Tuesday: I Have Become as You Are
Read 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. What does Paul say in these verses that can help us understand better his point in the latter part of Galatians 4:12? (See also Acts 17:16-34, 1 Cor. 8:8-13, Gal. 2:11-14.)
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Galatians 4:12 can seem a little confusing. Why should the Galatians become like Paul, if he had already become like them?
As we saw in yesterday’s study, Paul wanted them to become like him in his complete faith and confidence in the all-sufficiency of Christ for salvation. His comment about having become like them was a reminder of how, although he was a Jew, he had become a Gentile “without the law” so that he might reach the Gentiles among them with the gospel. As the great missionary to the Gentile world, Paul had learned how to preach the gospel to both Jews and Gentiles. In fact, according to 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, though the gospel remained the same, Paul’s method varied depending on the people he was trying to reach.
“Paul was a pioneer in what we call today contextualization, the need to communicate the gospel in such a way that it speaks to the total context of the people to whom it is addressed.” — Timothy George, The New American Commentary: Galatians (Nashville, Tenn.: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994), p. 321.
Paul’s own comments in 1 Corinthians 9:21 indicate that he believed there were limits to how far someone should go in contextualizing the gospel. He mentions, for example, that while one is free to reach out in different ways to Jews and Gentiles, this freedom does not include the right to live a lawless lifestyle, for Christians are under the “law of Christ.”
Although contextualization is not always easy, “insofar as we are able to separate the heart of the gospel from its cultural cocoon, to contextualize the message of Christ without compromising its content, we too should become imitators of Paul.” — Timothy George, Galatians, pp. 321, 322.
| It’s so easy to compromise, isn’t it? Sometimes the longer one is a Christian, the easier compromise gets too. Why might that be so? Look at yourself, honestly. How much compromise has crept into your life, and what have been the ways you have justified it? How can you turn this around in areas where you need to? |
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Galatians 4:12, Paul is saying the Gentiles should be like him. He is talking about a Christ like example. There is a long word that identifies what he thinking as well as saying. Paul would be contradicting himself and the word is contextualizing. Meaning to put a word in place of where it should normally be for illustrative purposes. One of the texts that is mentioned in the lesson, is Acts 17:16-34. Paul is in Athens looking at all of the Gods and comes to one that says "TO THE UNKNOWN GOD". Verse 23 and on to verse 34, Paul is contextualizing like Galatians 4:12. 1 Corinthians 9:19-21 is another illustration. This is most likely a bit more complicated than needed, but Paul is changing his tone. As a pastor that loves his members, and truly cares what he wants to emphasize in Galatians 4:13,14. His normal rough, no nonsense attitude has become softer and more considerate.
Compromising! We may hide something from men, but never from God! If we think we hide something from others, we are actually hiding something from ourselves! And that's the worst thing we can do. Thus, the best attitude is to live as one who does not have to hide or compromise anything! Of course we all sin and depend on Jesus mercy for forgiveness, but trying to live as free as we can from anything that that can incriminate our own conciousness is the best way. Christ certainly can help us on that!
Galatians 4:12 for I became like you.
Paul is pleading with the Galatians, if it's legalism, I have been there and done that. Do not turn your back on Christ.
Romans 9:30-33
What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. As it is written:
“Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense,
And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
In context Paul is saying I gave up who I was to become the person I am In Christ and His righteousness.
Do not give up your faith In Christ for righteousness through legalism.
Woooww... the word compromising is a word that would mean a lot in our lives, it would mean we are totally loyal to God or we would settle down for lower standards. There were days where I thought I was strong to stand for God, and later incredibly, I didn't even realized when I had compromised, the key is to be always connected to God to keep our integrity to God.
It's true my sister in Christ, that life, without our Messiah, is totally nothing! Why own all the wealth in the entire earth and eventually your soul perishes! Jesus said in Jeremiah! He is a faithful father who makes the imposssible to be possible!
Oh God help us to have faith in you that will enable us to stand up broadly and say to those that have not yet met you "be like me"for we will be potraying your image wherever we are amongst those that we live and preach your gospel to!!Oh how i long to be like you Jesus Christ so that without saying a word people can even say which God do you worship so that we can join you !!help us oh God !we hv lowered your standards such that those coming from the world they can not see the difference between us and them in regards to dress,eating habits and our talk.help us oh God!how i long to say one day i have fought a good fight,i have run the race..... like Paul said.Help us God never to compromise your gospel for legalism or anything like that !!