Galatians: The Life I Now LiveSample

The good news of Christianity is that we can know and be known by God. The God of the cosmos who created everything actually cares to know about you and me. He knows your name. Actually He knows much more than that because the very idea of ‘being known’ goes so far beyond simply knowing about a person. To know God is more than knowing facts about Him, and to be known by God is more than simply being registered in the files of His all-knowingness. 

When the Bible talks about a person knowing a person, there is a profound sense of intimacy and connection involved. It is a person-to-person, heart-to-heart, deep connection kind of knowing. 

But the Galatians were losing their grip on the wonder of being known by God. So Paul reminds them that before they knew God, they were living lives enslaved by non-gods (v. 8) – perhaps idols they worshipped. They had been trapped and stuck, but then they heard the gospel and responded. Now, bizarrely, they were choosing to go back to being slaves of non-gods (vv. 9–10). 

Is Paul saying here that they were turning from God back to idolatry? Not at all. Their turn now is back to a godless pseudo-Christianity, rather than godless irreligion. There may be differences, but the underlying theme is the same. When we follow the elementary principles of this world we are striving to please some system or some expectation, rather than living for the pleasure of God. 

So the Galatians were not rejoining the pagan temples. They were pursuing a legalistic godliness (v. 10). But their turn was away from the life-changing privilege of being known by God. Instead of living in relationship with God, they were turning to self-driven religiousness. This is more dangerous than overt idol worship since the participant thinks they are being more godly. 

This would be like the younger son in Luke 15 coming back into relationship with his dad, and then promptly choosing to head outside and become a ‘religious’ person like his older brother. Remember that without relationship with their Abba, both boys wanted dad’s benefits while not wanting him, and both brought shame on him. Too many followers of Jesus are drawn away from the gospel, not by worldly immorality, but by worldly religiosity. 

Reflection

What aspects of a legalistic religiosity attract you?