Galatians 4:9 - Homiletics

A protest against relapse.

"But now, after having known God, or rather were being known of God, how are you turning again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?"

I. MARK THEIR NEW POSITION OF KNOWLEDGE AND PRIVILEGE . The Galatians had come to know God through the preaching of the gospel.

1 . This was their high privilege. "This is life eternal, to know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

2 . It was a sign of Divine fellowship. "I am the good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine."

3 . It came through Christ. "No man knoweth the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever he will reveal him." But there is another side to this truth. They were "rather known of God," as if to obviate any possible inference that the reconciliation implied in this knowledge may have been the effect of man's action. It was an affectionate and interested knowledge on God's part which made knowledge of God possible on their part. "In thy light shall we see light." God knew them ere they knew him.

II. THE INCONSISTENCY OF A RETURN TO WEAK AND BEGGARLY ELEMENTS . They had been slaves to the "elements" under the forms of heathen idolatry; they were now going back into bondage to elements under the form of Judaism.

1 . This threatened relapse implied that they had no true understanding or appreciation of the simple gospel of salvation. The seeds of defection and apostasy lie in almost every heart.

2 . The apostle ' s surprise at their inconsistency : arising partly from his knowledge of their full and cordial reception of the gospel at the beginning, and partly out of the character of the religion for which they were parting with "the truth of the gospel"—''weak and beggarly elements." This language of contempt applies to the legal rites of the ceremonial Law, which were, of course, of Divine appointment, and as such to be regarded with due honour. But the elements became "weak and beggarly" by their misapplication in the hands of Pharisaic men. They were "weak," because they had no power to justify or promote salvation ( Romans 8:3 ); "beggarly," because they could invest no sinner with "the unsearchable riches of Christ." The worshippers, after all their drudgery, found themselves none the better. The apostle might well express his surprise to find Christians going back upon mere elements which the gospel had for ever superseded.