Sunday School lecture - 6/29/03
Galatians 4:8-20
Verses 12-20 can be referred to as the “appeal to emotion.” This text gives us a bit of biographical information and some insight into Paul’s initial encounter with the Galatians. Aside from the firm arguments of chapter 2 & 3, an appeal to emotion is often a very effective tool in debate as emotionalism will sway someone one way or the other, a device often used as well by the legalists. Having the Galatians think back to that initial meeting and experience would reinforce Paul’s demonstration of the initial conversion experience. The rhetorical question of 16 is more or less a guilt trip tactic.
We do encounter more difficulties in this passage, however. The “bodily ailment” spoken of in verse 13 is not specified and has led to much conjecture on the subject. Some believe that the affliction was malaria and Paul went to the higher elevation of Galatia to heal just as people in our time would go to Arizona for respiratory ailments. This would support the North Galatian theory if correct. Others think that Paul may have had epilepsy. I am unable to find any support for this conjecture. Another popular theory is that Paul had failing eyesight and support this notion with the text from verse 15 and 6:11. Paul also refers to the “thorn in his flesh” 2Corinthians 12:7 with no further explanation as to what this may be and many conjecture eyesight also from this passage. Further support of the theory is found in Paul’s initial conversion experience on the road to Damascus when he saw a blinding light that left him unable to see for quite some time. It is interesting that of all the commentary I read, no one puts forth the theory that maybe the guy was just plain long deathly ill. Botulism, dysentery, or pneumonia would fit the bill just as well as any of these other explanations.
Notice also the switch from “foolish Galatians” to “brothers”, and “little children”. Paul is no longer scolding as an Apostle but imploring as a fellow Christian. Verse 18 finally points out the intentions of the Judaizers and of all legalists throughout history: self-glorification.
Now back to verses 8-11. (read text) Paul seems to initially start out in verse 8 talking about the paganism from which the Galatians may have been converted. Paganism is defined as “1 : a follower of a polytheistic religion (as in ancient Rome)
2 : one who has little or no religion and who delights in sensual pleasures and material goods : an irreligious or hedonistic person”
In verse 9 Paul asks the seemingly unanswerable question of how these people of whom he was convinced had been converted could turn back to this same lifestyle, return to the flesh. Remember, Paul is confused about what was happening to the Galatians. He was a fervent, passionate, zealous man both when he was a Pharisee and after he became an Apostle. He was genuinely shocked at the behavior of these fledgling Christians as we read in verse 20. I think Paul initially underestimated the role of free will and how man by nature is drawn towards the desire of the flesh. I believe Paul learned from his experience with the Galatians. He would repeat the arguments in Galatians when he wrote the Romans, and would speak of the battle between flesh and Spirit in Ephesians, Colossians and Philippians, and briefly in 1Thessalonians. Christ, of course knew of this battle more fully and we have the well known verse of the Spirit being willing, but the flesh being weak.
These “elemental principles of the world” are certainly the things of which sermons are made and is the concept on which our quarterly wants us to focus.
Paul seems to switch from the paganistic practices of the Galatian natives to the legalistic practices of the Judaizers in verse 10 without breaking thought, putting these two lifestyles into the same column. Normally, Paul would refer to the Law as superior to paganism (Romans 3:1-2; 9:4-5), however, in this case, both offered the same threat: a turn from the promise of Grace through faith.
There are sects within the Baptist denomination that take this verse quite literally, concerning religious holidays and do not celebrate Easter nor Christmas. Their reasoning is that we, the church, should be celebrating these occasions ALL the time, not just at some specific point on the calendar. Also, there is no textual evidence that the primitive churches celebrated any holidays, therefore, these sects refrain from making them holy days.
Verse 12 also has a bit of ambiguity to it and is prone to interpretation. The most plausible explanation I have found is that Paul is referring to the fact that he had lived like a Gentile, despite his Jewish background, and he is imploring the Galatians to now live as he did, in the Christian walk.
Paganism, as false deity worship, is probably not as great a threat to our culture as it was to the Galatians, however, the desires of the flesh and our leanings toward hedonism are very much prevalent in our culture and if we are not vigilant, the culture affects the church rather than the church affecting the culture. It is easy to add to the flesh column.
Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me; buried, He carried my sins far away, rising He justified freely forever: one day He`s coming: oh glorious day.
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