Daily Devotions
Galatians
"They zealously court you, but for no good..."
Text: Galatians 4:17a
SEEING THROUGH THE PLOYS OF FALSE TEACHERS
It was difficult for the Galatians to see through the ploys of the false teachers. On the other hand, the apostle Paul had much experience battling false teachers. Paul felt that he needed to expose the false teachers.
They zealously court you, but for no good;
yes, they want to exclude you,
that you may be zealous for them.
But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always,
and not only when I am present with you.Galatians 4:17-18
1. Zeal
a) Zeal in itself is a good thing.
b) The Galatians had been zealous for God when Paul was with them.
c) Paul encouraged the Galatians to always be zealous… but if it is in pursuing good things.
2. The zeal of the false teachers
a) They were very zealous too.
b) They zealously courted the Galatians.
3. Three things that need to be remembered about false teachers:
a) They are up to no good.
b) Their secret goal is to exclude Gentiles from entering into the kingdom of God.
They felt that only the children of Abraham (physical descent) would be the heirs of God.
c) They wanted to make proselytes out of the young Christians so that they could be zealous for their cause.
IS FALSE TEACHING A THREAT TO THE CHURCH TODAY?
The brief but correct answer is “Yes!” The Apostle Paul was not the only one who warned of the threat of false teachers.
1. The apostle Peter (2 Peter)
2. The apostle John (1 John)
3. The apostle James (James)
4. The apostle Jude (Jude)
It is of great importance that we pay close heed to the words of warning given by the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. To ignore clear words of warning would be hazardous to the health of the Church as well as individuals and their families. Too many believers have succumbed to false teaching, and thus the church has become emaciated and weak. Let us pray to the Lord for courage and strength to guard our lives and our church from false teachings that have been mushrooming over the years.