Galatians 4:15-20 (WEL) What great happiness you had then! For I testify that, if possible, you would have pulled your eyes out and given them to me. 16 Am I now your enemy because I tell you the truth? 17 They zealously desire you, but not in a good sense. Yes, they even want to exclude you from us, in order to make you zealous for them. 18 It is always right to zealously want right things, and not just when I am with you. 19 My little children, of whom I labored in birth, until Christ is formed in you. 20 I want to be with you now and to change my tone, for I have some doubts about you.
V15 What great happiness you had then! For I testify that, if possible, you would have pulled your eyes out and given them to me.
This is the happiness that results from regeneration happening after they believed the Gospel of Jesus. Believing the Gospel of Jesus brought you great joy. It was not after circumcision. “Your joy and happiness was so immense, that you would practically do anything to have me be healed.”
Constable writes: “The Galatians were losing their good attitude toward Paul and its accompanying sense of blessing. They had appreciated Paul so much that they would have given him their most precious possessions. “Plucked out your eyes” is probably a figurative expression similar to “given your eye teeth.” [Note #227: See ibid., pp. 243-44; and Longenecker, p. 193.] Now the Galatians were regarding Paul suspiciously as an enemy. The Judaizers were seeking to “shut” the Galatians “out” of the sphere of Paul’s influence and the gospel’s, so that his readers would become dependent on them. Paul “sought” his readers for the right reason (“in a commendable manner”), namely, their need to grow in grace, not only while he was with them but always.”
V16 Am I now your enemy because I tell you the truth?
The situation has now changed. The false teachers and apostles flashed their greatness before them, upsetting them and making them doubt Paul’s apostleship. The false teachers emphasized their false teaching that circumcision was necessary to be saved. Circumcision in the Old Testament indicated their submission to the covenant of God, that is, Mosaic Law.
The only circumcision that God requires and recognizes is the circumcision of the heart. In the Old Testament, see Deuteronomy 10:16 and Deuteronomy 30:6). In the New Testament, see Colossians 2:11.
V17 They zealously desire you, but not in a good sense. Yes, they even want to exclude you from us, in order to make you zealous for them.
They want followers of their beliefs, not the beliefs of the Lord Jesus. They hope to separate the believers into groups with most, if not all, following them instead of Paul the Apostle of Jesus Christ.
The Galatian churches had the Apostles who taught the truth they learned from Jesus. Today we have the Scriptures, which are the truth and must be interpreted in their plain, normal sense.
We have the truth and can judge between truth and lie (Ephesians 6:11).
V18 It is always right to zealously want right things, and not just when I am with you.
Zeal is good as long as it is God-approved.
Jesus had zeal for God’s house (John 2:17).
We need such zeal ourselves (Romans 12:11).
We need zeal to glorify God by everything we do and say (Titus 2:11).
V19 My little children, of whom I labored in birth, until Christ is formed in you.
Paul calls them children because they believed the Gospel of Jesus Christ when he preached it to them; they are disciples.
Preaching is a work, but it is a good work.
Paul’s goal is for the believers to be mature, knowing the truth, understanding the truth, living the truth, and teaching the truth to others.
V20 I want to be with you now and to change my tone, for I have some doubts about you.
Paul is concerned that these believers are falling for the logic and flattery of the false teachers. He is not convinced that they will stay true.
(Holman Commentary) “Paul agonized over them initially as he implored them to become Christians. Now he is agonizing over their spiritual growth. Paul longs for Christ to be formed in them. His passion is for them to be conformed to the character of Christ. This transformation is God’s purpose for each believer as Christ lives in us and through us (Galatians 2:20).”
We learn:
- There are dangers from false teachers.
- About pastoral care.
Questions:
- Have you ever fallen prey to a false teacher?
- Where is the truth of Christianity found?