legalism.
Because of the nature of Presbyterian
church, legalism has always tended
toward moralism,
correct belief, but there are some examples of ritualism.
That may surprise some of you
who have come to Christ Covenant
from other churches with crushing
legalism.
But I want you to know that Presbyterians can
be terrible legalists.
Let me list some of the
issues that have become legalistic for Presbyterians.
Celebration of Christmas and Easter
Exclusive psalm singing in church
Details of Sabbath keeping
Use of alcohol
Lots of theological fine points—revivals,
church/state, end times, OT civil law,
arguments for the existence of God,
effectiveness of sacraments.
None of these subjects are
off limits.
These have all been important things to
debate.
Christians may come to
different convictions about some—
and these may be so significant that have to
form different churches.
There are Presbyterians who
have such a deep conviction about singing only
Psalms in worship, there is a denomination
that does that—that is fine.
Nothing legalistic about that in itself.
No more legalistic than church saying—only
going to do contemporary choruses.
But this is the
question:
Have these things become in mind of church,
individual believers in the church,
proof that we are real Christians and proof
that we are loyal to Christ?
Do you do these things because
you are a Christian, or to be a Christian.
This easy to spot in other
people, but so subtle when it happens to you.
Because we judge people by externals. Have to, can’t see hearts.
But in doing so we start to
think that God judges us the same way—
by our outward conformity and attention to
religious activities.
MP#3 The
effects of legalism
Let’s talk about the effects
of legalism.
When a Christian lapses into legalism like
Galatians did—what are effects?
This is a very important
question because it is by seeing these effects
in your life you get a clue you have become
legalistic.
Paul focuses on one
effect—enslavement all over again.
You start to think like a slave instead of a
son.
Allison found a book on
bargain table at Books A Million—
“A Bondwoman’s Narrative” by Hannah Crafts
Autobiographical novel
written in 1850s by a black woman who was
a slave in the South until she escaped to
freedom in
Original manuscript was just
brought to light and authenticated a few years ago.
This black woman was very
articulate—
read you a portion about what she says about
being a slave:
XXXXXXXXXX
One thing she mentions
several times—happy marriage impossible.
Bringing children into world condemned to
slavery, whim of master.
Over all this anxiety.
One more part: Her life as free woman—freedom in her
relationships.
Awesome illustration of
spiritual condition.
The effect legalism has on a Christian is
that you begin to relate to God
as a slave and not a the son you are.
No only free, personal
relationship, but one based on anxiety and fear.
Here’s what makes this so
important.
You could have two Christians—externally
both look the same.
Both trying to live obedient lives. Doing all things Christians do.
But one is obeying as a
son. Knows God loves and accepts him in
Christ.
His obedience is an expression of love and
gratitude.
The other is obeying as a
slave.
He is not sure God loves him in Christ so he
is obeying to make sure
God accepts him and give his what he wants.
Do you remember the story of
the Prodigal Son?
When the younger son finally
decided he would return to his father—
what speech did he have prepared?
I am no longer worthy to be
called your son,
make me like one of your hired men—make me a
slave.
And remember what the older
son said after younger son returned:
“All these years I’ve slaved for you and I
never got a party with my friends—
but when this son of your, wasted
inheritance returns, kill fattened calf.”
Both of these sons were
legalists:
Very different paths—one wild, one
strict. One failure, one success.
Both wanted to relate to
Father as slave, not son.
Both self-righteous—could earn blessings by
work.
Both turned father into an idol they could
manipulate, appease by obedience.
But Father refused to treat
either one like a slave.
Called both “my son” and gave them exactly
the good things they needed.
How do you view your
relationship with God?
Slave or a son? Freedom in your obedience or an anxious duty?
Do you do things to pay back your past sins?
Do you think God owes you a better life—better
marriage, better children?
Is your inner life more a routine of
activities than living relationship with Christ?
Do you take your Christianity for granted?
That’s the mentality of a
slave not a son.
MP#4 The cure
for legalism
So what’s the cure for
legalism?
Look at verse 9. “But now that you know God—or rather are
known by God”
Seems at first glance that
Paul is correcting himself and saying Galatians
don’t know God. But that can’t be what he is saying.
Everyone who has eternal live
knows God.
Paul does not question that the Galatians
have put on Christ.
So the word “rather” probably
means “more importantly.”
How can you turn back to legalism and
slavery since you know God—
more importantly—you are known by God.
What Paul is saying is that
what makes a person a Christian is no so much
you knowing God, as God knowing you.
In the Bible “to know”
someone means more than knowing about them.
To know someone means to enter into a
personal relationship with.
So what Paul is saying is
that it is not so much your regard and love for God—
but His regard and love for you that really
makes you a Christian.
Your knowing God will rise
and fall depending on many things—
but God knowing you is absolutely
fixed.
Getting a hold of this is the
cure for your legalism.
Listen to the way one person explains it.
“Christians who are no longer
sure God loves and accepts them in Jesus, apart from their present spiritual
achievements, are subconsciously radically insecure persons, much less secure
than non-Christians because of the constant bulletins they receive from their
Christian environment about the holiness of God and the righteousness they are
supposed to have.
Their insecurity shows itself
in pride, a fierce defensive assertion of their own righteousness and defensive
criticism of others. They cling to
pharisaical righteousness but envy, jealousy, anxiety, bitterness, and
discontent grow from this fundamental insecurity.”
So it is insecurity regarding
your acceptance with God that makes you legalistic.
You are looking for ways to firm up your
standing with Him.
All sorts of problems come from that.
Probably trace all troubling,
ungodly attitudes back to this source.
You have to come back to the
Gospel.
The good news is that you don’t have to make
yourself acceptable to God—
He already knows you. He knows you in Christ.
You have to preach that to
yourself. Will lead you to repent and
rejoice.
You have to repent of your
self-righteousness. Unbelief in Christ.
Repent of your desire to live like a slave—
“Make me like one of your
hired hands”—I’ll make it up to you.
Repent of that—do you see how it is a sin
against His fatherly love.
“All these years I’ve slaved
for you”—God, you owe me.
Repent of that attitude too—that’s also a
sin against his love.
Then you need to rejoice in
the saving work of Christ.
Rejoice in it. One of the great purposes of worship in life
of believer.
These wonderful things are true—must rejoice
in them.
God knows you in Christ
before you knew Him.
Your acceptance rests on his love—not your
performance.
To the extent you rejoice in
these things—to that extent you will find yourself
warmed by the fire of God’s love—free from
slavery of legalism.
CONC:
The legalist sitting in pew
every Sunday, keeping all rules—
is just like the pagan in his superstitious,
immoral rituals—
Both are far from God. Both are paths to spiritual slavery.
With the Holy Spirit’s help,
be very careful not to let the precious
freedom and sonship
you have in Christ, be ruined by legalism.