Galatians 4:9-10. 9But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? 10You observe days and months and seasons and years! 11I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.
Nobody wants to be a slave, right? No one in their right mind would choose bondage over freedom. No slave would, after having been adopted by the Father, ask to go back to their chains, would they? But Paul says that this is exactly what we are doing every time we return to our self-life. Our self-saving, self-justifying, self-absorbed, self-promoting “weak and worthless elementary principles.”
So herein lies the Christian dilemma. Even though we are known by God intimately, and we can begin to know Him intimately, this takes time and trust. And honestly, returning to the elementary principles of self-justification is far faster, easier, and thus more desirable—“we want to be slaves once more.” I know how to self-justify; I’ve been doing it my whole life. And I’m really, really good at it. So I choose it over faith in God’s love for me almost every time. Because frankly, faith is much harder to sustain.
But any system of law, principles, and morality that we use to justify ourselves can only serve one function for us—enslavement. And this slavery to these systems—laws, principles, and morals—brings with it every single insecurity you feel every day. And how do we deal with our insecurities? More slavery. More worship of things that aren’t God—like family, job, money, status, control, romance—more morality, more rule-following, more achievement, more folly. We run back to the very thing that causes the insecurity in order to relieve the insecurity.
No wonder Paul says, “I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.” Yes, we are freed by Christ’s life, but this means we are also free to run back to our old life. To our old life of slavery. To run back to what we believe is most satisfying. And sadly, many Christians have no idea that they are even doing it, and may even think that they are living by the Spirit, when in reality they are living by the laws, principles, and moral systems that are creating the stress, insecurity, and doubts in their hearts that Christ died in order to put to death.
You: Can you identify in your life the areas where you still want to be a slave?
You in Christ: How does knowing that you are in Christ serve to remove insecurity for you personally?
Christ in you: How might you actively let Christ satisfy you today so that you are not tempted to run back to your life of slavery?
Pray: Father, You have justified me in Christ. You know me intimately. So why do I self-justify and try to hide from You? I want to live free instead. Amen.
