Why Go Back Into Slavery?

Galatians 4:1–11
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Consider the story of Hans the tailor. Because of his reputation, an influential entrepreneur visiting the city ordered a tailor-made suit. But when he came to pick up his suit, the customer found that one sleeve twisted that way and the other this way; one shoulder bulged out an … More

Legalism

The way of the Galatian Christians was not much different than many Christians today who get involved in various legalistic movements hoping to achieve certain goals. Children who are under age are no better off than slaves, even though everything their parents own will someday be theirs (v. 1). This is because children are placed in the care of guardians and teachers until the time their parents have set (v. 2). The motives may be right but the methods are wrong. The old nature has an attraction to the law because it makes provision for us to do things. This in turn allows us to measure external results which we like to do.

In this portion of scripture Paul is making a contrast between servants and sons. He says that you were once slaves but now you are sons (vv. 3-7). Historians tell us that in the Roman world a boy did not become a man until he reached a certain date set by his father which was sometime between his fourteenth and seventeenth birthdays. Until this time he lived under guardians and managers. At a special family ceremony he was introduced formally to public life as a man and entered into his full inheritance of manhood. Before this time he was viewed the same as a slave would be.

Paul could not understand why they would want to go back into the old slavery (vv. 8-11). When the Judaizers led the Galatians back into legalism, they were leading them not only into religious bondage but back into spiritual infancy. Legalism then is not a step toward maturity but a step back into childhood. Warren Wiersbe put it well when he said “They were dropping out of the school of grace and enrolling in the kindergarten of law!”