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

 

Paul the Apostle, using his magnificent Holy Spirit induced logic, asks the Galatian Christians: “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” Galatians 4:16

Paul had earlier told them that they were being “deceived” by a group of wrong headed Preachers from a city far away! (For example … “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth?” Galatians 3:1)

Apparently, some of the Galatians bristled at Paul’s implication!

Hence, today’s Text and its simple question. “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?”

This Line reminds me of Proverbs 27:6, and may have been Paul’s basis for the query. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”

Wow!

Psalm 141:5 is astounding as well, in this particular context! “Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.”

Or what about Revelation 3:19 Jesus Himself talking? “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.”

Sounds like, in Bible parlance: IF YOU LOVE PEOPLE, YOU WILL AT LEAST TELL THEM THE TRUTH!

And not to tell the truth, to “lie” instead? “He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.” Proverbs 10:18

Come to think of it, if you preach Jesus to anyone … you are automatically telling him or her the truth! Because our Lord taught, declared: “I am the Truth!” John 14:6

And Paul had certainly preached Jesus to the Galatian people! 

But these “weak” Christians in that primitive Roman (heathen) Province had come to the place they were about to spurn the Truth … and accept a bunch of lies! 

Thus becoming “slaves” to “error!”

So Paul warned them, directly so!

Oh, the Lord Jesus again: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32, indeed! Yes, the Truth delivers from such erroneous slavery!

If you have a Preacher who does that each week, tells you the truth, do not be offended! Thank God for him! And treat him as a friend, certainly not as an enemy!

“Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” Galatians 4:16, a short verse today, but well worth pondering!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Oh yes, there’s a balance here. We are also to be “speaking the truth in love“ (Ephesians 4:15) … but still “speaking the truth” nonetheless!

 

Paul is reminiscing!

His mind has gone back to the “good old days” at Galatia!

When the people there (folks who had recently been saved by the Grace of God) loved him dearly!

Back when he was called “blessed” by this band of new Believers!

“Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.” Galatians 4:15

In essence, Paul is wondering “What has happened?”

Then, still in “memory mode,” Paul thinks of the Galatian response to one of his physical weaknesses. Two verses ago he mentioned some “infirmity of the flesh.” One verse ago he called it a “trial,” literally a “temptation.” 

And we strongly suspect this … one of Paul’s maladies concerned his “eyesight.” 

Yes, God’s servants often battle physical ailments, handicaps, sicknesses!

Job’s breath stank! (See both Job 17:1 and again in Job 19:17.)

Jacob had a limp! (See Genesis 32:31.)

And Paul … what a list! (But here in our verse today “eyesight” seems to be the issue at hand.)

Maybe since that “Bright Light” … the Day Paul was saved by God’s Grace! (He was totally bind for three days, if you recall. Did he ever get over that, completely?)

Maybe since contracting some debilitating disease (that settled in his eyes) when traveling ancient germ-infested areas, preaching God’s Word!

Maybe simply from reading, studying so hard! (Poor lighting back in those tents, no doubt.)

(We think Paul seldom wrote with his own hand … after this eye disease reached its peak! His huge Epistle to the Romans, by ancient letter standards, was written by another hand, though Paul dictated the words! “I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord.” Romans 16:22, in the Epistle’s very last paragraph! This Tertius must have been a “hired” scribe.)

(And even here in Galatians, when Paul “signs” this Letter at its end … he is forced to write in very large letters! Again evidence of failing sight! “Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand.” Galatians 6:12, the “letters of the alphabet being discussed, not the length of the Galatian “Letter,” which is relatively short by Paul’s standards.)

Wow!

Anyway … the Galatian Christians loved Paul so (considered him so “favored” of God, and so “blessed” by the brethren everywhere he went) that some of them would have gladly given him their eyes, had it been possible!

This Paul believes sincerely … and so testifies to the his people … “for I bear you record” of this love, he dictates!

“… that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.” Again our Text, Galatians 4:15.

“Plucked out” translates the Greek verb “exorusso,” meaning “to dig” out, clearly meaning their very eyeballs! (“Exorusso” is only used twice in the whole New Testament, and is translated “broken up” in Mark 2:4.) A dramatic verb!

Paul’s “point” is to emphasize the love and sacrifice the Galatians were once (and a few of them might still so love the Apostle) willing to expend on his behalf!

But lately, false teaches have arrived in the Province … and were trying to turn the hearts of the Churches away from Paul and his “Gospel of Grace” … toward the Law of Moses and its stringency!

Oh, how things can change!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

If you love someone in the Lord .. be faithful to that friendship!

In Jesus … “There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24)

Hallelujah!