This week, we are looking at 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. Wednesday, we saw Paul plead with the members of the churches of Galatia to consider the consequences of a religious centered life and to instead live gospel centered lives. Today, 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 in verse 17:
They eagerly seek you, not commendably, but they wish to shut you out so that you will seek them. But it is good always to be eagerly sought in a commendable manner, and not only when I am present with you.
When Paul refers to the “they” in verse 17, he is referring to a group of people known as the Judaizers. Now the Judaizers taught that to become a Christian, one must follow the Mosaic Law’s standards and become circumcised. The Judaizers were legalists who advocated for the religion of legalism. Paul explains to the members of the churches of Galatia that the Judaizers were interested in earning their favor, but the reason they were interested in earning their favor was not above board. Instead, Paul states that the Judaizers were trying to earn the favor of the members of the churches of Galatia so that they would shut you out so that you would seek them.
Paul’s point here is that the Judaizers were trying to earn the favor of the Galatians by discrediting Paul in order to exclude the members of the churches of Galatia from being connected with Paul and the message of the gospel that he was proclaiming so they would instead align with them and the religion of legalism that they were proclaiming.
The issue wasn’t that the Judaizers interested in earning the favor of the members of the churches of Galatia; the issue was how the Judaizers were going about attempting to earn their favor. The issue was the motivation behind the Judaizers attempts to earn their favor. The motivation and methods of the Judaizers was to earn the favor of the churches of Galatia so that they would turn away from living gospel centered lives to instead embrace living religious centered lives. Paul then concludes this section of his letter by painting a powerful word picture that reveals another timeless reason why we are to vote no on religion. Let’s look at it together, beginning in Galatians 4:19:
My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you-- but I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.
To understand what Paul is communicating here we first need to unpack this word picture. Paul refers to the members of the churches of Galatia as my children and then paints a metaphorical picture of a mother in labor. Paul explains that just as a mother in labor will suffer greatly during labor until she gives birth to the new life within here, Paul has been laboring; Paul has been suffering greatly in his attempt to bring new life to the members of the churches of Galatia. And he thought that he had already made it through the labor and brought new children into the world.
However, Paul explains that he is again in labor. And the reason that he is in labor; the reason he is suffering is because the new life has not yet arrived. The new life has not been fully formed. The members of the churches of Galatia have not experienced the new life that comes from being in relationship with Christ as a result of placing one’s confident trust in the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel. Instead, the members of the churches of Galatia were embracing the false religion of legalism.
And because of that reality, Paul states in verse 20 that he wished that he could be present with them face to face. This letter was not sufficient to convey the seriousness of the problem at the churches of Galatia. Paul wished that he could be there face to face because words on a page would not convey the urgency of the situation. Instead of words on a page, Paul wanted to change the tone of his voice. Perhaps the change of a tone of voice would grab their attention, because at this point, Paul is perplexed about the members of the churches of Galatia. Now this word perplexed literally means to be so confused that one is at a loss.
You see, Paul thought that he had given birth to a group of churches who were filled with people who had been given new life through the message of the gospel. But what he was seeing now from the members of the churches of Galatia was not the new life that is part of the body of Christ. Instead, Paul was seeing something else. And what he was seeing had him at a loss.
And it is here that we see Paul reveal for us another timeless reason why we are to vote no on religion. And that timeless reason is this: We are to vote no on religion because relying on religion reveals that you are dead. You see, what Paul was seeing were dead people walking. And the reason why Paul was seeing dead people walking is because that is what relying on religion reveals. When we rely on religion, we reveal that we are dead.
When we rely on religion we reveal the reality that we are still separated from God as a result of the selfishness and rebellion that separates us from God. Relying on the religion of legalism reveals that we are dead because legalism calls us to a life and a lifestyle that is based on our performance for God that will always fall short of being able to rescue us from the selfishness and rebellion that separates us from God. And relying on the religion of license reveals that we are dead because the religion of license calls us to a life and a lifestyle that embraces and enslaves us to the very selfishness and rebellion that separates us from God.
So here is the question: are you a dead man walking, so to speak? Have you been casting your ballot to vote for a religious centered life? Because, as we have seen, relying on religion only reveals that you are a dead man walking, being separated from God as a result of our selfishness and rebellion. Or have you been casting your ballot to vote for a gospel centered life that brings us new life into the relationship with God that we were created for as a result of placing our confident trust in what God has done for us by believing, trusting and following Jesus as Lord and Leader?
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