Many of the Galatian Christians were idol worshippers before they accepted Christ. In addition, they lived immoral lifestyles which went along with their religion. After accepting Christ many of them still continued in their old religious practices.

Paul is now worried about the state of the Galatian Christians because they continue to participate in their old heathenistic superstitions.

In verse nine Paul confronts them and asks, “After knowing God how could you turn back to your immoral practices! Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?” The Galatian church practiced their old rituals and superstitions because…well, that’s what they had always done in the past. Doesn’t this sound familiar?

The whole point of Galatians is a warning not to adopt a biblical legalism. Paul is saying that earning one’s own salvation through biblical morality and religion is just as much enslavement to idols as outright paganism. A religious person is as lost as an atheist. Paul says that any basic “thing”- money, relationships – even ministry can be worshiped, treated as a god, and become the basis of one’s religion.

We must make sure that Jesus is the focus of everything we do. If not, then whatever is will enslave us.

 

Wendell Butler

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