Daily Devotions
Galatians
"Have I therefore become your enemy...?"
Text: Galatians 4:16
DETERIORATION OF RELATIONSHIP
The relationship between the apostle Paul and the Galatians could not have begun on a better note. Paul had preached mightily and he established churches in Galatia. The Galatians loved Paul and had the highest regard for him. Then came the day when false teachers came into their midst and their beautiful relationship suffered a severe setback.
Have I therefore become your enemy
because I tell you the truth?Galatians 4:16
1. “Have I therefore become your enemy”
a) From friend to foe.
b) How did this relationship deteriorate to this extent?
c) This deterioration of relationship must have caused much grief to the apostle Paul.
2. “Because I tell you the truth?”
a) Paul was committed to preaching and teaching the truth.
b) This truth was centred in the gospel he espoused.
3. The tenets of truth in Paul’s gospel
a) Justification was through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:16).
b) Justification cannot be obtained through the keeping of the law (Galatians 2:16).
c) The key Person was the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Galatians 2:20-21).
d) The Spirit of Promise was received through faith in Christ (Galatians 3:14).
e) All who believed in Jesus would become sons of God (Galatians 3:26).
f) They would also become heirs of God through Christ (Galatians 4:7).
IN DIRECT CONTRAST TO THE TEACHINGS OF THE JUDAIZERS
What Paul taught was in direct contrast to the teachings of the Judaizers. Their emphases lay in the following:
1. The law must be kept if one is to find justification (Galatians 2:16).
2. Rituals must be observed (Galatians 4:9).
3. They essentially preached “a different gospel” (Galatians 1:6).
DANGEROUS EFFECTS OF FALSE TEACHINGS
Two side effects may be highlighted in the context of the Galatians:-