This week, we are looking at a section of a letter in the Bible called the book of Galatians, where a man named Paul was providing evidence to prove that religion results in alienation, while the gospel results in reconciliation. Yesterday, we saw Paul express his fear that all of the physical, emotional, and spiritual energy that he had expended with the members of the churches of Galatia had produced no result. Paul was afraid that instead of embracing that claims of Christ and the message of the gospel, the members of the churches of Galatia had simply added the gospel to the list of things that they needed to do for God in order to be right with God. And as a result, Paul was afraid that they were still enslaved in the religion of legalism and still separated from God as a result of their selfishness and rebellion.
Today, as we pick up where we left off yesterday, we see Paul reveal the depth of his concern as a result of the problem in the churches of Galatia in verse 12:
I beg of you, brethren, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have done me no wrong; but you know that it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the first time; and that which was a trial to you in my bodily condition you did not despise or loathe, but you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself.
Here we see Paul pleading with the members of the churches of Galatia to consider the consequences of a religious centered life and to instead live gospel centered lives: “become as I am, for I also have become as you are”? But what does that mean? If Paul was making this plea in the language we use in our culture today, his plea would have sounded something like this: “Members of the churches of Galatia, become like me; just as I left the religion of legalism to embrace a gospel centered life, leave legalistic religion behind and embrace the gospel. Just as I left legalistic self righteousness and considered myself in need of rescue from my selfishness and rebellion like you, you need to recognize the selfishness and rebellion within you and embrace the gospel”.
Paul then reminds the members of the churches of Galatia of how they embraced him and the message that he proclaimed to them during his first missionary journey, which is recorded for us in Acts chapters 13 and 14. Paul reveals the reality that it was a physical illness that he was suffering that God used to bring the message of the gospel to the churches of Galatia. And in spite of the physical illness and the burden that his illness placed on the members of the churches of Galatia, Paul explains that they did not despise or loathe him. What is so interesting is that the word loathe, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to spit out.
You see, it would have been very tempting to look at someone like Paul, who was suffering from a significant illness that required significant attention from the members of the church, as being someone who is of little value or worth. It would have been very tempting to view Paul, and the message of the gospel that he was proclaiming, with disdain and reject Paul and his message.
But that is not what the members of the churches of Galatia did. Instead, Paul states that they received him as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself. In other words, the members of the churches of Galatia responded to Paul and the message that he was proclaiming as if it was Jesus Himself who was delivering the message. They warmly and lovingly received and welcomed Paul as a messenger from God with a message from God, which leads Paul to ask the following question, in verse 15:
Where then is that sense of blessing you had? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me. So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?
Paul asks the members of the churches two questions designed to expose the change in their attitude and receptiveness to both Paul and the message of the gospel that he had been proclaiming. First, Paul asks “Where then is that sense of blessing you had?” In other words, Paul is asking “Where is the excitement that you once had about the message of the gospel? Remember how you rejoiced and proclaimed your excitement about having the opportunity to receive forgiveness and a relationship with God based on God’s performance for you and not your performance for God”.
Paul then reminds them that they would have plucked out their eyes and given them to Paul. Most scholars believe that Paul suffered from significant vision problems the rest of his life after his encounter with Jesus Christ on the Damascus Road. Paul’s point here is to remind the members of the churches of Galatia that they would have done anything for Paul in appreciation for him and the message of the gospel he was proclaiming.
In verse 16, we see Paul ask a second question: “So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?” Paul is asking, so now you have hatred and hostility toward me because I told you the truth about God’s message of rescue through the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel? So because I told you that our rescue and right relationship with God is revealed not as a result of our activity for God by keeping a list of rules for God, but as a result of the Holy Spirit’s activity as God in our lives, you are mad at me? Because you were not mad at me when I shared the message of the gospel with you when I was with you a year ago”.
Tomorrow, we will see Paul shift his focus to expose the motivations of those who were influencing and leading the members of the churches of Galatia to turn away from a gospel centered life and toward the religion of legalism and reveal for us another timeless reason why we are to vote no on religion…
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