Galatians 4:8-11

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.

(v8, NIV)

Paul is speaking to the Gentiles who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and savior. We know that everyone who has accepted Jesus into their lives has a story to tell. In that story, before they came into a relationship with the Lord Jesus, they were on a completely different path. The past life we live is lived as slaves. Paul was recently speaking about being enslaved to sin, but here Paul is pointing out slavery to those who are by nature not gods. We know that in our past life, we were not following God and therefore all our past lives were lived following things that were not God. By saying that the things they were enslaved to were by nature not gods, it gives a sense that these things they were enslaved to were not even closely related to God.

Bear with me if you will, but these enslaving things were not even close to what God is. This is the picture I paint in my head, but I pray that I speak no heresy. God is by nature a type of god. However, there is only one true God who is the Lord Almighty, the Lord of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Different things have the nature of something; it is a way of grouping or associating things. These things they were worshiping were so far from God that they couldn't even be associated to the nature of what it is to be a 'god'. It is so sad to think of my past life and how those things I was enslaved to were so far from God. In our past lives, we were so far from the mark.

Here is another note that I thought was interesting. In our past life, we were enslaved to those things that were by nature not gods. We move from our past life of enslavement to things that are by nature not gods, but we are now slaves of Jesus who is by nature God. In contrast, Jesus is by nature God. However, though Jesus is by nature God, he became a man which is by nature not God.

But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?

(v9, NIV)

In our new life in Christ, how could we ever go back? Why, after being free would we even want to go back to being enslaved by what we were enslaved to in our past life? Those things were far less and beneath all those things or any of those things in our past life. It boggles the mind when you actually sit back and think about how or why anyone would want to go back when they realize how precious and valued our new life is with Jesus. However, it seems like it happens all the time when we fall into sin over and over again. This is what has probably happened to those at the Church in Galatia, and Paul is asking this question to them.

Paul places this interesting phrase in the middle of verse 9: "or rather are known by God" (v9, NIV). To know God is to be known by God. I heard something that is somewhat related to being known and knowing God. "Human things need only to be known in order to be loved; divine things must first be loved in order to be known." (Baptist quarterly review, Volume 7). Anyway, back to the point, knowing God means being known by God. Now, God is all seeing and all knowing, so of course he knows every single one of us. So, Paul doesn't simply mean that God knows us in the way that he knows everyone. I get a sense that this implies a special kind of knowing. A type of knowing that implies a sense of belonging as a family member or a dearly beloved. To know God the way we know him when we come into a loving relationship with him equates to him knowing us in this different sense. We now belong to him and he knows us as his sons and daughters.

You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!

(v10, NIV)

This verse is a reference to their observance of special holidays or religious practices. We know that religious practices as far as observing special days and holidays do not redeem us and save us in it of itself. However, these whom Paul is speaking to are becoming enslaved even to these holidays and religious practices. This is not right since they should know God and be known by him.

I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.

(v11, NIV)

If those Paul is speaking to continue in returning to their past life, Paul's efforts were in vain. Their continual enslavement to the things that are by nature not gods reveals that all work was for nothing and they do not know God. People can have backsliding; I know that I myself in my life have times where I have fallen back into the ways of this world. However, I must live in a manner worthy of my calling and instead of staying down, get back up after falling. Do not prove to others that efforts were in vain.