GALATIANS 4:12–20
What Happened to Your Joy?
Paul has been making a careful argument.
The promise came before the Law.
The Law served as a guardian until Christ.
Christ came.
Those who belong to Christ are no longer slaves but children and heirs.
Now Paul's tone changes.
For a few verses, the argument becomes very personal.
Paul isn't writing about strangers.
He knows these people.
He remembers how they once treated him.
And he wants to know what happened.
“Become Like Me”
Paul writes:
“I plead with you, brothers and sisters, become like me, for I became like you.” — Galatians 4:12
What does Paul mean?
Remember the controversy.
Gentiles were being pressured to adopt Jewish practices.
But Paul, a Jew, had crossed those old boundaries to bring the gospel to Gentiles.
He had not required them to become Jews.
Now they were moving toward the very system Paul had left behind.
So Paul pleads with them:
Don't go backward.
Paul Remembers When They First Met
Paul says:
“As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you.” — verse 13
Something was physically wrong with Paul.
But notice what Paul does not tell us.
He doesn't identify the illness.
That hasn't stopped people from guessing.
Some have suggested an eye problem.
Others have proposed malaria, epilepsy, or some other condition.
But the text doesn't tell us.
And that gives us a good lesson in Bible study:
When Scripture doesn't tell us, we should be careful about pretending that we know.
They Did Not Reject Paul
Whatever Paul's condition was, apparently it could have made him unpleasant or difficult to receive.
Yet Paul says:
“Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn.” — verse 14
Instead:
“You welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.”
That is quite a reception.
They had loved Paul.
They had respected him.
They had received his message gladly.
“Where, Then, Is Your Blessing?”
Paul asks:
“Where, then, is your blessing of me now?” — verse 15
Something had changed.
These people who once welcomed Paul enthusiastically were now being influenced by teachers who opposed his message.
Paul remembers how devoted they had been to him:
“If you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me.”
Some have used that statement to argue that Paul's illness involved his eyes.
That's possible.
But Paul doesn't actually say that.
It may simply be a vivid way of saying:
You would have given me anything.
Again, we should distinguish between what the text says and what we infer.
“Have I Now Become Your Enemy?”
Then comes a painful question:
“Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?” — verse 16
Think about that change.
Paul had once been welcomed like an angel.
Now he was being treated almost like an enemy.
Why?
Had Paul changed his gospel?
No.
The Galatians were listening to different teachers.
Sometimes the person who tells us what we want to hear feels like our friend.
And the person who tells us an uncomfortable truth can begin to feel like our enemy.
Paul refuses to change his message just to keep their approval.
Other Teachers Were Courting Them
Paul says:
“Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good.” — verse 17
The teachers troubling Galatia were paying attention to them.
They were eager to gain their loyalty.
But Paul says their purpose was wrong.
“What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them.”
Notice the difference.
Paul wants the Galatians committed to Christ.
These teachers want the Galatians committed to them.
That's an important warning in any generation.
A teacher who constantly draws attention to himself rather than Christ deserves careful examination.
Zeal Isn't Enough
Paul says:
“It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good.” — verse 18
Being sincere isn't enough.
Being enthusiastic isn't enough.
Being religious isn't enough.
The teachers troubling Galatia were apparently quite zealous.
Paul had once been extremely zealous himself.
Remember what he told us in chapter 1:
He had been “extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.”
And while doing so, he persecuted the church.
Zeal must be guided by truth.
Paul Calls Them His Children
Then Paul's language becomes especially tender:
“My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you...” — verse 19
Paul isn't trying to win an argument for the pleasure of being right.
He cares about these people.
He compares his concern to the pains of childbirth.
And notice his goal:
“until Christ is formed in you.”
Not:
Until you agree with Paul about everything.
Not:
Until you become members of Paul's group.
His goal is Christ.
“I Am Perplexed About You”
Paul finishes:
“How I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!” — verse 20
That helps explain some of Paul's strong language in Galatians.
This is a letter.
Paul isn't standing in front of them.
He cannot hear their responses.
He cannot see their faces.
He wishes he could sit down with them and talk.
His strong words come from concern.
He is afraid they are abandoning the freedom they have in Christ.
Truth and Love Belong Together
This little paragraph teaches us something important about disagreement among Christians.
Paul does not compromise what he believes is true.
But neither does he treat the Galatians as enemies.
He calls them:
“brothers and sisters”
and:
“my dear children.”
He corrects them because he loves them.
That is a useful model for us.
We can disagree strongly about Scripture without ridiculing people who read it differently.
The goal isn't to defeat somebody.
The goal is to understand the truth and follow Christ.
Follow Paul's Argument
Paul has paused to remind the Galatians of their relationship.
But now he returns to his argument about the Law.
And he does something fascinating.
He goes back to Abraham again.
This time he talks about Abraham's two sons.
One was born to a slave woman.
The other was born to a free woman.
And Paul asks those who want to be under the Law:
Have you really listened to what the Law itself says?
That is where we go next.
Read the paragraph.
Follow the argument.
Check the context.
Read First. Conclude Later.