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GALATIANS - I Have Been Crucified With Christ
Studies in the Letter of Paul to the Galatians
PART 3: THE LAW OF MOSES AND THE GOSPEL, THEIR INTENTION AND THEIR RESULTS (Galatians 3:1 – 4:31)
6. Paul is zealous for his children in the Spirit, and he suffers much for them (Galatians 4:8-20)
GALATIANS 4:12-15
12 Brethren, I urge you to become like me, for I became like you. You have not injured me at all. 13 You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first. 14 And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. 15 What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me.
Paul’s heart was filled with sorrow when he saw that the followers of Christ drew back from the excellence of grace to the weakness of the law. However, the apostle believed that the Lord did not leave those in whom his salvation began, and therefore he sought to win them once again to Christ. How wonderful that he did not address them with high-sounding words, but presented his person as an example to them, and called them: “Become like me, as I am”. Is there selfishness in this call? No, for Paul had died to himself, and Christ lived in him. Thus, Paul became an image of Christ in his kindness, purity, and power. Undoubtedly, the cause of Paul’s success was his holy life, since people are not saved by empty words, for the word embodied in the preacher, himself speaks more expressively than normal words.
How was the love of God manifested in Paul? He did not remain a proud Jew, but became broken in his Lord’s vision, humbled himself, and became as all other men. He did not regard himself as superior to the Gentiles, but associated with the Galatians without hypocrisy or trickery, and offered to them the love of God and his grace in Christ. Paul came as a servant to men, and humbled himself, as Christ came down from heaven and became a man like us that we might become like him.
Paul forgave his church members all their doubts, backbiting, disturbance, and apostasy, and said: “You have not injured me by your behavior. I died in the crucifixion, and forgave you before you asked forgiveness. There is no barrier between you and me. You are like my children, and I love always love you no matter what you do to me. This does not lessen the meaning of your faults, but proves that love overcomes all things.
Then Paul reminded his beloved in Galatia that when he first met them, their hearts were inflamed with love that they did not stumble at the apparent wounds in his face and his body by persecutions and stoning.
Paul was of short stature. He did not have the appearance of vigor and health, but of insignificance and weakness. Probably his eyes were inflamed because of the dust during his several exhausting journeys. His form was not impressive, but the flame of his love and the power of the Holy Spirit dashed from him and penetrated into the hearts of his hearers, who experienced, from his words and his person, the power of the Lord, and were converted. They received the Apostle of the Gentiles as an angel, and even as Christ himself, and they honored him as a god. Paul asked them, in his epistle, if that beatification were a superficial zeal, which began with “Hosanna” and then ended with “Crucify him! Crucify him!” You were prepared to sacrifice yourselves for me. Then how did you change so quickly as to consider me your enemy who withholds the blessing of God from you?
Paul struggled, with all the power of his heart, for the spiritual health of his church members. He did not consider his religion a philosophy or researches, but taught that the faith in grace means salvation, and the adherence to the law brings destruction. Thus, he tried to save his beloved with all his power, compassion, and prayer. How do you struggle for those to whom you carried the message of salvation?
PRAYER: O Holy Father, you are the true Father. You gave your only Son to save us who are sinners from certain destruction. Help us to spare no effort for the salvation of the others, also to be sanctified in our conduct first, that our friends may not stumble at our behavior, but see you in us, and glorify you at all times. Amen.
QUESTION:
- How could Paul say, “Become like me”?