Some things, yes! (Though admittedly … we seldom see even a “hint” of doubting as far as Paul is concerned! But here’s an exception!)

Including the sincerity of the Galatian Christians, some of them anyway.

“I (Paul) desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you (plural pronoun, the Galatians).” Galatians 4:20

After just calling them “my little children,” one verse ago! Paul is disturbed, agitated, on a roller-coaster ride, concerning these converts of his!

The great Apostle has been gone from Galatia for months now, some dictionaries say about a year. He is preaching elsewhere, by now on what’s called his “Second Missionary Journey.” With Silas as his main co-worker, Barnabas having gone to Cyprus to preach, taking John Mark with him.

So now Paul wishes he were back in Galatia! “I desire to be present with you now …” With the verb “desire” translating “thelo” in Greek, meaning “to wish” something. It is an expression of free will, one of God’s many gifts to mankind.

But he wants to be there, in Galatia, “incognito!” In disguise, so he could just observe the situation! “I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice …” Paul seems to have had a distinct voice, some of his detractors even making fun of it at times! See 2 Corinthians 10:10 … “For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech (can easily mean ‘voice’)  contemptible.”

That verb “change” is “allasso,” simply “to swap” one human voice for another. Maybe a high pitched one for a more normal tone!

Anyway, if he could have been miraculously transported to the area of these churches in question, Paul would have so disguised himself and “listened, observed, attended services, etc.” to have better evaluated the situation at hand!

Why?

He was (frankly) worried! 

He had begun to doubt the authenticity of their very salvation!

” I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; FOR I STAND IN DOUBT OF YOU.”

In English “to stand in doubt” expresses the verb “aporeo.” a tough little word to define. It basically means (as is so translated in our King James New Testaments) “to be perplexed” (though just one time). Then as here, “to stand in doubt,” again just one time. Then twice just simply “to doubt” In current vernacular, expression … it just carries the idea of “changing one’s mind,” looks like to me.

Almost … “not knowing what to think” about a situation!

So … what’s next?

As we shall see tomorrow, and even more so within the next few lessons, Paul uses a classic illustration to show how soul salvation is NOT a derivative of the Law of Moses, but a Gift of God, a Token of His Pure Grace!

Which is a way of saying … study with us again tomorrow, please!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

In Galatians 4:19 (today’s Text) Paul calls the Galatian Christians “my little children!” Whereas back in Galatians 3:1 they were “foolish Galatians!” 

Then with some degree of accuracy I think we can observe that Paul’s “hope” for these Believers at times “waxed and waned.” Had its “ups” and “downs.”

But in Galatians 4:19 (“as sweet as it gets”) this hope is cautious (based on Galatians 4:20) … but still in existence! 

“My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.” A line dominated by word pictures!

For example, Paul here is an expectant Mother! “Travailing in birth” over these nascent Christians! The words “travail in birth” translate “odino” in Greek. Meaning “to feel the pains of childbirth!” It’s root word, “odin,” means “sorrow” as well as “pain,” at least 4 times that’s the case.

Paul is fretful about the welfare of his converts! (Do remember  that one of his burdens expressed in that great 2 Corinthians 11 “hardship” paragraph was “the care of all the churches!” Literally the “worry” of all the churches!)

But suddenly, in a clear “twist” of the metaphor … just like a pregnant Mom has a little boy or girl “forming” or “growing” within her body … so Paul senses “Christ Jesus” growing (not in him now) in the Galatians themselves! Paul is in agony … “until Christ be formed in them,” you Galatians who have earnestly expressed faith in the Lord!

The verb translated “be formed” is “morpho,” meaning something like “duplicated.” But in an “outward, visible” sense, the textbooks say! “External appearance,” according to my laptop lexicon! Talk about metamorphosis, the ugly worm to the gorgeous butterfly! For anyone desiring more information about the verb here … subjunctive aorist passive, in the 3rd person singular!

Paul is stressing … praying … that the Galatians will once again start growing in the likeness of Jesus Christ! In Romans 8:29 Paul considers God’s “goal” for us all … “to be conformed to the image of his (the Lord’s) Son.” That’s Jesus, of course!

Then back to Paul’s “name” for these Galatians …“my little children.” 

Here he chooses the noun “teknon,” not “huios” … for the words “little children.” NOT the highest word (in dignity) available to him, again … for “little children.” 

In fact, “teknon” usually carries the idea of a child in this sense: “in the New Testament used as a term of kindly address by teachers to their disciples.” A direct quote from a Greek lexicon. To a student who needs to be taught a lot!

Really, “teknon” gives the idea of an incomplete individual; “someone whose mind yet needs to be nourished and whose character yet needs to be molded!”

Wow!

Paul longs for more of JESUS and less of Moses to be ingrained, to be grown into these Galatian churches, their membership.

What an enlightening verse on growth, spiritual growth in the life of a follower of Christ!

“My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.”

May we all today grow in  the Lord!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Do you know someone today, a Christian for whom you could pray … pray that he or she will (yet) grow more (and more) in the Lord?

If so … travail, dear friend, travail!

 

The motel where we stay when preaching in this area. The Holiday Inn in Bremen, Georgia, a well maintained facility indeed! I thank God for places like this, my “home” away from “home.”

Wow!

It’s 4:30 in the morning!

And I am packing to drive home … in order to preach later this morning in an old fashioned Camp Meeting in Ringgold, Georgia.

Therefore, the Galatians Lesson will be written later today.

I trust you understand. In am interested in Galatians 4:19 too!

What a great Verse it is!

“Pauline” to the core!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

The “Standing with the Bagwells” Page will be refreshed later this Saturday as well. Again, I must ponder this morning’s Sermon Text!

 

Paul has criticized, censured, corrected these Galatian Believers as harshly as any people he’s ever won to Christ, ever pastored, ever written! (Because they were on the very verge of falling into serious apostasy, of denying the Faith!)

But today, in Galatians 4:18, he comes close to commending them!

Here’s the essence of our Verse, our Text today …

“You all did so good when I was there with you. You diligently followed the Gospel of Grace, trusted Jesus alone, as I carefully taught you. But now that I am gone, have left Galatia to travel and preach in other places … you have NOT maintained, continued to practice, that good and honorable Gospel. You are adding things to it! Polluting it, diluting it, changing it! Following somebody else’s teaching!”

Wow!

Now here’s that thought in Scripture, King James Version. “But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.” Galatians 4:18

That adjective “good” is clearly prominent in this short little Sentence, being used twice. In Greek it is spelled “kalos,” Here are some of its definitions, “beautiful, handsome, excellent, eminent, choice, surpassing, precious.” The word usually emphasizes “good” within itself. “Intrinsic,” the lexicons might say. (Whereas “agathos,” the other major Greek adjective for “good,” represents proper character, goodness, that is influential, beneficial to others! It cannot remain within a person, must be communicated. It is active, while “kalos” is more passive.)

Paul at the first liked what he saw in the Galatian Christians’ lives! They were becoming “good” in reality, beautiful Believers in Jesus, in Jesus alone (by that I mean not in Moses, not as Saviour)!

“But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.”

“Zealously affected” is “zeloo” again. Meaning “to be on fire, fervent, to burn with eagerness and enthusiasm!”

But, something has happened.

Wrong influence has overshadowed Paul’s Galatian converts!

And they are no longer pursuing, enjoying that Good Thing! (The pure Gospel of Jesus and the liberty it brings!)

Paul had left, is “no longer present” with them … and they have slidden backwards in their faith. In their faithfulness to the Word of God, to the Gospel!

Three little words add even more zest to the Verse as well.

“Always” and “not only!”

As in our Text once again … “But it is good to be zealously affected ALWAYS in a good thing, and NOT ONLY when I am present with you.”

Live right … “always!”

Believe right … “always!”

Regardless of the circumstances!

And do this “not only” when Paul is in the pulpit, is in your midst!

But when your own God-called Preachers (not the legalistic Judiazers from Jerusalem) are in the pulpit! Be true to the Doctrine Paul taught you! Doctrine centering on Jesus!

Christianity, you see, is not PAUL!

Christianity is, rather,  CHRIST!

Real maturity means that I live according to the Scriptures … no matter the environment in which I find myself. 

As old Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. used to often say … “DO RIGHT, EVEN IF THE STARS FALL!” 

Do right … period!

An online dictionary defines “cryptic” as “having an obscure meaning.” Then this little synonym, “perplexing.”

Yes, Galatians 4:17 and 18 fit into that category. At least to me they do. But I still feel it good to consider them one at a time. (Paul the Apostle is not always east to understand! That brilliant mind of his can soar to amazing heights! And reach profound depths! Here’s Peter writing about some of Paul’s Epistles: “in which are some things hard to be understood.” 2 Peter 3:16)

So … here’s today’s Text:

“They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.” Galatians 4:17

Paul is here mentioning (that first pronoun in the sentence, “they”) the false teachers who have so (dangerously) impacted his Galatian congregations. (In fact, three times in this short Verse! “They … they … them!”) Tons of Articles in theological journals have been written trying to specifically identify this crowd of objectors! Men guilty of adding to the Gospel of the Grace of God! Adding the Law of Moses, especially!

Whatever they (a delegation from certain sects in Jerusalem, Galatians 2:12) are doing in Paul’s Churches is not good! “They zealously affect you, but not well!”

“Zealously affect” translates the Greek verb “zeloo.” Which essentially means “to be on fire, to boil” with fervor! I think Paul is saying … “This crowd is ‘eager, very zealous, fanatical‘ to win you all over to their (devilish, detracting from Jesus) point of view!”

“Not well” speaks for itself, “ouk kalos” in Greek. “Not lovely, not beneficial, with no excellence!” Paul elsewhere would have said, “not edifying!” By the way, “ouk” is the absolute negative! No exceptions whatsoever!

But what does that word “exclude” mean? In our Text? “They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would EXCLUDE you, that ye might affect them.”

Again I suspect it means something like this: “These false teaches want to SEPARATE you young Galatians believers from the influence of Paul the older Apostle!” Yes, “exclude” translates the rare verb “ekkleo,” meaning “to shut out” someone. Here, hoping the Galatians will “shut Paul out” of the Law/Grace discussion! Break fellowship! 

Wow!

Then the last clause of our Text … “they would exclude you, THAT YE MIGHT AFFECT THEM!” Still using “zeloo” for “might affect!” That THEY might convert you Galatians to “boiling hot” faith in their (false) doctrines, no longer believing in Paul’s (true) preaching! 

Winning people (as many as they can) to a form of soul salvation (and preservation) that denies Jesus is the Only Way to Heaven!

Our Lord said this very thing about the Pharisees in Matthew 23:15. Read it please. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte (one convert, one believer), and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.” 

Again, Wow!

Now here’s a loose paraphrase of today’s Verse. It might help. “Those heretical teachers will go to great lengths to flatter you, but their motives are wicked. They want to exclude you from the free world of God’s grace (and from Paul who first peached this Truth to you) … so that you will always depend on them for approval and direction, making them feel important.

Is Paul a bit jealous over his Galatian congregations?

Certainly!

And properly so!

So is God the father jealous over all us His children!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell