Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson XXXIX)

Theodore of Mopsuestia also notes that the Apostle does not deny the history or pick apart the events of the distant past but states them as they happened at the time while using for his own purpose the interpretation of these events to point out an even more profound mystery contained in those Scriptures. After all, that’s what Jesus did to make His teachings more intellectually visible. But in both cases, neither our Lord or the Apostle Paul keep any light from shining in their theology. In fact, they added more light. In this case, Paul would not say in verse twenty-three that the “son by the bondwoman was born” without believing that person really existed. There cannot be any true figure of speech if one takes away the historical reality itself.^[1]

Late medieval writer Bruno the Carthusian (1030-1101 AD) also makes the point that just as God promised, He brought it to pass that through His power a child was delivered by the elderly and barren Sarah. This applies, says Bruno, to the people of faith who were from the free woman, meaning that they were born by faith, which is free through love, not like those born from the handmaid through fear. These people were born as a result of the promise because God mercifully assured, He would save them through faith. It was through the promise because these people do not serve God out of any desire for fleshly things, which are visible, but rather out of an affection for spiritual things, which are invisible. They trust that they will obtain these things by faith based upon God’s promise alone.^[2]

Reformer John Calvin (1509-1564) was not so complimentary in how some early Catholic scholars treated Paul’s use of allegory to explain a more profound. He writes that Origen, and many others along with him, seized the occasion of twisting Scripture in every possible way, drawing it away from its true meaning. These people concluded that the literal sense is too simple and inarticulate, and that, hiding under the shadow of the literal sense, there lurked deeper mysteries that cannot be extracted but by explaining it in forms of imaginary supposition. And this they found no difficulty in accomplishing for the preferred speculations which appear to be ingenious, and will always be preferred by the world over solid doctrine.^[3] How clearly this applies to churches within Christendom who try to create children of God through ceremonies, rituals, and sacraments, instead of being created through conviction by the Holy Spirit, repentance, and being born again in union with the Anointed One.

Then this great Reformer goes on to say something that in our own day and age proves to be true. He states that if we approve such a loose system of interpretation, it will lead to people using the Scriptures to justify what amuses them and not fear any condemnation. But even more, they’ll spread their personal assumptions to great applause. For many centuries all those who were considered bright and imaginative used their skill and daring to morph their favorite Scriptures into a variety of curious of spiritual philosophies and positive thinking.

In the Heidelberg Catechism (1563), we find one of the questions to be answered reads as follows: “Are we then so corrupt that we are wholly incapable of doing any good, and inclined to all wickedness?” The answer is, indeed, we are, unless we are regenerated by the Spirit of God. The answer is based on what the Scriptures say in the Torah,^[4] and here in Galatians, People who depend on following the Law to make them right will end up being punished because they failed in perfect obedience.^[5]

This is exactly what Satan was so good at. He even tried to get Jesus to disobey His Father by undermining the authority of Scripture. This is best done by convincing people not to consult the Scriptures any longer because they are outdated. We can clearly see in our day, those secularists who call themselves Christian scholars do the same with almost everything Paul teaches here, even questioning if Paul was the author of this epistle. But to what gain? How many were delivered from the bondage of sin and motivated to become strong in the faith by such inventions?  Instead, there’s nothing to lose but everything to gain by sticking to the Word of God as it was delivered to us through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Paul tells us that Hagar was able to give birth to a son through the procreation of nature, but Sarah was able to reproduce Isaac through the promise of God. So, considering her age and that of Abraham, we too might be guilty of laughing if we are told to schedule a baby shower at the age of ninety. It was impossible for Sarah to conceive except by way of divine providence. Likewise, it was impossible for Mary to conceive as a virgin except for the promise of God. Similarly, today it is impossible for people to be born again save for the promise of God through the Anointed One. No amount of human effort was able to birth Isaac without the power of God’s promise. We can say the same about our rebirth in union with the Anointed One through the Spirit without God’s promise to those who believe. Consequently, verse twenty-nine is just as valid today as it was when Paul wrote it.

In this illustration, we can also see a comparison in Paul’s thinking of God having two other sons: the first man Adam, who was formed out of the earth, and into whom God breathed the breath of life; the second man Adam, who was both of heaven and earth, and who was God in the flesh, and, therefore, He became the breath of life to all those who believed in Him so that they too may be born-again and live eternally as sons and daughters of God.

William Perkins (1558-1602), a clergyman and Cambridge theologian who was one of the foremost leaders of the Puritan movement in the Church of England, did not hold back his contempt for what he saw as complete degradation of the doctrines of the Scriptures involving justification by grace. He speaks of a fifth principle involved in this debate concerning whether any unsaved person can will their own conversion or regeneration into reality. He points to some of the Catholic scholars of his day who taught that will alone by itself cannot do so. However, it is possible when that same will is stirred up by some good teaching infused into the mind, and some good desire awakened in the heart, with assistance directed by God.

They illustrate this by saying that an eye in total darkness sees nothing. Yet, if an object is set before their eyes and light is brought into the room, and they open their eyes will be able to see again. Likewise, if a person lies sleeping in a dungeon and entertains no thought of ever being set free, let someone come to the window above and call their name, and let down and cord they tie under their armpits, they will come up out of the dungeon. But Perkins argues that the person bringing in the light and the one letting down the rope will be unsuccessful unless the person they’re trying to help expresses the will to be helped. It is the will to be saved that must precede the offering of salvation.^[6]

James Arminius (1560-1609) also finds the subject of using allegories to make the truth more understandable as a matter of discussion in his day,  One of the first objection on the part of some involved the assumption that by using allegories to explain what the Scripture says that it deludes the meaning of the text. As long as the reason for using an allegory is in itself clear and apparent, it enhances understanding of Scripture, it does not wrap it in a mental fog or haze. He defends Paul use of the allegory involving Hagar and Sarah because it assists in identifying the true spiritual children of the freewoman, Sarah, from the children of slave woman, Hagar, where the first are those redeemed and saved by grace and those of the second woman still imprisoned by the Law and enslaved by sin. The same goes for the descendants of Isaac illustrated by Esau and Jacob. Esau sold his birthright to Jacob, and that’s why the lineage of the Messiah came through him to those who are part of the covenant between God and Abraham, while Esau became to father of all those who is not part of the covenant between God and Abraham.

Arminius goes on to point out that here in verse twenty-four Paul says that these things are to be taken figuratively, not literally. The Apostle does not spend time attempting to prove these allegories as actual events. However, there’s no reason not to believe they are true when taken in a spiritual sense. Furthermore, if we truly believe that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in living right, who are we to dispute that?^[7] The key to understanding the relationship between allegory and Scripture is not meant to be an exact resemblance but in their mutual connection and relation. Arminius offers this admonition: No one needs to think it is necessary that they who speak of the “children of the flesh” in a spiritual sense, must actually be “children of the flesh” in reality.^[8]

Adam Clarke (1760-1851) points out that the use of allegories was prevalent in early Greek and Jewish writings.  It was an effort to take something that is representative of another and to show how the literal sense is illustrative of a spiritual meaning. He shows how in the life of Greek mythological Homer, the author, speaking of the marriage of gods Jupiter and Juno, is to be understood allegorically where Juno means the air and Jupiter the atmosphere. Also, Plutarch, we find how Cronos (Saturn) was allegorized into Chronos (Time).  Also, the Palestine and Babylonian Talmud are full of such allegories, as well as the writing of the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria. So, Clarke says that it is very likely that the allegory produced here of Hagar and Sarah was borrowed from Jewish writings.  His purpose was to use something familiar in order to convict the Judaizing Galatians on their own principles.^[9]

[1] Ancient Christian Commentary Edwards, Mark J. (Ed.). On Galatians, op. cit., pp. 68–69

[2] Bruno the Carthusian: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[3] John Calvin: Commentary on Galatians, loc. cit.

[4] Deuteronomy 27:26

[5] Galatians 3:10

[6] William Perkins. God’s Free Grace & Man’s Free Will (Kindle Location 665-694)

[7] 2 Timothy 3:16

[8] James Arminius: Analysis of the Ninth Chapter of the epistle to the Romans, p. 473

[9] Adam Clarke: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson XXXVIII)

Obviously, God found something wrong with His people. So, He told them: The time is coming when I will make a new agreement with the people of Israel and to the people of Judah. It will not be like the First Covenant I gave to their forefathers. That was the contract I approved when I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt. But they did not continue following the agreement I gave them, so I turned away from them. This is the Final Covenant I will give the people of Israel. I will give this agreement in the future, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write my laws on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Never again will anyone need to teach their neighbors or their family to know the Lord. All the people – the greatest and the least important – will know me. And I will forgive all the wrongs they committed, and I will not remember their sins. God called this a Final Covenant, so when it comes to salvation, He made the First Covenant obsolete. And anything that is old and useless is ready to be done away with.^[1]

So, in the final analysis, the Anointed One is the One who was sent to give us this new way of becoming right in His eyes. All those called by God are offered a life that lasts forever, just as He promised them. The Anointed One bought this new life for us with His blood when He died. This made us free from our sins, which were atoned for under the old way of sacrifice. When a person wants to give their estate to someone after they die, they write it all down on paper beforehand. That piece of paper means nothing as long as they are alive. Therefore, the old method of getting right must end so that the new process of becoming righteous may begin.

Under the old method, the blood of animals was used. Moses told the people all the things they needed to do in order to obey the Law. Then he took the blood of animals together with water and put it on the altar and on all the people using special branches and red wool as he sprinkled it on them. Moses said, “This is the blood of the Way of Worship, which God said you must obey.” In the same way, Moses put the blood on the tent and on all the things used in worship. The Law says that almost everything is made clean by the blood. Sins are not forgiven unless blood is given. The tent to worship in and the things inside to worship with were copies of things in heaven. They were made clean by putting blood on them. But the things in heaven were made clean by a much better gift of worship. The Anointed One did not go into the Holy of Holies made by men, even if it was like the true one in heaven. He went to heaven itself, and He is right now before God on our behalf.^[2]

The writer of Hebrews goes on to say, you are coming to Jesus – the One who brought the Final Covenant from God to His people. You are coming to the sprinkled blood that tells us about better things than the blood of Abel.^[3] God is a God of peace. He raised the Lord Jesus from the dead. Jesus is the Good Shepherd of the sheep. His blood made a new Way of Worship, which will last forever.^[4] As the old hymn, written in 1876 by Robert Lowry, an American professor of literature and Baptist minister, goes: “What can wash away my sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again, nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow; No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

In his investigation of what he called a “toxic text” from the Pauline tradition, psychologist Charles Davis suggests that this section qualifies as such. Basing his argument on principles of narrative theology, he proposes that stories can be identified as fairytales or toxic texts, based on whether the story serves to suppress or to support the development of one’s own personal “authentic” story.^[5] It is not too difficult to see that Davis’ theory is a coercive attempt to silence or discredit a person’s stories of faith. Therefore, it is a form of tyrannical censorship. That may sound like tough talk to describe one person’s attempt to illegitimately silence another person’s legitimate right to speak. This is accomplished by faulty character assassination. This is done invariably by bringing up questions about that person’s judgment being their only resource for discerning reality. When people are finding themselves in such a position, self-doubt may develop to the point they are not sure of the veracity of their stories, and thus their voices are silenced.

 The differing points of view between psychologist Davis and his critics involve the following issues: Davis is basically saying that Paul wasn’t able to come up with a good enough argument to prove his case with his facts and evidence, so he borrows a story from the past, which the Judaizers didn’t have a rebuttal for, and claims that the story proves his point.  His critics disagree by saying that attempts like those of Davis are nothing more than wanting to dismiss Paul’s illustration of Abraham as an effort to make up something, thereby telling Paul to shut up unless he’s got something more substantive to offer. If we accept Davis’ point of view, then preachers and teachers could never use Biblical texts to prove their points, and that would spell the end to expository preaching. No doubt there were those among the Judaizers in Galatia who felt the same way about Paul as psychologist Davis did. But Paul refused to be deterred, and so should we.

Whether or not Paul was talking to the non-Jewish converts to Christianity or the new Jewish believers, here he makes it quite clear whom he addresses. Early church theologian Thomas Aquinas imagines Paul asking the Galatians to justify their wanting to go back to serving the Law instead of serving the Anointed One. Paul may ask: Tell me, those of you that want to go back under the Law, surely you’ve read the Law, right? This is Paul’s way of putting them on the spot to decide if they are competent enough to refute Paul’s objections, and if not, then admit that what he is charging them of is true. Paul wants an answer but not an argument. So, he asks them straightforward to give him an honest answer whether or not what He’s been saying about their decision is true or false.

It is a method borrowed from the wise man Job when he asked his friends: “Think it over, please; see if what I said was right.”’^[6] If you read the Law, you ought to know the things written in it. But those things prove that it should be abandoned. If you did not read it yet, you ought not to accept what you do not know: “Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze on what lies in front of you.”^[7] Paul talks about being “under the Law,” namely, under the heavy burden of trying to be obedient to each letter of the Law. For to shoulder something light is not a heroic feat, but to assume a heavy burden, such as the burden of the Law, seems to be trying to carry something that exceeds one’s strength, which is another way of being stupid.

That’s why Christians are to fix their eyes upon Jesus, the Pioneer, and the Perfecter of our faith.^[8] Then accept His invitation to place His yoke on us and learn from Him, for He is gentle and humble in heart, and we will find rest for our souls.[9] Listen to what the Apostle Peter said to the Judaizing element present at the Jerusalem Council trying to incriminate Paul: “So now, why are you putting a heavy burden around the necks of the non-Jewish followers of Jesus? Are you trying to make God angry? We and our fathers were not able to carry that burden, so why should they?”^{[10] [11]}

Clement of Alexandria (153-193 AD), in writing about the need for reprimand and rebuke believes that the original understanding did not imply physical punishment, but strips being applied to the soul as a way of correcting wrongdoings, preventing injury, and leading to the blossoming of self-control for those whose lifestyles were carried away with immoral living. He notes that even the Greek philosopher Plato ascribed to this concept.[12] So if rulers and leaders are no threat to doing good, why is God to be thought of as a threat to those who do not sin? What Paul is telling the Galatians is that if they do wrong, they must be aware of what will come as a result.

Clement believes that Paul is speaking of sin and waywardness the same way the Lord Jesus spoke about it with strong language and boldness. That’s why he did not hesitate to ask the Galatians, “Do you hate me now because I’m telling you the truth?”^[13] Would someone tell a physician I’m angry with you because you told me I was sick? Just because they didn’t need the doctor when they were strong and well, doesn’t mean they don’t need the doctor now that they are sick. That’s why people who become spiritually and morally ill following their passions in excess need a savior. The healer who prescribes medicine that tastes good must sometimes administer medicine that tastes bad.

Clement then says that while the taste of fear may be a bitter pill to swallow, it may still end up helping us heal the sores of sins. Sometimes the more the fear of judgment may leave a sour taste in our mouths, the worse the taste my indicate a more pleasing degree of benefit and healing. There is nothing more true about this than our need for a Savior. Anyone who wandered in darkness knows the value of a light, a map, and a compass. Likewise, those who are thirsty need someone to lead them to the fountain of living water; sheep who have gone astray need a Good Shepherd to find them and bring them back to the fold, and children who are spiritually uneducated need a Divine Tutor. In the same way, humanity stands in need of a Redeemer who will deliver them from sin’s bondage and bring an end to their walk toward eternal condemnation.^[14]

Bishop Theodore of Mopsuestia (350-428 AD) also experienced problems with those who went to great pains to corrupt the meaning of the divine Scriptures, and especially by following what the Apostle Paul does here in using an allegory concerning two women and two mountains to explain those under the Law and those free from the Law. They took this as a license to take any scripture, then use an allegory to remove the sense of the literal Scripture in their aspirations to speak “allegorically,” as if they were the Apostle. They failed to see the big difference that existed between their own position and that of the Apostle in this passage.

[1] Ibid. 8:6-13

[2] Ibid. 9:15-24

[3] Ibid. 12:24

[4] Ibid. 13:20-21

[5] Davis III, C.T., 2007, ‘Defining a Toxic Text’, in W. G. Rollins & D. A. Kille (eds.), Psychological Insight into the Bible. Texts and Readings, pp. 232–236, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids.

[6] Job 6:29

[7] Proverbs 4:25

[8] Hebrews 12:2

[9] Matthew 11:29

[10] Acts of the Apostles 15:10

[11] Thomas Aquinas: Commentary on Galatians, loc. cit.

[12] Phaedrus by Plato: Trans. by Benjamin Howett, “I told you about the charioteer and his two stallions, the one a noble animal who is guided by word and admonition only, the other an ill-looking villain who will hardly yield to blow or spur. Together all three, who are a figure of the soul, approach the vision of love. And now, a fierce conflict begins. The ill-conditioned stallion rushes on to enjoy, but the charioteer, who beholds the beloved with awe, falls back in adoration, and forces both the stallions on their haunches; again, the evil stallion rushes forwards and pulls shamelessly. The conflict grows more and more severe; and at last, the charioteer, throwing himself backward, forces the bit out of the clenched teeth of the brute, and pulling harder than ever at the reins, covers beast’s tongue and jaws with blood, and forces him to rest his legs and haunches with pain upon the ground. When this has happened several times, the villain is tamed and humbled, and from that time forward, the soul of the lover follows the beloved in modesty and holy fear. And now their bliss is consummated; the same image of love dwells in the breast of either, and if they have self-control, they pass their lives in the greatest happiness which is attainable by man—they continue masters of themselves and conquer in one of the three heavenly victories.”

[13] Galatians 4:16

[14] Clement of Alexandria: The Instructor, Bk. 1, Ch. 9, p. 444

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson XXXVII)

In speaking about Christians continuing to celebrate Jewish feasts and holy days, Socrates says that the Apostle Paul expressly forbids it, not only rejecting circumcision but also denouncing any disputes about festival days. In fact, he tells the Galatians that it worried him that they still followed teachings about special days, months, seasons, and years. If they were to continue, Paul feared that his work among them was wasted.^[1] And continuing his train of thought, the Apostle makes it clear that the Jews were in bondage as servants, but that those who came to the Anointed One are called to live in freedom.^[2] Moreover, he exhorts them not to regard days, and months, and years to earn merit with God for their salvation.^[3] In his Epistle to the Colossians, he distinctly declares, that such observances are merely shadows, that’s why they must not bow to the will of others and allow themselves to be judged right or wrong by what they eat or drink.^[4]  Wherefore, he says, ‘Let no one judge you as to the meat you eat, or beverage you drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths.^[5]

We must keep in mind that Paul wrote his epistle to the Galatians only some twenty plus years after Jesus’ ascension, and now here it was almost in the fifth century AD, and these problems still existed. However, in this modern era, the case is almost being done in reverse. It seems difficult anymore to get Christians out of bed to attend a Sunrise Service on Easter Sunday. Furthermore, Ascension Sunday and Pentecost Sunday are all but forgotten, and on Easter Day and the day set aside to celebrate His birth is celebrated by bunnies laying eggs and Santa Clause descending non-existent chimneys to deliver gifts. And what I find even more disconcerting is that Communion Services are not much more than a ritual, observed in some churches too frequently and in others very seldom. In the first church I pastored in the United States, I was shocked to find out the congregation never heard a sermon on the importance of communion on the day that communion was served.

Vincent Cheung mentions the story here of Abraham’s two sons born of two different women, one his lawful wife and the other a slave-girl. And how Abram’s son by the slave-girl, Ishmael, began to make fun of Abram’s son of his lawful wife, Isaac, and how in the case of the Galatians, those who were children of God through Sarah now persecuted those who were the children of God through the Messiah, Jesus. No wonder Sarah insisted that Abram get rid of the slave-girl and her son. Only one of them was destined to be the heir of God’s promise to Abram of a Promised Land. Therefore, we might call Ishmael’s treatment of Isaac, “reverse discrimination.”^[6] Paul wanted everyone in Galatia to see that once they became children of God through the Messiah, whether they arrived at that point by coming out of Judaism or heathenism, they were all equal children in God’s eyes.

Mark D. Nanos sees Paul making a mockery of the Galatians taking such a drastic turn from Grace back to the Law. He did this in chapter two, verses six to nine, eleven to seventeen, and then in chapter three, verses one to five, and now in chapter four, verses eight to twenty-one. What bothers Paul the most is that somehow the Galatians, in an inappropriate and unappreciated way, failed to understand they actually knew better. That’s why the Apostle needed to confront their foolish, naïve failure to recognize the magnitude of what they were throwing away.

Nanos doesn’t believe the Galatians had already made an irreversible decision but were acting in a manner that suggests they were well on their way. While the Gentiles were not the major factor in Paul’s focus, they were in danger of internalizing the message of these Judaizers as being something good for them to do. Why could they not see, says Paul to the Galatians, that by pledging allegiance to the corrupt message of the Judaizers, they were defecting from the grace of God. It was another way of saying that the purpose of the Messiah’s death for them was of no use. Not only that, but it also denied the reality of their experience of the Holy Spirit, including the miracles performed among them^[7].^[8]

4:23-24 The Scriptures tell us that Abraham produced two sons. The mother of one son was a slave mistress, and the mother of the other son was a free woman. Furthermore, his son, born to the slave mistress, was the result of the usual form of human conception, while his son, born to the legitimate wife, was the result of God’s promise of divine intervention. Now, these two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants with man. Hagar, the slave-mistress, represents the covenant God made on Mount Sinai. They will be slaves who are owned by someone and will always be told what to do!

 Now Paul enters the theater where concrete situations of reality are used to illustrate abstract concepts by allegory. He chooses the two mothers – Hagar and Sarah, of his first two sons – Ishmael and Isaac, as two different branches of Abraham’s descendants. As Paul explained it, only some of Abraham’s descendants are true children of Abraham. This is what God told Abraham: “Your true descendants will be those who come through Isaac.” Therefore, Abraham’s true children are those who become God’s children because of the promise He made to Abraham.^[9] On the other hand, the descendants of Ishmael were not included and were, so to speak, on their own as far as any promises God made to Abraham.

Let’s add another factor. From the time Abram left the city of Ur in the land of the Chaldeans in Babylon until the time he received justification as being right before God through his faith in God’s promise, this patriarch was a Gentile. He tried to bring about God’s promise of a son through his own works instead of waiting for the promise of his true son to come to pass. Therefore, all the descendants of Abraham through Ishmael were never considered as having any future with those who were destined to be called God’s chosen people.

But despite Abram’s foolish error spurred on by Sarah’s insistence, Paul tells us that Abram still believed he was going to be the father of many nations, not just one. He saw no reason to hope for this, but he was told, “Your children will become many nations.” Abram was about one hundred years old. His ability to father children was impotent, but his faith in God was still very potent. His faith was not weak despite the fact that his wife Sarah was well past the age of having children. Abraham did not doubt God’s promise. His faith in God was strong, and he gave thanks to God. He was sure God was able to do what He promised.^[10] So it was only after Abram expressed his total faith in God’s Word that he became the father of God’s Promised Son when Sarah gave him Isaac. These two branches then become represented by Jews from Isaac and Gentiles from Ishmael. Isaac was born as a result of faith; Ishmael was born as a result of works of the flesh.

The use of allegories to illustrate a truth came long before Paul. For instance, when God told Ezekiel to use the forests that existed in that day in the Negev wilderness south of Judah to illustrate God’s coming judgment on the children of Israel. But Ezekiel complained by crying out, “Oh, Lord God! If I say this, the people will say that I am only telling them stories.”^[11] And when the Israelites were misbehaving, God told Hosea that he refused to send them back down into Egypt to learn another hard lesson, but rather, He, the Lord, will roar like a lion, and His children would come and follow Him. They’d come from the west, from Egypt, and from Assyria shaking with fear.^[12]

As Paul explained it, these things that happened to those people are examples. They were written and repeated to be warnings for us. We live in the time that all those past histories pointed to.^[13] Even the writer of the book of Hebrews took the illustration of Isaac and Abraham, saying that Abraham believed that God raised people from death. And really, when God stopped Abraham from killing Isaac, it was as if he got him back from death. This was to point out that since Jesus was the Promised Son coming through Isaac, God did the same for Him He did for Isaac.^[14]

Then Paul goes on to lay another layer to this allegory. Hagar and Sarah represented the two covenants that God made with His children. And now Hagar and Sarah are represented by two mountains, Mt. Horeb in the Sinai desert where Moses received the First Covenant, and Mt. Moriah on which Jerusalem sat where Jesus received the Final Covenant. But what was so puzzling to Paul was how the Galatians and others were so mixed up as to think that one was as good as the other.

So, Paul told them: brothers and sisters, I want you to know what happened to our ancestors who were with Moses. They were all guided by a cloud overhead, and they all walked through the Red Sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual manna, and they all drank the same spiritual drink. They drank from that spiritual rock that was with them, and that rock represented the Anointed One.^[15] So as far back as the children of Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian bondage, their trek through the wilderness, the manna from heaven, the water from the rocks, and those who disobeyed left buried in the wilderness with Moses, it pointed out that those who obeyed that were led into the Promised Land by Joshua, which is the same as Yeshua – the Hebrew name for Jesus.

The writer of Hebrews sees the clear implications in all this by declaring that this means that Jesus is the guarantee of a better covenant between God and His people.^[16] But the work given to Jesus is much greater than the work given to those priests in Israel. In the same way, the Final Covenant that Jesus brought from God to His people is much greater than the first one. And the Final Covenant is based on better promises. If there was nothing wrong with the First Covenant, then why did God authorize another Covenant?

[1] Galatians 4:10-11

[2] Ibid 5:13

[3] Ibid 2:16

[4] Colossians 2:16

[5] The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 2, Socrates Scholasticus, Ecclesiastical History, Bk. 5, Ch. 22, pp. 300-301

[6] Cheung, Vincent. On Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit., location 2437-2449, Kindle Edition.

[7] Galatians 3:2-5

[8] Mark D. Nanos: The Irony of Galatians, op. cit., pp. 52-53

[9] Ibid. 9:7-8

[10] Ibid. 4:18-21; See Hebrews 11:11

[11] Ezekiel 20:49

[12] Hosea 11:10-11

[13] 1 Corinthians 10:11

[14] Hebrews 11:19

[15] 1 Corinthians 10:4

[16] Hebrews 7:22

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson XXXVI)

Paul’s ultimate goal in all of this is that the characteristics and virtues of the Messiah may yet be formed in the Galatians. Perhaps he wrote too harshly at first. So, he halfway repents of his severity.^[1] He would gladly change his voice and tone if he could only be with them in person and see them face to face. Perhaps his tears, his pleas, would win them back. A rush of tender emotion wells up in Paul’s soul. He is no longer the master in union with the Anointed One rebuking unfaithful disciples; he is now the grieving father weeping over his misguided children.^[2]

Current Bible commentator Ronald Y. K. Fung addresses the phrase “Until you take the shape of the Anointed One,” and states that this is the time when Paul’s labor pangs will cease, and the purpose for which he is enduring them will end. In the original Greek, the thought is more strikingly expressed as “until the Anointed One is formed in you” (NASB, NIV). The Greek verb morphousthai refers to the process whereby the fetus develops into an infant; Paul’s desire is to see the Anointed One thus “formed” in his converts. Although the imagery suggested by the language is unusual, its intended meaning is not in doubt: to say that the image of the Anointed One should take shape in the believers is just a more effective way of saying that “the Anointed One should fashion them according to His own image.” In that way, their submission to Him will reflect His image and glory in their lives. It is worth noting that the noun implied by the verb denotes “essential form” morphē rather than outward “shape” schēma; it is here synonymous with “image” eikōn, which is the word used in Colossians 3:10, a verse concerned with the same process.^[3]

Jewish writer W. A. Liebenberg gives us a chart so that we can have an ocular view of what was trying to say here in his allegory about Hagar and Sarah:

Liebenberg goes on to say that once again, Paul appeals to Genesis to demonstrate an eternal truth. Remember that Yahweh promised Abraham he would have a son in his old age even though he was without any children up to this point. After this promise, both Abraham and Sarah thought that the promised son would not literally come through Sarah’s womb, but through her girl-slave Hagar on behalf of Sarah. The son born through Hagar was Ishmael. Ishmael is called one who was “born of human procreation” because he was brought about in a way that was contrary to Yahweh’s promise, being the son of a girl-slave. Yahweh was actually going to fulfill His promise by miraculously allowing Sarah to have a son, Isaac, well past childbearing years. Thus, the promise was going to be fulfilled by a miracle of Yahweh rather than by the work of humankind.^[4]

Don Garlington opens the door for us to get a wider and deeper view of what Paul meant here in verse nineteen by the image of the Messiah being formed in them; For the Anointed One to be “formed” within the Galatians, says Garlington, is not a simple case of them developing spiritually or morally. He then quotes from Beverly R. Gaventa’s work saying that “the formation of the Anointed One among the Galatians is simultaneously their crucifixion with the Anointed One.” It means that the old has passed away and the new has come to them. In his letter, Paul’s convictions that the Galatians were called, that they heard the Gospel and that they responded in faith, is clearly seen. But he also believes that they are in danger of turning around again, of converting back to their earlier views. For that reason, he speaks of his own labor with them and the need of the Anointed One to be formed in them.^[5] In other words, one does not get to know about the Messiah and then agrees to follow His teachings and even submitting to baptism and thereby have the Anointed One form in them unless they are crucified with the Messiah so they can be raised to a new life with and for the Messiah.

4:21-22 I’d like to ask those of you who want to go back and live your life under Mosaic Law, do you understand what Mosaic Law is really saying? Remember, the Scriptures point out that Abraham fathered two sons, one through his slave-mistress, and one through his legitimate wife. 

What Paul says here to the Galatians he already said to the Romans about sin. He told them that they must never allow their sinful tendencies to gain power over them. They no longer live according to the dictates of the Law; they now have a new life because of God’s loving-favor.^[6] To put this another way, the Law can only condemn those who break the rules but was given no provision or power to forgive. Breaking the Law results in making a person a sinner. And they became sinners because their tendency to do wrong was greater than their tendency to do right. So, if they reject God’s grace to forgive them of their sin in breaking the Law, they will never be free to live as God wants them to live in union with the Anointed One – to His honor, praise, and glory. They’d end up going around in a circle because there’s no exit from the prison yard of the Law.

Paul says as much when he told them that in the past their sinful-self ruled and reigned in their lives. The Law dared us to do sinful things. And since our sinful desires controlled our bodies, these desires took the Law’s dare to see if they could get away with it. But all it did was make them prisoners of sin with a spiritual death sentence hanging over our heads. But then they heard of God’s salvation through grace and no longer responded to their sinful tendencies as though they must do so. Therefore, the Law no longer finds anything within them to tempt. In fact, they were liberated from the Law’s power. So now they serve God in a new way, not in the old way, with the rules that are written on their hearts. This new way of serving God is with the spirit, not with physical intentions through good works and charity.^[7]

So, what are we to say about all this? The people who never were Jews were not made right with God by obeying the Law of Moses. They were made right with God because they put their trust in God and the Anointed One. The Jews tried to be right with God by obeying the Law, but they did not become right with God that way. Why? Because they did not put their trust in God, and the Law offered them no help. They tried to be right with God by working for it. In doing so, they tripped over God’s offer of salvation through the Anointed One like a person whose foot hits a rock they are trying to avoid and stumbles and falls.^[8]

So why did this happen? Because they refused to believe that the Anointed One fulfilled the Law’s purpose so that everyone who puts their trust in Him is made right with God because of His sacrifice to pay the ransom for their souls. Moses told them if anyone wants to live right before God, they must obey each and every law to the letter. But that’s not how it works with grace. When a person puts their trust in the Anointed One, they are made right with God because the Anointed One is right and He is now abiding in them.

You don’t need to ask, “Who will go up to heaven to bring the Anointed One down?” And you need not inquire, “Who will go below and bring the Anointed One up from the dead?” This is what God says, “The Good News is near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart.” This Good News tells about putting your trust in the Anointed One. This is what we preached to you, says Paul. If you say with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved from the punishment of sin. When we believe in our hearts, we are made right with God. We will be able to testify how we were saved by God through His Son from the death sentence pronounced on those who sin.^[9]

But there’s one more thing Paul want’s the Galatians to know, now that they are considering returning to life under the Law instead of remaining under Grace. Here is the message the Law brings for those who submit to its authority to control their lives: If they fail to live up the strict rules of obedience to its commands, they cannot use it as an excuse. No matter how much they claimed they did, they are still on the list of the condemned.[10] In that case, the whole world is subject to God’s final judgment. It’s impossible to be right with God using the Law as a guide. In fact, the more of the Law that a person tries to fulfill the more it will show just what kind of sinner they really are.^[11]

Socrates of Constantinople (380-450 AD), also known as “Socrates Scholasticus,” a legal consultant and well-known church historian for the Greek Orthodox Church was the first known layman to write church history covering the years from 305-439 AD. He is discussing the Church’s obligation to celebrate Jewish holidays, feasts, festivals, and ceremonial law. He was just dealing with how they view the observance of Easter and said that it seems to him that neither the early church scholars nor the scholars in the fourth century offered any rational foundation for insisting on observing such practices so stubbornly. Says Socrates, they did not take into consideration that when Judaism gave way to Christianity, the obligation to observe the Mosaic law and the ceremonial types ceased. And the proof of the matter is plain; for no law of the Anointed One requires Christians to imitate the Jews.

[1] Cf. 2 Corinthians 2:4; 7:8

[2] Expositor’s Bible Commentary: On Galatians by G. G. Findlay, op. cit., Ch. 18, pp. 273-274

[3] Ronald Y. K. Fung: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., pp. 202-203

[4] W. A. Liebenberg: On Galatians: op. cit., loc. cit., pp. 81-82

[5] Beverly R. Gaventa: The Maternity of Paul: An Exegetical Study of Galatians 4:19 in The Conversation Continues: Studies in Paul and John in Honor of J. Louis Martyn, ed. R. T. Fortna and B. R. Gaventa (Nashville: Abingdon, 1990) pp. 189-201

[6] Romans 6:14

[7] Ibid. 7:5-6

[8] Ibid. 9:30-32

[9] Romans 3:10

[10] There are two Greek words translated as “condemn, condemned, condemnation,” One is katakrima which means removal for legal refractions or sentenced to death or death sentence. This is found in Romans 5:16, 18; 8:1; Galatians 5:10. Another is katakrisis which means remorse for moral failures. See 2 Corinthians 3:9; 7:3

[11] Ibid. 3:19-20

Due to scientific and clinical studies, researchers have found that doing good is very therapeutic to a person’s heart, soul, mind, and body. Mirele Mann, editor of Goodnet, asks, have you ever felt a rush after doing a good deed? Ever noticed you were more relaxed after a day of volunteering? Did you ever feel motivated to do good after thinking about the last time you helped someone? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, there’s a good explanation for why – it’s called science.

Mirele then goes on to share with us a number of things that Goodness offers as beneficial outcomes to those who practice it. One of those is this: According to a 2013 study at the University of Buffalo examining the relationship between volunteering and hypertension, giving back can have a significant impact on blood pressure.   Researchers found that adults over 50 who volunteered about four hours a week were 40 percent less likely than non-volunteers to have developed hypertension four years later. In other words, Goodness decreases stress.

Another thing researchers found is that there is a link between giving, unselfishness and a lower risk of early death. The findings show that subjects who provided tangible assistance to friends or family members (running errands, helping with child care, etc.), reported less stressful events and, consequently, had reduced mortality. In other words, “helping others reduced mortality specifically by buffering the association between stress and mortality.” Yes, it’s true. Goodness increases life-expectancy.

Not only that, but they also discovered that after performing a good deed, a person experiences a sensation known as “helper’s high” and is produced when your brain releases endorphins, the feel-good chemicals of the brain. When you do something good for someone else, your brain’s pleasure centers light up, releasing endorphins and producing this high. Not to mention, doing good has also been known to generate feelings of satisfaction and gratitude. So, there’s no doubt that Goodness makes us feel better.

Furthermore, According to a study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, altruists in the office are more likely to be committed to their work and less likely to quit their jobs. The researchers also found that individuals in their mid-30s who rated helping others in their work as important reported they were happier with their life when surveyed 30 years later. Thus, it was shown that Goodness makes us happier at work.

But there’s more, the results are in! After an extensive review of 40 studies on the effect of volunteering on general health and happiness, the BioMed Central Public Health journal has concluded that volunteering is also good for mental health.   The review found that – along with improved well-being and life satisfaction – volunteering is also linked to decreased depression. Therefore, Goodness is good for the brain.

Added to this, it has been found that people who engage in acts of goodness become happier over time.  It’s that simple, according to Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside. Lyubomirsky, who has studied happiness for over 20 years, found that performing positive acts once a week led to the most happiness. The conclusion is simple, Goodness leads to being happier in life.

And finally, a 2012 study published in Psychological Science found that thinking about times you’ve helped others will make you want to help others again.  The research found that reflecting on your past good deeds makes you feel selfless and want to help more, as compared to reflecting on the times others have helped you. In other words, thinking about what you’ve given others – and not only what you’ve received – will motivate you to do good again and again. So, the more Goodness you show the more you want to be good.

But the Bible is not silent on this subject. The Psalmist exclaims: Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who revere you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind![1] Then the Apostle James announces that every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.[2] And the Apostle Paul tells us that as we are given the opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.[3] Also, says Paul, be good to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.[4] No doubt that’s why King David testified that surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.[5] – Dr. Robert R Seyda

[1] Psalm 31:19

[2] James 1:17

[3] Galatians 6:10

[4] Ephesians 4:32

[5] Psalm 23:6

Sleep Soundly When the Wind Blows

Years ago a farmer-owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful hurricanes that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.

As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals.  Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer.

“Are you a good farm hand?” the farmer asked him.

“Well, I can sleep when the wind blows,” answered the little man.

Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him.

The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man’s work.  Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore.

Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a flashlight and rushed next door to the hired hand’s sleeping quarters.

He shook the little man and yelled, “Get up!  A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!”

The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, “No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows.”

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot.

Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins.  The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred.  The shutters were tightly secured.

Everything was tied down.  Nothing could blow away.

The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

ngNEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson XXXV)

Catholic theologian Thomas Aquinas also comments on how the Anointed One is formed in the believer. As he sees it, the Spirit of God’s Son grows in a person according to their progress in the faith. At the same time, when faith weakens, His image in them diminishes. Therefore, when the faith of an individual becomes deformed by sin, the Messiah’s clear form is not maintained in them. As such, because faith did not fully form in them, they must be re-birthed until the Anointed One is formed again in them through faith. This is called “formed faith,” which works through love.^[1] Aquinas was a very brilliant thinker and theologian, but his view of how the image of the Anointed One is formed in us does not stand up the Scriptural examination. No matter how much we may try, we can never form the Lord in us, He forms Himself through the Holy Spirit. What God has given us that we can strive for is to “conform” to the image of the Anointed One.[2]

 Needless to say, the Reformers also found this explanation to be inverted. To them, as the Anointed One grows in you, you grow in Him. It is impossible for any believer to make the Anointed One grow in themselves. Only the Son of God possesses that power, and the source of that power comes from God’s Word. Furthermore, both Bruno the Carthusian and Aquinas erred when they suggest that a person can be re-born again. That required the Anointed One to die all over again. Paul says that since the Anointed One has risen from the grave, He will never die again.^[3] So if we are in union with the Anointed One and He is in us as a result of our new birth, then we too will never die spiritually again. What happens to a Christian is what happened to the Children of Israel. They never ceased being God’s children, part of God’s chosen people, but they strayed and became disobedient. And in God’s economy, unrepented disobedience will be punished by being excluded from the glory promised to those who preserve to the end.^[4]

Martin Luther notes that when Paul indicts the false apostles, he tells the Galatians that they were birthed through the Gospel, giving them the form of the Anointed One. But these false apostles are giving you a new form, the form of Moses. Note, says Luther, the Apostle Paul does not say, “I am again experiencing the pains of childbirth until I am formed in you,” but “until the Anointed One is formed in you.” The false apostles tore the form of the Anointed One out of the hearts of the Galatians and substituted their own form. Paul endeavors to reform them, or rather, have them conform to the Anointed One in them.^[5]

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) picks up the theme here in verse nineteen, where Paul admits that it felt to him like he was going through the pangs of childbirth again after such a long time. The Galatians should be adults by now, not still infants in the womb needing to be birthed anew. Was it a matter of them merely converting to Christianity but not to Christ? Could it be that although Paul’s message convicted them of their sin and misery, while they asked the Anointed One for forgiveness, they did not accept Him as their Lord and Savior? Were they only trying to avoid the curse of condemnation but yet not willing to concentrate unconditionally to His service? And now that the Judaizers came and tested their commitment to the Gospel, they failed miserably to stand firm in their faith by grace and decided to go back to stewardship under the Law. It was like starting all over again, and Paul was hardly able to stand the grief and the pain.^[6]

Edwards adds that this should make all of us more aware of our prayers and endeavors for the salvation of others. Is it only a matter of casual outreach, or do they as Paul did, agonizing for them, and plead earnestly with God for their salvation? The way Paul felt about the Galatians should be the same way we feel about those God lays on our hearts to pray for them and seek to be used by Him through the help of the Holy Spirit as an instrument in leading them to His Son.^[7] I wonder what scene might we witness if every true believer who left us to await the resurrection only fifty years ago, were to come back to life for just one week and attend the church they were in before laying down to rest. Would they love what they see so much they’d be tempted to ask God to let them stay longer? Or would they plead with Him to cut short their visit because what they saw broke their hearts?

If they entered the sanctuary and heard people singing praises to God with passion and fervor, and listened to an anointed Gospel message from the Word ignited by the power of the Holy Spirit, and saw people being saved and filled with the Spirit, then maybe they would want to hang around. But if they witnessed unemotional singing meant only to fill up time, and sermons that deal with the pastor’s personal philosophy on positive thinking and a prosperous world view, and prayers for those who responded to the invitation to be part of the church that neither included the words: confess, sin, forgiveness, cleansing, born again, nor acceptance of salvation, then yes, they’d probably slip out the back door and be gone.

Presbyterian Evangelist Charles G. Finney (1792-1875), when speaking of Paul’s wanting to bring the Galatians back into the fold of believers by faith while reeling with birth pangs all over again, says that this travailing in birth for souls creates a remarkable bond of union between warm-hearted Christians and young converts. Such newborn babes in the Anointed One appear very dear to the hearts that carry this spirit of prayer for their spiritual welfare. The feeling is like that of a mother for her first-born. Paul expresses it beautifully when he says: “My little children!” His heart was warm and tender to them. “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again” – they were backslidden, and Paul laments here in verse nineteen that he feels all the agony of a parent over a runaway child – “I travail in birth again until The Anointed One be formed in you.” As he told the Colossians, “the Anointed One is the hope of glory.”^[8]

Finney goes on to say that while conducting revival services, he often noticed how those who were filled with the spirit of prayer, loved seeing young converts at the altar. He explains that for those who’ve never felt anything like this, probably have the same attitude as a first-grader does about algebra. But to those who experienced the agony of spiritual wrestling as they prevail in prayer for the conversion of a lost soul, can expect that soul, after it is converted, to appear to them as dear as a child does to its mother. Paul agonized for it, received it in answer to prayer, and willingly presented them before the Lord Jesus the Anointed One, saying: “Hear, O Lord, are the children you gave me.”^{[9] [10]}

American Methodist minister and evangelist in the holiness movement, Mr. Beverly Carradine (1848-1931), is speaking about a person’s experience with the Messiah as a Savior being a “Deeper Salvation.” Some appear to be saved on the outside, but we must be saved deep-down on the inside. Carradine notes that back in chapter one, verse sixteen, Paul says that it pleased God to reveal His Son in him. This came after his first revelation on the road to Damascus. While he became blind on the outside, Paul was able to see on the inside. That’s when he saw Jesus. This is what is promised to the believer where the Savior says He will come in and take up His abode in our hearts.^[11] And this is what Paul wrote about of the mystery hidden for ages but now manifested to His saints, which is the Messiah dwelling in them.^[12]

Now here in verse nineteen, Paul writes and calls the little children instead of adults, and tells them that he is in pain again over them, it feels the same as a mother giving birth. And he will feel this pain until people can look at them and see the Anointed One. For having Him revealed to us as our Savior is one thing, but having the Messiah revealed in us as the Indweller and Sanctifier is something totally different. This is the mystery that is now being declared to the saints called God’s people, that the Savior will, upon compliance with conditions, cease to make visits and will enter our hearts and take up His residence in us.

Carradine reminds people that after Solomon’s Temple was completed, during the dedication, the priests, Levites, and all others withdrew, and then suddenly, the glory of the Lord filled it, and after that, God’s Shekinah glory was always present. We are the temple of the Lord and His Spirit.^[13] After our sins were emptied, stains erased, spirit empowered, and soulfully expecting Jesus to knock,[14] suddenly He will come into us as a glorious abiding presence.^[15]

Charles G. Findlay (1849-1919) sees Paul as a heartbroken patriot wishing and praying for his fellow Jews to repent and turn to the Messiah for salvation. In Latin, John Calvin called him “Hoc prudentis est pastoris – “A wise shepherd.” But that only increases Paul’s grief because he is wise enough to know that if these sheep do not turn around, they will soon go over the cliff into eternity without God. So, we must see here in verse nineteen that there is more to Paul’s plea than some sort of calculated wisdom in trying to get them to turn around and come back to Messiah.

For Findlay, it is a cry of the heart. Paul’s soul is experiencing the pain of remorse that he might not have done or said the right thing to keep this from happening. The sternness in his face from the opening chapter is more relaxed while he pursues his mighty rescue effort. As he surveys the working of God’s counsel in past ages, the promise given to Abraham for all nations, the intervening legal discipline of the Law, the coming of the Messiah in the fullness of time, the breaking of ancient chains to heathenism, and sending out the Spirit of Adoption – and all this for the sake of these Galatian Gentiles, and then thinks how they are after all this are now on the verge of rejecting God’s grace for the shackles of the Law and renouncing their Divine inheritance. Sad, so sad.

So, we can see why the Apostle’s heart aches with such grief. These Galatians have proven just as foolish and fickled as their reputation claimed they were. Yet, they are God’s adopted children, the ones that Paul was given the privilege of bringing into the fold as God’s own. That’s why he is not grieving over them as a stranger or friend, but as the one who helped make it possible for them to be born again. So just as he went through this when they first were converted, he now is going through it again. There is just as much joy in seeing a backslider return to the Lord as there was when they came to Him the first time.

[1] Thomas Aquinas: Commentary on St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians, loc. cit.

[2] See Romans 8:29-30; 1 Corinthians 15:48-49; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 4:13

[3] Romans 6:9

[4] Matthew 24:13

[5] Martin Luther, op. cit., loc. cit

[6] Edwards, Jonathan. The Complete Works of Jonathan Edwards: op. cit., (Kindle Location 11763-11795)

[7] Ibid. (Kindle Location 79012-79021).

[8] Colossians 1:27

[9] Isaiah 8:18; (See also Hebrews 2:13)

[10] Charles G. Finney: Revivals of Religion or Lectures on Revival, Lecture 4, Prevailing Prayer, p. 61

[11] John 14:23

[12] Colossians 4:19

[13] 1 Corinthians 3:16

[14] Revelation 3:20

[15] Beverly Carradine: op. cit., The Better Way, Ch. 11, p. 38

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson XXXIV)

Paul, no doubt, thought back to when he first went to Galatia; how he struggled with several physical handicaps after many reproaches, afflictions, and persecutions; hoping that through his preaching of the Gospel they might be born again, turning them from heathenism to Christianity, and from serving dead idols to serve the Living God, and believing in His Son Jesus the Anointed One. Now he was faced with doing it all over again by writing to them, using arguments that sometimes sounded loving and kind, but at other times harsh and full of tough love. More than anything, he wanted them to reject the heresy of these Judaizers and return to the pure Gospel of the Anointed One. What Paul desperately longed for was that they are recast into a mold having the form of the Person and Spirit of the Anointed One. Instead, these believers seemed to have taken on the form of Moses and the Letter of the Law.

Just as Paul told the Corinthians, he also told the Galatians that he never thought of trying to make them feel ashamed of themselves, but was writing to counsel them as his spiritual children.^[1] In fact, Paul was there when they were born again. This was not some pretend relationship. God knew what he was saying, and God knew how much Paul loved them with the kind of love that only comes from Jesus the Anointed One.^[2] So Paul was not hesitant to tell them how much it pleased him when they turned their lives over to the Anointed One as a living sacrifice.[3] In fact, Paul offered to give his own life, just like Jesus did, in order to share the joy with them that comes when you give your all for the Anointed One.^[4]

None of this that Paul said in order to the Galatians to understand his love and commitment to do everything possible to fight for their survival as believers saved by grace was not to bring him any applause or fame, but for God’s glory and honor. Maybe they still didn’t realize that Jesus was the firstborn, and they were his many brothers and sisters in God’s eyes.^[5] That’s why he was encouraging them, in fact, pleading with them to let every part of their lives belong to the Lord Jesus the Anointed One to the point where even their thoughts were kept from entertaining going back into their old sinful way of living.^[6]

After all, they were not made a new creature in union with the Anointed One to continue being like the world but to be like God, who is the essence of being good and true and living a holy, sanctified life.^[7] Jesus did not die on the cross for salvation to be a take-it-or-leave-it proposition. It was either all the Anointed One had to give or nothing at all. He was not a supplemental plan to their spiritual health as followers of the Torah, still trying to earn salvation and everlasting life through efforts of their own.^[8] The secret is this: the Anointed One in you brings the hope of all the great things yet to come.^[9] That’s why they became a new person so that every day is a new day to live for God. This is the way they were to grow in their understanding of the One who made them what they are with God. It must be a daily effort to become more and more like Jesus.^[10]

Paul could not see any other way to make it plainer to the Galatians. Like he told the Corinthians, there’s nothing he wished for more than that he might come to visit them very soon, the Lord willing. Then he would see if these proud talkers enjoyed the power to do more than just talk. God’s kingdom is not seen in one’s talk, but in one’s walk. Which did they want most if he did get to come? That he be like an irate father out to whip his disobedient children, or a caring, loving, forgiving gentle father?^[11] No doubt, Paul felt this way with believers in every church. There’s no way for them to imagine how much he missed them that Paul was willing to attempt everything possible to get back to see them one more time, but things kept getting in his way. Who else will Paul be more proud of when he stands one day before the Master to receive his crown than the ones he was able to lead to the Anointed One for salvation and everlasting life?^[12] In what way was it possible to give God enough thanks for them and all the joy they brought to him.^[13]

Chrysostom continues his thoughts on the previous verses concerning Paul’s lamenting the deteriorating situation among the Galatian congregations. Here he points to Paul’s parental compassion. He notes the anguish befitting an Apostle is so apparent. So, he asks if we see how Paul lamented more intensely than women giving birth? Chrysostom hears Paul saying: You have ruined the image of God; You’ve lost your kinship with God because you’ve marred His likeness in you; You need a rebirth and a reformation. Nevertheless, I still call those who resulted from miscarriages and abortions my children.^[14]

Augustine shares this with his readers on the subject of the emotional attachment Paul felt for the believers in Galatia. In Augustine’s mind, the Anointed One is formed in the inner self of the believer through faith. Such people are called into the liberty of grace because of their gentle and humble heart that does not boast about the merits of works (which are nothing) but by means of God’s grace. For the Anointed One is formed in the one who receives His form, but the one who receives His form is the one who stays close to the Anointed One through spiritual love. And that’s why by imitation of the Anointed One, they become what He was, to the extent that it is granted to them in their present stage.

Augustine continues by saying that since people must be conceived by their mothers to be formed and then, having been formed, must be involved in the process of labor in order to be born, the Apostle’s words, for whom I am again in labor pains until the Anointed One is formed in you, might be troubling unless we understand birth pains to refer to the distress which caused him to feel distraught in order that the Galatians might be born in the Anointed One. And he is in agony again on account of the dangers of seduction that he sees provoking them. Now the anxiety arising from such cares for them, on account of which Paul says he is in a sense in labor pains, will last until they grow up in the Anointed One and mature, so they are no longer moved by every wind of doctrine. Therefore, when he says: I am again in pain until the Anointed One is formed in you, he is not referring to the beginnings of faith, because they were born already, but rather to its strengthening and perfection.^[15]

Contemporary scholar of Augustine’s, Marius Victorinus, gives his observation on the subject of the Anointed One being formed in the believer. As he saw it, every person is capable of receiving the Savior. A person’s soul, if they use any sense of reason, will realize that the world is not its own, and recognizes its Creator, will be capable of receiving the Master. More precisely, says Victorinus, the Anointed One – that is, the Spirit – is formed in that person’s soul. Also, by growing in the Spirit, the soul is liberated through its willingness to believe. The person will then be able to reach the heavenly realms, obtaining the salvation of the eternal light. For Victorinus, the force and the power of what Paul says – until the Anointed One is formed in you – is excellent.^[16] With all due respect to this great scholar, Jesus made it so clear that it was hard to miss seeing. You cannot get to God unless you go through Jesus, and you cannot get to Jesus unless the Holy Spirit draws you.^[17]

Another contemporary of Augustine’s, Ambrosiaster, gives us his insight. In his mind, Paul was responsible for being there when the Holy Spirit gave them their new birth, and Ambrosiaster was the one who led them to verify their faith in baptism. However, Ambrosiaster believes they born weak and deformed, so now Paul tries to reform them with his fatherly counsel. By exercising faith but paying no attention to its meaning, the Galatians effectively denied that the Anointed One was formed in their minds. If they understood the grace of God in the Anointed One, there was little chance in their being led astray into Judaism after believing. Ambrosiaster goes on to say Paul desired to do this in person rather than by mail. That way, they can hear the passion and care in his voice even as he chastises them for their behavior. That might embarrass them for two reasons – partly because of their own error, and partly because of the Apostle’s shame,^[18] Today, some Christian psychologists call this “tough love.”[19]

But again, I must kindly disagree with my brother Ambrosiaster. The Holy Spirit is not culpable for deformed believers being born again. If that is true, then it leaves the door open that His involvement in Mary conceiving and giving birth to Jesus made it possible for Him to come into this world spiritually deformed. That being the case, He might be persuaded by the devil to forsake His Father’s will and go off to use His fame as the Messiah in establishing His own earthly kingdom. It is much more logical to accept that even a healthy born child might, through their own inattention or the carelessness of others, contract a disease that ends up deforming them.

Bruno the Carthusian, the medieval scholar we mentioned earlier, gives us his take on Paul’s pains like childbirth.  He hears Paul saying to the Galatians, I worked hard for you. Now I am hurting like a woman in childbirth and working even harder for you to be reformed and return to the Messiah, the one in whom you put your faith before you were deformed. I will continue to suffer like this, says Paul, for as long as you listen to and follow those false teachers. But Bruno says we should take note, however, that Paul does not actually say “until you are reformed” but rather until the Anointed One is reformed again in you. That means, the image of the Lord people saw in you was actually deformed. Or perhaps Paul means that the likeness of Master is deformed in you in the sense that you do not look anything like Him. Now that others hear how you withdrew from your faith of the Savior, they are following your example as they claim that the faith of the Redeemer is insufficient for salvation. That’s why, says Bruno, in order for Paul to discourage the Galatians from continuing to follow this path they are on to destruction, all the more will his remarks get harsher and harsher until he tells them he won’t quit until the Son of God might be formed in those who are deformed, so to speak, because of sin.^[20]

[1] 1 Corinthians 4:14

[2] Philippians 1:8

[3] Romans 12:1

[4] Ibid. 2:17

[5] Romans 8:29

[6] Ibid. 13:14

[7] Ephesians 4:24

[8] Philippians 2:5

[9] Colossians 1:27

[10] Ibid. 3:10

[11] 1 Corinthians 4:19-21

[12] 1 Thessalonians 2:17

[13] Ibid. 3:9

[14] Edwards, M. J. (Ed.). On Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit., p. 65

[15] Augustine of Hippo: Commentary on Galatians, loc. cit.

[16] Marius Victorinus, op. cit., loc. cit.

[17] John 6:44, 65; 3:5; 16:13-14; See Matthew 22:14

[18] Ambrosiaster, op. cit., p. 25

[19] The phrase was evidently coined by Bill Milliken when he wrote the book Tough Love in 1968 and has been used by numerous authors since then.

[20] Bruno the Carthusian, op. cit., verse 19

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson XXXIII)

The zeal expressed by the Judaizers was meant to alienate, to divide, and to cause dissension. The Judaizers seemed to be doing what was right in their eyes, when, in fact, what they did was wrong in Paul’s eyes. So, Paul tells the Galatians, I know what they are up to, and it is not suitable for you; how can it be what’s best when in order for them to accomplish their will for you, they insist on excluding me; your best friend?  Sometimes, parents need to point out to their children that what their friends insist on them doing does not make their relationship with Mom and Dad any better. So, they must decide who they are going to please first.

Paul does not condemn people being zealous for what they believe as long as it serves to promote a good cause for God’s love and the kingdom of the Anointed One; for the Gospel and the ordinances it offers, and promoting discipline in God’s house; against immorality and profaneness, exposing errors and heresies: and not changing with the times or adopting new fads and fashions to excuse misconduct or behavior as believers. There is nothing wrong with devotion and commitment to the Gospel of Jesus the Anointed One; to His calling; to His divine will and His purpose for our lives. One thing about true zeal for God the Father, the Anointed One His Son, the Holy Spirit, the Gospel, and doing God’s will, is that it will be practiced even though no one is looking.

As early church writer Ambrosiaster says, “The better gifts are spiritual ones, and those who seek to imitate them will make an impression on God.”[1] Paul wants the Galatians to imitate these good and spiritual things all the time, and not just on occasion or when he is with them. After his departure, they turned away to other things, but he wanted them to go on persevering in what is good.

Chrysostom sees Paul hinting here in verse eighteen that his absence and lack of continued correspondence may be a factor in causing these troubles. But he seems to be covering over his mistake by telling them that it is a good thing when people try to help others without an interior motive on seeing how they can benefit from it. But why wasn’t that done constantly, not just when he was with them in person? In other words, Paul started them out on the right path but didn’t stick around, or leave behind a member of his team, to make sure they continued on that path.^[2] At least it seems that Paul took some responsibility for his part in this fiasco.

Jerome speaks to conditions in his time (347-420 AD) that we can certainly relate to our day. He notes that as soon as the Apostle Paul left, the Galatians changed their attitude and mindset. He says that he witnessed the same occurrence in the early Church. As long as there is a teacher in the Church who is very distinguished in speech and a living example, the people remain busy with urgency and fervor about collecting donations, prayer, fasting, sexual abstinence, relief of the poor, taking care of graves, etc. But when such a mentor departs, they seem to grow lazy and waste away from the lack of food due to excessive fasting, they grow thin, pale, and lethargic. Then everything they tried to do with their dedication ends up coming to an end, and everything they were striving for is lost.^[3]

John Wesley (1703-1791), was struck by what Paul said to the Galatians here in verse eighteen that it was right to be zealous as long as the purpose is useful. Wesley says there are few subjects affecting all the world’s religions that are of greater importance than being zealous for a cause. For without zeal, it is impossible, either to make any considerable progress in religion ourselves or to do any considerable service to our neighbor, whether in temporal or spiritual things. And yet nothing does more disservice to religion, or more mischief to mankind, than a sort of zeal which for several ages prevailed, both in Pagan, Muslim, and the Christian nations. It wreaked havoc in both undeveloped countries as well as highly industrialized nations.

Wesley says that as believers, we must examine closely whether Christian zeal is good for the Church. If so, then what is its true nature. Just taking a cue from the original word it implies the intensity of heat, such as in boiling water. When taken figuratively and applied to the mind, it stands for intense emotion and fervent affection. However, so often, “love” is not attached to zeal. The Christian’s zeal is love at a high degree. Therefore, Christian zeal is none other than the burning flame of love. But, says Wesley, one of the chief properties of love is “humility.” That’s why some of Christendom’s most fearless and tireless warriors were people of great dignity and humility.

Not only humility, but another property of love is “meekness.” What else can demonstrate this more than the mighty Son of God washing the disciples’ feet?^[4] Added to humility and meekness is “patience.” How else is love able to endure all things if it lacks patience.^[5] Then Wesley points to verse eighteen here in this chapter that zeal must be aimed at doing good in order to be appropriate. Otherwise, God is not pleased with what we do in His name. As Wesley puts it: “In a Christian believer love sits upon the throne which is erected in the inmost soul; namely, love of God and man, which fills the whole heart, and reigns without a rival.”^[6]

In light of the zeal with which the Jews pursued the works of the Law in order to please those around them – pleasing God was only a part of their self-righteousness, Charles Simeon (1759-1836) had a sermon for the ministers and workers of his day which is relevant for us today. He points out that the nature of the Christian’s zeal is a strong affection of the mind; and is good or evil, according to the object towards which it is directed, and the manner in which it is exercised.^[7]

But there is also a Christian zeal, says Simeon, which is distinguished by two things: First, it is the right thing for its object. Some spend their zeal on things that are in themselves sinful,^[8] and others on things indifferent,^[9] and those who raise fierce disputes about human ordinances. But Christian’s zeal must be directed to what is good; maintained with the steadfastness of faith in the Gospel,^[10] and engages energetically in the practice of its teachings.^[11]

Second, it is uniform in its operation. The zeal of many is only occasional and partial, but the Christian’s is uniform and universal; it shows respect to every duty; stimulating to both personal and communal, as well as public and official duties. It does not, however, lay the same stress on trivialities, as much as on the weightier matters of the law, but proportions its exercise to the importance of the things about which it is engaged.^[12] In other words, our zeal for the Anointed One and the Gospel can either be constructive or destructive. It all depends on whether we are in it for God, or in it for ourselves.

English theologian J. B. Lightfoot (1828-1889) examines the complaint by the Apostle Paul in verses seventeen and eighteen against the Judaizers who were trying to woo the Galatians away from him. Paul tells them that he knows those false teachers are working hard to persuade you to make this critical decision, which is not good for you or for me. They want to persuade you to turn against our team so you can work hard for them. It is good for you to work hard, of course, if it is for something good. That’s something you should do, whether I am there or not.

Lightfoot also notes that with these limitations, only two interpretations present themselves, which deserve our consideration. First, Lightfoot hears Paul saying: I’m not begrudging the courting and attention being paid to you by these distracters. I’m not interested in monopolizing all of your attention or time. I’m all for someone looking after your interests while I’m gone. I ask only that they do it for an honorable cause. Secondly, Lightfoot hears Paul telling them: I’m not complaining that they desire your attention, or that you give attention to them. These things are good in themselves. I myself am not insensible to such relationships. I remember how warm your feelings were towards me when I was with you. I only wish that hadn’t grown so cold during my absence.

Then Lightfoot explains that the difference between the two consists mainly in the emphasis given to how it would affect him. This seems to put too much importance to his feelings, not theirs. But this abrupt and fragmentary mode of expression is characteristic of the Apostle Paul when he is deeply moved, and this interpretation suits the general context so much better – especially the tender appeal which follows immediately, “my little children.”^[13] So Paul is not ranting and raving here about being jilted for a less important and proven suitor with a corrupt message designed to misguide them into a doomed relationship. Yes, he is scolding them, but out of love, not out of hate or jealousy.

4:19-20 I love you like children, and I feel like a woman going through labor pains again.  I’m sure this will continue until I see you looking more like the Anointed One. Oh, how I long to be with you in order to feel different about this. I’m so worried about you.

 Paul’s pleading and admonishment of the Galatians now reaches a point of desperation. He likens his heartache and sorry too that of the pain experienced by women in childbirth. And like any parent who finds their child in dire need of encouragement and comfort, wanted to be there with them at this critical hour. But perhaps the most troubling emotion that Paul feels is the head-shaking, eye-brow lifting, rolling of the eyes, deep breath sigh of complete and utter disbelief that this is happening to those he calls, “My dear children.” Paul struggled to make sense of the situation; it just didn’t add up. Maybe if he saw them and put his arms around them and they prayed together, then his tone of voice might change to that of a loving spiritual father instead of a chastising religious parent. However, that seemed like a remote, if not impossible, hope. So, he tried to put as much loving tender care in his letter as possible, like a parent attending to a little child who has fallen even though they were told not to run.

[1] Ambrosiaster, op. cit., p. 24

[2] Edwards, M. J. (Ed.). On Galatians, op. cit., p. 64

[3] Ibid.

[4] John 13:5

[5] 1 Corinthians 13:7

[6] The Works of John Wesley, op. cit., Vol. 7, Sermon 92, On Zeal, p. 68-78

[7] Simeon says make a note of: Acts of the Apostles 5:17-18; 13:45; 17:5

[8] Ibid: Philippians 3:6. John 16:2

[9] Ibid: Mark 7:3-4

[10] Ibid: He follows the injunctions and examples of the Apostles, in opposition to what is improperly called candor. Jude, ver. 3. Galatians 1:8-9. 2 John, ver. 10

[11] Ibid: Titus 2:11-12; Titus 2:14)

[12] The Works of Charles Simeon, op. cit., On Galatians, Discourse (#2073), Text: Galatians 4:18, “The Nature and Importance of Christian Zeal,” pp. 172-173

[13] J. B. Lightfoot: On Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit., pp. 275-276

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER FOUR (Lesson XXXII)

Don Garlington gives us a different view of what Paul meant here in verse fifteen when he asked the Galatians, “Where, then, is your blessing of me now?”^[1] As the New Living Translation puts it, “Where is that joyful and grateful spirit you felt then?” The New Century Version renders it, “You were very happy then, but where is that joy now?” And the New American Standard Bible puts it this way, “Where then is that sense of blessing you had?” Garlington accepts the NASB‘s version paraphrases it as follows: “Where, then, is your blessedness?” In other words, they blessed Paul for coming and giving them the Good News about the Messiah, and he received a blessing by their accepting what he said by faith.^[2] The reason for Paul’s question seems to be that they no longer honored him for his service because they did not feel that blessed by what they experienced upon embracing the Gospel that he delivered to them.

Duncan Heaster writes about the circumstances under which Paul feels that his once good friends in Galatia now saw him as an adversary. He notes that in society and human existence, it is all about what others think of us, more than what we think of ourselves. We may envision ourselves as looking good, confident, and successful, but if those we work with and live around do not share that view of us, it can be very debilitative to our egos. When that happened in Paul’s day, and even today, it causes loss of face before the community and friends, a fate some considered worse than death itself.

For some people, having the honor of one’s family and the community is crucial. That means always being polite, say what was right in the ears of one’s hearers rather than what was true, never shame those in one’s group by telling inconvenient truths; just say what the others wanted to hear. Today we call this “being politically correct.” So, it was against this background that the Apostle Paul decided to be truthful, even if it meant becoming the enemy of some because he stuck with the truth. This would also give us a new challenge every day.^[3] But Paul was, just as we must be, more interested in his standing with God, knowing he told the truth rather than fearing he was laying the groundwork for martyrdom because he would not lie to those he cherished with the love of God.

4:17-18 I understand that these teachers are excited about winning you over to their side, but I can tell you their motives are disgraceful. All they want to do is come between us so that you will turn to them instead of to me. It’s a good thing when people care about you and love you, but why did they wait until I was gone to do this?

 Reading Paul’s assessment of the Judaizers here sounds eerily familiar to what he said to the Romans when he told them of his desire for the Jews to recognize Yeshua as the Messiah and convert to Christianity so that the Family of God is finally united. Paul said, “I know about them. They have a strong desire for God, but they do not know what they should know about Him.”^[4] Paul then goes on to say that people like that are not serving our Lord the Anointed One. They are only interested in pleasing themselves. They use fancy talk and say nice things to fool those who don’t know that much about what they are saying.^[5]

That’s also why Paul worried about the Corinthians. He was afraid that their minds might be led away from the truth concerning what it means to really follow the Anointed One. This could happen to them just as Eve was tricked by the serpent with his clever lies.^[6] He told them that these are dishonest missionaries with a false gospel. They don’t let anyone know what’s really going on with their efforts. But they make themselves look like true ministers of the Anointed One. And that’s no surprise because the devil can make himself look like an angel of enlightenment,[7] and a ravenous wolf disguised as a harmless sheep.[8] So, no one should be amazed when those who do his bidding try to make themselves look like preachers of the Gospel. They and their pretensions will end up getting them what they deserve.^[9]

 Both the Corinthians and the Galatians will find out what the Philippians learned. These people all put their own interests ahead of Yeshua, the Messiah. They couldn’t care less what He gets out of their work, they’re only concerned about what they benefit from it. In like manner, the Apostle Peter was telling it like it is when he wrote that these false teachers only want other people’s money. They’ll use every scheme they can to try and convince you that what they are telling you about salvation and the future is true, when in fact it’s an outright lie. But the judgment against these imposters was included in God’s schedule a long time ago. And they will not escape God’s plan for them.^[10]

 Paul is very clear about the underlying motive of these Judaizers. They want to get the Galatians to stop looking at the Anointed One and looking at Paul for instructions and guidance, and get their eyes on these false prophets from hell. But Paul bears some bad news if the Galatians are fooled into doing so. He tells them that they are being fooled into thinking they’ve got everything they need. To make them think they are rich. Convince them that without any help from Paul, they might become kings. He told them he wished they really were kings. Then they could join forces to combat evil and promote the Gospel. Unfortunately, some of them were so full of pride; they did not think Paul would dare to come and visit them.^[11]

Paul is not opposed to someone helping his ministry team out and supporting them in every way. It’s just that he is upset that the Judaizers are in it for fame and fortune. That way, they would be able to go back to Jerusalem and brag how they wrestled away this special project from this traitor to Judaism and got the Galatians on the right path again. What Paul is going through here sounds a lot like what Phinehas, Aaron’s grandson, was going through trying to get the children of Israel to remain faithful to Yahweh on their way to the promised land. God told Moses; I was so angry with the Israelites I wanted to get rid of them. But Phinehas stepped in and saved them from my anger. He did this by showing that he feels strongly, just as I do, that my people must worship only me.^[12]

This is not the first time Paul needed to write a church he became an intimate part of to be careful about losing their place in God’s plan for winning the world to the Anointed One. He also wrote the Corinthians and told them to stand strong. Not to let anything change them. Keep busy doing God’s work because no one who works hard for the Lord is wasting their time.^[13] After all, the Anointed One willingly gave Himself up to die for us. He died to ransom us from our slavery in sin. The pure Lamb of God died to make us pure, a people who belong only to Him and who always want to be doing His will.^[14] Paul wants them to conduct their lives the right way by doing what the Gospel tells them to do. So, if Paul gets to visit Galatia once more or not, he wants to hear that they are standing steadfast in the truth. He desires to be told that they are working together as one, preaching the Gospel everywhere they go.^[15]

Several psychologists infer that after Paul became a Christian, despite his critical attitude of those who relied on their own abilities and talents to outdo others, he continued to strive to be the best of the best. They say he did this so unconsciously that he became inconsistent in his instructions. In their opinion, without knowing it, Paul turned out to be the very sort of person he preached against by relying on his own abilities and talents to outdo everyone else. They say that Paul excused this by identifying it as God and the Anointed One working through him with their truth and power.  Furthermore, they believe this created tension between his spiritual philosophy of not wanting to rely on his own abilities and talents to be better than others, and his carnal ego’s desire to succeed.  However, these psychologists agree that it was just such inner tension and inconsistency that gave him the competitive element he needed to carry on despite his critics.[16]

I tried to simplify the wording of some psychological assessments I read, but they still make things hard to understand sometimes.  So, let me put it in layman’s language.  Before Paul was converted, he was a Jewish zealot of the highest degree.  He looked to no one for approval and saw no challenge too great for him.  He was determined to be the best anti-Christian Pharisee who ever lived.  After he was born again, he looked only to God and the Anointed One for approval and was willing to accept whatever circumstances he found himself in as part of God’s will and plan for his life. But, say the psychologists, Paul didn’t realize he was doing the same thing for Christianity that he once did for Judaism. Except that now he’s passing it off by claiming that God the Father and the Anointed One the Messiah put him up to it; so, he’s doing it for them! In reality, Paul was contrasting the love he showed to the Galatians with the zeal of the Judaizers, whose goal it was to win them away from him. Paul loved the Galatians in order to win them over to the Anointed One, but the Judaizers’ enthusiasm was to turn them away from the Anointed One back to ceremonial laws.

As a personal example, while growing up, I only attended the church of one specific denomination where my father was the pastor. But I learned a lot about other denominations through the sermons I heard other ministers preach. Unfortunately, I only perceived what was wrong with them, why their belief system was incorrect; why their theology was mistaken; why their teachings on holiness and sanctification were in error; and why they were bound to miss going to the same heaven we were. So, I began to believe that only people who belonged to my denomination would go in the rapture and gather around the throne of God. Can you imagine my shock when later on, I found out that many preachers in my church used commentaries written by theologians from all these other denominations they questioned!  I will politely say it was a case of mistaken identity. This is the approach the Judaizers took in trying to persuade the Galatians to enhance and guarantee their salvation by adding the requirements of Jewish ceremonial laws. In other words, they could not trust this missionary Paul to tell them the whole truth.

[1] New International Version

[2] Don Garlington: On Galatians, op. cit., pp. 125-126

[3] Heaster, Duncan. On Galatians, op. cit., Location 1187-1192, Kindle Edition.

[4] Romans 10:2

[5] Ibid. 16:18

[6] Genesis 3:1-4

[7] 2 Corinthians 11:3

[8] See Matthew 7:15

[9] Ibid. 11:13-15

[10] 2 Peter 2:3

[11] 1 Corinthians 4:8, 18

[12] Numbers 25:11

[13] 1 Corinthians 15:58

[14] Titus 2:14

[15] Philippians 1:27

[16] Wayne G. Rollins; D. Andrew Kille. Psychological Insight into the Bible, op. cit., (Kindle Location 1668-1704)