An Overview of Galatians
By Joe Guagliardo
Galatians 4:12-20; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10″
Paul speaks of the Galatian’s Conversion to Christianity.”
June 24, 2023
“In the biblical sense, conversion means a turning—a spiritual turning away from sin in repentance and to Christ in Faith. It is a dramatic turning away from one path in order to pursue an entirely new one.”
https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/what-true-conversion
In late 1988, my wife Kathy and I had a conversion of sorts. We had been brought up in the Catholic church. We had adopted our daughter, Heather, earlier in the year and wanted to have her baptized.
We had begun attending church after many years and had asked our best friends, Fred and Sue, to be the sponsors. The Catholic church said we couldn’t have them as sponsors, as they weren’t Catholic; they were Lutheran. My wife even called the Archdiocese about the situation, and they said the same thing. We had to have Catholics as our sponsors.
To make a long story short, we joined Fred and Sue’s church, Our Savior Lutheran. Fred and Sue became Heather’s godparents, and our life in the L.C.M.S. began.
In retrospect, a few things caused us pause, but Pastor Behring (looking down from heaven now) sat with us for over an hour and allayed our fears. (Hell, and damnation for doing the wrong thing) 😊
That brings us to today’s lesson. In the Bible passages below, Paul reminds the Galatians of their conversion to Christianity. He also talks about how upset he is that the Zealots continue to try and draw the new converts down a path of alienation from Christ.
Let’s take a few moments to peruse today’s reading.
“I plead with you, brothers and sisters, become like me, for I became like you. You did me no wrong. As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you, and even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God as if I were Christ Jesus himself. Where, then, is your blessing of me now? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?
Those people are zealous to win you over but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us so that you may have zeal for them. It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you. My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone because I am perplexed about you!”
Galatians 4:12-20
Paul speaks of his illness or infirmities. Some believe that the reason he stopped in Galatia at all was because of his condition.
“As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you, and even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn.”
If you have read any of Paul’s writings, you know he suffered from some type of infirmity.
In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Paul says:
“Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
We know that Paul suffered from some type(s) of infirmity(ties). But we don’t know precisely what Paul’s illnesses were. Interestingly, some say Paul was the greatest promoter of the Christian Faith that ever lived. Yet he, like you and me, still suffered from earthly illnesses.
“God does not promise to bless Christians by removing suffering but to bless Christians through suffering. Jesus suffered not so that we might not suffer but so that in our suffering, we would become like Him. God uses our suffering to bring about good.”
(Galatians for you, Timothy Keller, Pp.111.)
Paul was warmly greeted and accepted by the Galatians. Yet now, they are ready to, Jump ship, so to speak, and follow the Zealots (Judaizers).
Paul is okay with the Galatians, or any of us, being zealous. But it needs to be for the right reasons.
“It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you.”
As I’ve mentioned before, the Judaizers believed in Jesus. Still, they added that you must adhere to the Law, celebrate holidays, and do works for salvation. The Galatians welcomed Paul’s teaching of Faith without works. But now they saw Paul in their rearview mirrors and were about to change to their old ways.
“My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone because I am perplexed about you!”
Paul finishes these verses with his bewilderment that the Galatians were ready to throw his (Paul’s) teachings out the window and accept the teaching of Faith and works that the Judaizers promoted.
The Galatians’ predicament is not unlike what we see today. People accept leaders and their beliefs when they are in front of them or align with what is easy for them.
Jesus never said salvation was easy. It’s a hard road for you and me to travel until His eventual return.
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