During this election season, we have been spending our
time together in the church I serve in looking at a letter in our Bible called
the book of Galatians, where we have discovered several timeless reasons why we
are to vote no on religion. Last week, we discovered that we are to vote no on
religion because religion confines and can only guide us to see our need for
Christ. Whether it the religion of legalism or the religion of license, every
religious system can only confine us and guide us to see our need for a
rescuer. But religion does not provide that rescuer that can deliver us from
the destructive power of selfishness and rebellion that is within us.
We saw Paul revealing for us the reality that regardless
of one’s cultural or socioeconomic background; regardless of one’s gender; we
all receive the opportunity to experience forgiveness and the fulfillment of
God’s promise to humanity the same way. And that way is not through religion or
religious activity. That way is by placing our confident trust in the claims of
Christ and the message of the gospel by believing, trusting, and following
Jesus as Lord and Leader.
Now this week, I would like to pick up where we left off
last week, where we will see Paul continue to provide evidence to prove that
the way to experience forgiveness and a relationship with God is only by
placing our confident trust in the claims of Christ and the message of the
gospel. And it is in the evidence that Paul provides that we will discover
another timeless reason why we are to vote no on religion. So let’s look at the
evidence together, beginning in Galatians 4:1:
Now I say,
as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although
he is owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the
date set by the father.
Paul begins this section of his letter to the members of
the churches of Galatia by pointing to a familiar scenario involving fathers
and their children in the Roman Culture of the first century. However, since we
live in the 21st century, to understand what Paul is communicating
here, let’s take a minute and unpack this scenario. In the Roman culture and
law of the Paul’s day, if a father died early in life and left the family
estate to a child, then the child heir of the family estate was under the
control of a tutor until he was the age of fourteen. Then from the age of
fourteen until 25 the child heir was under a curator that was appointed by a
judge if the father had not done so as part of a will. However, in most wills,
a father, prior to his death would set a date, in advance, as to when the child
would be considered an adult and have the freedom to have access and authority
over the family estate.
Paul then reminds the members of the churches of Galatia that
until the child reached the date that had been set in advance by their father,
the child does not differ at all from a slave. The child, while the rightful
heir to the family estate, has no freedom or authority when it comes to accessing
all that they own as heir to the estate. Instead they are restricted by the
guardians and managers that the father had set over them until the date that
the father had set in advance arrived. Even though the child owned the family
estate, the child was had no power over the estate or his situation. The heir
was restricted and limited when it came to experiencing the freedom that he was
destined for until a date in the future. After reminding the members of the
churches of Galatia of this familiar scenario, Paul draws an analogy in verse
3:
So also we,
while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the
world.
Here we see Paul provide a spiritual analogy to this
familiar family scenario involving children and their father. “So also we,
while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the
world.” In other words, Paul is stating that God, as our Heavenly Father, had
set a date, in advance, when humanity would be able to experience the blessings
that come from being in a right relationship with God. However, prior to the
date that God the Father had set in advance, humanity was held in bondage;
humanity was restricted from experiencing the freedom that they were destined
for. Humanity had no power over their situation. Even though humanity was
created for a relationship with God as their Heavenly Father and for a
relationship with one another as brothers and sisters, humanity was enslaved
and was unable to experience the freedom that comes from living in the
relationship with God and one another that they were created for.
Paul then explains that what enslaved and restricted
humanity from experiencing the relationship with God and one another that they
were created for were the elemental things of the world. But what does that
mean? What are the elemental things of the world? When Paul refers to the
elemental things of the world, he is referring to the elementary forms of
religion that had come to dominate the world. As we have talked about
throughout this series, a clear and simple definition of religion is that
religion is man’s attempt to do things for God in order to be right with
God.
And here we see Paul reinforcing the evidence that we
looked at last week when we discovered that we are to vote no on religion
because religion confines and can only guide us to see our need for Christ.
Whether it the religion of legalism or the religion of license, every religious
system can only confine us. Religion can only confine and imprison us in the
selfishness and rebellion that resides in us and separates us from God. All
religion can do is guide us to see our need for a rescuer. But religion does
not provide that rescuer that can deliver us from the destructive power of
selfishness and rebellion that is within us.
Paul’s point to the members of
the churches of Galatia, and to humanity throughout history, is that humanities
attempts to do things for God in order to be right with God through religious
performance only enslaved and restricted humanity from the relationship with
God that they were created for. Humanities embrace of religion resulted in
continued alienation from God. And this reality was not a surprise to God. God
was not in Heaven saying “Oh no, we didn’t see that one coming! What are we
going to do now?”
You see, God was not surprised.
God already had a plan in mind. And God had already set a date in advance when
He would intervene in human history in a most unexpected and powerful way in
order to provide humanity the opportunity to experience the forgiveness and
freedom that comes from living in the relationship with God that we were
created for.
Tomorrow, we will see Paul reveal
that date and that plan to the members of the churches of Galatia…
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