Summary: The Galatians had exchanged the bondage of idolatry for the bondage of the Law. False teachers promise freedom but chain their adherents in bonds. Our freedom in Christ must be protected. Do not use your freedom as an excuse to sin.

THE BOOK OF GALATIANS – CHAPTER 4:8-11 - MESSAGE 14 - DO NOT BECOME WALLOWING SOWS IN BONDAGE – PROTECT YOUR FREEDOM IN CHRIST

[PART A]

Galatians 4:8 However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods,

Galatians 4:9 but now that you have come to know God, or rather, TO BE KNOWN BY GOD, how is it that you turn back again to the WEAK AND WORTHLESS ELEMENTAL THINGS, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?

Galatians 4:10 You observe days and months and seasons and years.

Galatians 4:11 I fear for you that perhaps I have LABOURED OVER YOU IN VAIN.

VERSE 8

In our previous study we saw that Paul had declared to the Galatians their high, privileged position as sons of God and our “Abba Father”. Then he went on to declare our position as heirs. They were all precious truths and obtained, not by turning back to the Law but through the grace of God lavishly given to us. The saints have obtained through the death and reconciliation of Christ, not only sonship; not only heirship; but an unfading inheritance.

He reminds them of their own origins so that he can reinforce the error they have entered into. They have come out of one bondage and are returning to another bondage. The Galatians knew the worthlessness of idolatry so now they are entering another worthlessness (not that the Law is worthless, but it is of no use for salvation).

VERSE 9

Now he moves to an extra argument to make them aware of their terrible position to which they had succumbed. These people had placed themselves into slavery, not under pagan gods as they once were but now under the Law; the slavery of the Law. He calls these items they were adopting, “weak and worthless elemental things”. By that he is going back to first principles and in the “religious world” that is going back to the Law.

The different translations try to define this term - “weak and bankrupt elemental forces” (Holman); “elementary principles” (ESV); “weak and miserable” (NIV); “weak and needy” (Darby). To return to what was superseded because of its failure, is a failure itself. For anybody wanting to put themselves under the Law that person has failed in the justification that is of God. There is a large religious group that is trying to impose that position on Christian people very similar to the Judiasers who were infiltrating the Galatian churches.

Paul uses a revealing phrase – “rather, to be known by God”. We should never forget that it was God who reached out to us, not the other way around. We would never have sought God on our own accord. Sin is so awful that it will run from God, not come for deliverance. To be enlightened by God and then to go back to what we were, is a terrible state. Peter in writing about that said this – {{2Peter 2:19-22 (describing these teachers coming along) “promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption, for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. If after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. It would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT,” AND, “A SOW, AFTER WASHING, RETURNS TO WALLOWING IN THE MIRE.”}}

Peter is speaking of a worse situation than what the Galatians were engaged in, but in broad strokes there is a shadowing of principles here. There is a warning to be steadfast in the faith; certain in doctrine and practice; and to remain true to the bible and not deviate from it. False teachers and imposters are rapidly on the rise. How are they to be combatted? The tools we have are the word of God itself, prayer, discernment, and alertness. We must acquaint ourselves with the agendas of these groups and be able to refute them on God’s word alone. The Galatians slackened off and lost the fight.

The Colossians had a similar problem – {{Colossians 2:20 “If you have died with Christ to the ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES OF THE WORLD, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”}}. Like the Galatians they had reverted to a different creed that they thought would enhance their Christian lives, but what they were doing was to put themselves into slavery or bondage to another system that would weaken and destroy their Christian standing. They had come from the bondage of idolatry as did the Galatians, and that is the elementary principles of the world. It was the world’s spiritual forces, and the poor and beggarly ordinances of religion. Add a bit of the Law; a bit of Gnosticism; bit of Eastern Religion . . .

VERSE 10

Days, month, seasons and years. Well it could be said that Christians observe certain dates and times like Easter and Christmas, speaking of the Easter period and the Christmas season. What is the difference?

Verse 10 implies they were following the ritual decrees of the Law with the sacrifices and feasts to be observed. Maybe some of these Galatians reasoned that the Law had been given by God and they would enhance their faith in Christ by being devout to the Law. The false teachers had come in and were starting to add to the true gospel, and catching these Galatians as slaves to a system. You can not add to the gospel. So many do. Although the gospel is profound, it is simple, for we are simple people (some of us very simple). Drowning people do not want a handbook on the elements of Water Rescue. They just want to be saved from drowning.

Here is a lengthy quote from Bishop Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers that I think explains this matter further –

[[ (10) YE OBSERVE - A compound word, signifying not only “to observe,” but “to observe scrupulously.” The word is used by Josephus in his paraphrase of the fourth commandment: “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy” (Ant. iii. 5, § 5).

DAYS - i.e., in the first instance and especially, the Jewish Sabbaths; but other fasts or festivals which occupied a single day may be included.

MONTHS - The description mounts in an ascending scale—days, months, seasons, years. The “months,” however, mean really “the first day of the month,” the “new moon.” (See Leviticus 23:24; Numbers 28:11; Psalm 81:3)

TIMES - SEASONS: such as the Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

YEARS - Such as the sabbatical year and the year of jubilee. The Apostle is giving a list which is intended to be exhaustive of all Jewish observances, so that it would not necessarily follow that the Galatians had actually kept the year of jubilee, or even that it was kept literally by the Jews at this time.

As to the bearing of this passage on the general question of the observance of seasons, it is to be noticed that the reference is here to the adoption by the Galatians of the Jewish seasons as a mark of the extent to which they were prepared to take on themselves the burden of the Mosaic law. It does not necessarily follow that the observance of Christian seasons is condemned. At the same time, it is quite clear that Paul places all such matters under the heading of “elements” or “rudiments.” They belong to the lowest section of Christian practice, and the more advanced a Christian is the less he needs to be bound by them. ]]

What Paul is saying to them is that they are no better putting themselves under the Law than to be in paganism because both enslave the people putting them into bondage – that is equally bad. Neither can bring deliverance or salvation. Some quotes about the bondage of people to systems –

1. “- - - the long and bitter experiences I had in that bondage” (the Law).

2. “here I am bound with these chains.”

3. “It seems they will crush me. They are a yoke of bondage I can not stand up under. Still I do want to be right.”

4. “How am I straightened while the fetters are being forged for most unwilling limbs. What distress we are in as a people! How miserable, and is there no relief?”

It is so bad that these Galatians who knew the bitterness and slavery of paganism, are now so willing again to enter into bondage, this time placing themselves under the Law. Christian, do not give a moment of consideration to those who want you to be under the elements of the Law such as the keeping of the Sabbath and holding to certain Mosaic features of the Law. They are false teachers ensnaring millions of Christians, especially in less developed nations. God would say of them – {{Galatians 1:9 “As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.”}}

Paul told them to stand fast in the liberty Christ has given them. As Christians we must be very careful not to allow ourselves to become enslaved by bondage to anything. I don’t mean to pagan practices or by adopting the Law. I mean in personal behaviour. If you have to rush from the bedroom when you wake in the morning to have your first coffee fix for the day or you will go hypo without it, then are you not in bondage to some drug?

There is only a fine line between addiction and bondage and both are in the same melting pot. If you say, “I don’t care what people say. I will just do what I want,” or you behave that way, then are you not in bondage to your own pride which affects you and hurts others?” There are just so many things that fall into this category – in bondage to alcohol, gambling, money, social standing, food – the list is very long. It is even worse when a Christian is delivered from these bondages of the world and then goes and slips back into them as we saw earlier in Peter.

VERSE 11

Paul was upset and therefore his comment about laboring in vain. He said he feared lest he had been working for nothing. It was a comment from genuine concern or one of those we say in our speech, not so seriously, but I think it was the former. It is most distressing when a work for the Lord is done and the savage wolves move in to destroy what was a vibrant work for the Lord.

I visit the South Pacific island nations from time to time and I have been distressed to see the way the cults are savagely ripping into these island nations with American money, destroying the testimony of these lovely simple Christians. When we understand the damage done it is distressing and I suppose I can appreciate the way Paul was feeling when he wrote these words. The cults cause division as they do the devil’s work. I won’t hide them but will name them – Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons (Latter Day Saints). I said it before but I will say again, they are awash with American money establishing compounds and spending. I love these island Christians and what is happening is a travesty.

GUARD YOUR FREEDOM

Briefly we will look at three verses dealing with freedom. Yes, to have freedom is good, but like a garden, it needs to be tended else the weeds will overtake the good work done.

(a). {{Galatians 5:1 “It was for freedom that Christ set us free. Therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to A YOKE OF SLAVERY.”}}

We will look at this in detail later but just for now, it is an injunction to stand firm; in fact to KEEP standing firm. We can not let down our guard or we might be carried into some form of slavery and that can be very subtle. Reverting to the evil of before is dangerous and the word used is “yoke”. Yokes hold the animals fast and the restraints are very secure.

(b). {{2Peter 2:19 “promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption, for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.”}}

False teachers are like some politicians. Those who promote freedom and good policies for the people are the very ones who are bound up themselves. They are deceived and they bind up others in slavery. It was bad enough in Peter’s time but it is very bad today at the end of the Church age when deceivers and imposters are proceeding from bad to worse. 2Timothy 3:13.

(c). {{1Peter 2:16 “Act as free men, and DO NOT USE YOUR FREEDOM AS A COVERING FOR EVIL, but use it as bondslaves of God.”}}

Money laundering is when corrupt money is sent through legitimate channels to appear as if the money is “clean”. What Peter is speaking of is the reverse. The Christian is free in Christ and that freedom has grave responsibilities to live correctly and not engage in wickedness. In a wider sense, using our freedom to embrace what is evil, that is, the doctrines of false teachers is very bad. As bondslaves of Christ we must never lift the “yoke of Christ” to replace it by another false and deceptive yoke.

We need to know the continuing freedom in Christ that will deliver from every bondage. To give you one as an example, one in a marriage relationship – actually a contradiction almost – if one partner is so independent and keeps acting in independence to the hurt of the other partner in the marriage, then that independence becomes a bondage.

One aspect that concerns me is in Christian circles actually. It happens in churches. That is the bondage to rules and regulations of men, to set programs devised by someone, and the placing of burdens on people. May God deliver us from those yokes. There is one particular group, part of a denomination, that is insistent on official church membership. It would pressure the local churches and in my opinion, place people under a bondage for something that is not scriptural. We have an enormous freedom but with that, comes responsibility. Do not use your freedom as an opportunity to sin.

In writing to the Colossians Paul dealt with this same matter of freedom – {{Colossians 2:16-22 Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day - things which are a mere shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God. If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (which all refer to things destined to perish with the using) - in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?}}

There is only a fine line between bondage and conformity. There is so much conformity in church practice but this is not the time for that subject.

A Chinese missionary who could only function in China in the simplicity of gathering as Christians because of the political situation, has written this, [[ “How many there are in this day who are doing exactly what these Galatians did? How many try to force on Christians the seventh day, the old Jewish Sabbath. How many say that on certain days we must not eat meat while others try to tell us we must not eat it at all? How many openly tell us we must observe the Jewish Law and make us slaves to the 10 commandments, a yoke no man has been able to bear? See the outward forms that so many teachers observe today. See the robes and vestments that they wear. See the names and titles they take to themselves. How little do they realise that in the sight of God all this is not only worthless and useless but in reality is going back to the slavery of heathenism. How many true Christians have prepared for themselves an unwritten list or code of rules? In God’s sight all these are weak and poverty-stricken principles. These are strong words but they are the clear teaching of the Holy Spirit in these Galatian verses.”

Do not think idolatry has its character improved because those practising it worship Jesus. True Christianity refuses any mixture such as this. Christianity is the most tender, gentle, loving thing in all the world. No sinner is too bad to receive a welcome, but Christianity is the sternest and strongest opponent of anything and everything that men wish to add to it or to mix into it. True Christianity is the most exclusive thing in all the world. I mean by this, exclusive of sin and falsehood. True Christianity will not tolerate having forms and ceremonies added to it. True Christianity will not tolerate any addition or any mixture, not even the Old Testament Law. All such in God’s sight are simply heathenism and idolatry.” (G.C.Willis) ]]

Paul is so upset about their position that he even questions that he has laboured for the Lord in vain when it came to them. Their departure from the faith was an enormous blow to him. There was such a feeling, a mixture of betrayal, loss, departure, deceit, immaturity among others. You can see by the strength of words in the first couple of chapters of this letter that Paul was absolutely forthright as to his feelings on this matter. May we be so, too. There is no place for error or compromise.