Galatians 4:8-11

                                                                            Galatians 4:8-11

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.  But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?  You observe days and months and seasons and years!  I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

 

When the Lord sets us free from the sin in which we were all born and to which we were all enslaved, rejoicing should be the natural response.  While rejoicing may be the initial response, unfortunately we often find ourselves turning back to and longing for the very things that had once enslaved us.  This is what had happened in Galatia and Paul is doing all he can to call them back to Christ.  There are truths here that are important for all of us to learn.

 

IDOLATRY IS ENSLAVING: Sin and all kinds of idolatry enslave us because we become dependent upon them.  Satan is constantly offering false gods to us as alternatives to worshiping the one and true God.  Since we were created to worship, when we don’t worship God, our hearts will incline to worshiping idols of our own making in the form of pleasures, possessions, and power.  These idols promise satisfaction to us but are never satisfied.  They promise freedom but enslave us.  Paul describes these idols as weak, worthless and of the world.  They are completely unable to deliver what they promise and only lead to frustration on earth and condemnation for eternity.

 

SALVATION IS LIBERATING: When we repent of our sin, turning from these demonic and humanistic idols, and place our faith in Christ alone, we are set free from our slavery to sin and idolatry.  Our sins or forgiven and we experience the joy of doing that for which we were created to do: worship God.  He satisfies the longings of our hearts, liberates us from the sin that enslaved us, and begins a process of conforming us to the image of Christ that will culminate in our eternal perfection as we enjoy His presence.  It is completely astounding that those who have experienced this freedom would turn back to idols once again.

 

LEGALISM IS TEMPTING: Salvation is dependent upon God and promotes the true worship of God.  Fallen men lust for independence and are deceived into thinking that becoming objects of worship because of our own achievements will be fulfilling.  We want to earn our own way and be able to point to our efforts and works as evidence of our goodness.  Keeping rules and following rituals is tempting because they make us think that we are earning our own way.  This is futility and Paul says that it sacrifices all that he worked so hard to produce in the church to bring them the Gospel.

 

APPLICATION:  Don’t be deceived into thinking that sin and idolatry will ever bring us true joy.  Identify the false gods in our lives and turn from them to worship the God who created us for that purpose.  Reject any notion that we are worthy of worship or can work to earn our own salvation.  Constantly point people to Christ and call on them to join us in faith and true worship.

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