12 Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. 13 You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, 14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. 15 What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? (Galatians 4:12-16)
Today, we pick up in the middle of Paul’s loving appeal to the Galatians, pleading with them to stay firm in the gospel of grace rather than being swayed by false teachers to add practices of Judaism to be accepted by God. As Paul expressed his heart to them, we learn the Spirit’s heart for all of us. Last week, we saw how God wants us to stay simple in our relationship with him, relating to Him as our Father.
This second paragraph shows us that God wants us to stay free, firmly entrenched in the Christian liberty Christ won for us. It is an exhortation to be as Paul was, steeped in Christian liberty and freedom.
Freedom is a tricky word these days, partly because while Paul talked about it in relation to God, many want to talk about it in relation to institutions, political entities, or even biological design—Freedom! Nothing can restrict us!
But this isn't the freedom Paul alludes to here. To him, we should remain free from a works-based relationship with God. We should stay free from legalism.
It might be lost on us that this is the first time Paul gives the Galatians (and us) something to do in response to the truth of his letter. It's the first exhortation.
And what is it we must do? We must become as Paul was (12). "Become is the first imperative of the letter." [1] In context, Paul has agonized over the Galatian insistence on entering a works-based relationship with God. Paul rejected that and asked them to become like he was—free in Christ before God! He was, after all, a Jewish man who lived like a Gentile when he visited the Galatians (12). He was free from the law—and so should they be.
1. Grace-Oriented
Let's approach this paragraph as a textbook on how to stay free in Christian liberty—free in Christ. The first step to freedom is to remain grace-oriented, just like Paul. He was convinced that a law-free approach to the Christian life was the right approach. He did not feel he could earn anything in God's sight. His view of God, human brokenness, and his own sin was too vast to believe anything he did could merit God's favor. He clung to the cross and applied Christ's freedom to the way he lived.
The Galatians knew this about Paul. They watched this ex-Pharisee befriend non-Jewish people, eat non-Jewish food, and partake in non-Jewish cultures. This was a vulnerable thing for Paul to do. Even modern church leaders are sometimes afraid to talk about their hobbies or interests because a mere mention of them can drive legalists to their door. But Paul was grace-oriented and exemplified that grace by not yielding even for one second to the legalistic branch of the Galatian church.
2. Culturally Flexible
Second, to stay free in Christ, we must be culturally flexible. This point draws from the first. Paul said, "I also have become as you are" (12). Again, he had become like these Gentiles even though he was a Jew. Paul was culturally flexible and willing to become like the Galatians to reach them.
At one point, in our church, one of our children's ministry classes prayed for a family moving to Africa. The children's pastor asked if any other kids would like to pray for them, and many kids raised their hands to participate. As they prayed, one child began praying that the traffic on the way to Africa would not be bad. Soon, other kids were echoing that prayer. I think they'd all seen what bad traffic does to their parents, so that became the main prayer.
In the minds of these children, all journeys are the same. If you've traveled to grandma's, you surely know what it's like to travel to Africa. But the two journeys could not be more different—unless your grandma lives in Africa, of course!
I like this because it illustrates the way we often think about Christianity. We think it must look the same way everywhere, at all times, and for all people. But anytime we tie the gospel to the specifics of any culture or custom, we have removed it from other cultures and customs, which is something Jesus (and Paul) would not do. The gospel has cultural flexibility, rebuking and affirming various aspects of every society on earth. It can work anywhere, and Christians who want to stay free will learn to adapt to their culture in godly and appropriate ways.
3. Focused on the Inner Person
Third, to stay free in Christ, we must be focused on the inner person. When Paul arrived in Galatia for the first time, he had a type of bodily ailment (13). No one knows with certainty what it was. Some guess it was a disfiguring eye condition because he said they were willing to gouge out their eyes and give them to him (15). Some think he had contracted malaria in mosquito-infested Pamphylia and was driven to the mountain plateaus of Galatia. [2] Others think he was weak from beatings he'd received in previous cities.
Whatever his malady, the important thing is that the Galatians received him while in that condition. They might have been tempted to scorn or despise him but instead received him as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus (13-14).
What this means is that the Galatians were not superficial about their minister. They weren't looking for the handsome, healthy, and smooth. They weren't into appearance, but truth, when he first arrived. He was a messenger of Christ, preaching the truth of Christ, so even though his condition was a trial to them, they received him like they would've received Jesus!
We get into trouble when we become attracted to style over substance. Outward appearance lends itself to legalism because legalism is all about appearances. But the gospel is about the inner matters of the heart, changing someone from within. If we value that, we can stay free.
4. Receptive to Truth
Fourth, we can stay free in Christ by being receptive to the truth. Paul was shocked at how quickly they had changed their minds about him. They'd gone from a sacrificial love towards him that made them willing to hurt themselves for his sake to declaring Paul their enemy in no time at all (16). And how had he become their enemy? By telling them the truth (16).
Paul was confused by this new reality. He had told them the truth, the legalists had lied to them, and the Galatians were upset at him! How quickly these believers had soured on the truth of the gospel. They wanted something else, something more, something additional, and they were willing to drive Paul out to get it. They no longer liked Paul because he didn't affirm their theological whims.
Once we are no longer receptive to the truth, we are prime candidates to slip into legalism because our law-prone hearts need constant course correction lest we slip from Christ. But we are doomed once we are no longer receptive to course correction.
[1] Rydelnik, Michael, and Michael Vanlaningham, eds. 2014. The Moody Bible Commentary. Chicago, IL: Moody Press. [2] Stott, John R. W. 2008. Galatians: Experiencing the Grace of Christ. Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press.