Knowing God

Introduction

Paul got to pinnacle of argument in last weeks text, where he reminded Galatians that we believers are the recipients of adoption, Children of God, because of the promise God, because they heard with faith the Gospel that righteousness comes by faith in Christ, not obedience to the law.

In fact as Rick told us last week, the only thing the law can do for us is to

Restrain us

b. Convict us

Romans 7:7 ESV

What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”

c. Kill us

Romans 7:11–13 ESV

For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.

At this point in the letter, Paul leaves off the theological argument he has been hammering them with, and reveals his heart. These 12 verses show us Paul’s pastoral heart towards the Galatians. He is not soft in his communication with them, continuing to hold out the truth, but these words are with the heart of a shepherd, attempting to draw the Galatians back; given with tears as he reminds them of their previous way of life and the previous relationship they had with both him and with Christ.

Works based righteousness

Galatians 4:8–20 ESV

8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. 9 But 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? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years! 11 I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain. 12 Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. 13 You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, 14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. 15 What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. 18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, 19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

There is no difference in in dependence on outward religious observances and outright “pagan” idolatry, both are pagan at their core, and worship of idols. The one caveat to this is that Both are equally slaves to works-based righteousness, elementary principles, and have thrown off Christ.

Paul starts his appeal drawing a sharp distinction between their present adoption as sons, those that know God, and their enslavement to those that by nature are not gods.

1 Corinthians 10:19–20 ESV

What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.

Paul does not give us any indication here of what types of god’s these were that the Galatians followed before they knew God. Whether they are the Roman Gods (Zeus or Hermes (Acts 14 and healing by Paul of a crippled man), Emperor worship; often there was a licentious lifestyle that went along with these religions.

One might get the impression that Paul was indicating that the Galatians were returning to that lifestyle with his commentary on “how can you turn back again to the “weak and worthless elementary principles of the world”

However, in context with the rest of the letter, Paul cannot mean this, since, the whole book so far has been around the Galatians adopting the Jewish law.

Circumcision

adopting the jewish ritual calendar (Sabbaths, new moon celebrations, high holy days of the jewish religion).

The Jews were leading them back into slavery, but it was a slavery based on biblical legalism, rather than irreligion.

It is not a slavery that is of 2 different kinds, but the same kind, although maybe a more dangerous kind. He Say “TURN BACK AGAIN” to weak and worthless elementary principles

So what are the weak and worthless elementary principles that Paul is referring to here?

The word elementary here refers to basics. Whether to basic elements of our material world (to them earth water sky fire, all having some spiritual being behind it to be appeased, or to the rudiments/abc’s of a thing as in Hebrews 5:12 (basic principles of the oracles of God) for the basics of the faith.

In this case it is the elementary principles of the world (I am my own savior). Both of these approaches to God (the irreligious pagan) or the religious bible law keeper) have the same idea. That both the irreligious and religious paths are under the sway and power of demons and are no better off one way or another.

I am my own savior. It is that of a works based righteousness.

We worship whatever we THINK will give us life; any basic thing: approval of others, sex, mountains or forests, money, power, success; any of a “unlimited number” of things can become the basis for our religion.

The Galatians had picked up and were observing the Jewish Ceremonial Law; whenever we choose to use achievement or morality or religion or serving or family we turn that thing into a savior and thus into a God.

If anything but jesus is a requirement for being happy or worth that thing has become our slave master. Without the gospel we must be under slavery to an idol

The Galatians were taking special days and festivals and ceremonies of the OT and this would be worse than their old enslavement because they wouldn’t even know how far their were from the father.

Knowing God the Solution

It might be easy to miss, but there is a key phrase in v9. Paul contrasts, in this first 3 verses, between knowing God and enslavement. These 2 are not just contrast but diametrically opposed. When you did not know God, you were enslaved; but now that you have come to know God, you were set free. how can you turn back … whose slaves you want to be once more.

The kind of knowledge that Paul speaks of here goes beyond intellectual knowledge, and involves personal intimacy. Much the same way as you might know a bunch of facts about a person, but that doesn’t mean that you know them. To know God, as Paul talks about here that the Galatians did, is to be intimately acquainted with God.

John 17:3 ESV

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

But in this Paul corrects himself, and says not that they (or we) know God, but rather that God knows us. We know him because he first knew us, we love him and know him because we are known by him.

1 Corinthians 8:3 ESV

3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.

This verse is not a conditional that our love of God is the condition by which God knows us; but rather the condition by which we love God is that he knows us.

Our knowledge of God fluctuates; perhaps because of how we are doing in any given day or period, how our prayer life is, how we might study and remember scripture and meditate on it… J.I. Packer states the following though…

J.I. Packer in Knowing God

What matters supremely, therefore, is not, in the last analysis, the fact that I know God, but the larger fact which underlies it --- the fact that He knows me, I am graven on the palms of his hands. I am never out of his mind. All my knowledge of him depends on his sustained initiative in knowing me. I know him because he first knew me, and continues to know me. He knows me as a friend, one who loves me; and there is no moment when his eyes are off me, or is attention is distracted from me, and no moment, therefore, when his care falters.

This is momentous knowledge. There is unspeakable comfort -- the sort of comfort that energizes, be it said, not enervates -- in knowing that God is constantly taking knowledge of me in love and watching over me for my good. There is tremendous relief in knowing that his love to me is utterly realistic, based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me, so that no discovery now can disillusion him about me, in the same way I am so often disillusioned about myself, and quench his determination to bless me.

There is, certainly, great cause for humility in the thought that he sees all the twisted things about me that my fellow humans do not see (and I am glad!), and that he sees more corruption in me than that which I see in myself (which, in all conscience, is enough). There is, however, equally great incentive to worship and love God in the thought that, for some unfathomable reason, he wants me as his friend, and desires to be my friend, and has given his Son to die for me in order to realize this purpose. We cannot work these thoughts out here, but merely mention them is enough to show how much it means to know not merely that we know God, but that he knows us.

Why is this an Antidote to Idolatry?

In and of itself it is not, unless we put these truths into practice. Remind

Because we rest and trust in the immovable completely all knowing love of God for us.

Ephesians 3:17–19 ESV

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

But you will say, “How shall faith act itself on Christ for this end and purpose?”

By faith fill your soul with a due consideration of that provision which is laid up in Jesus Christ for this end and purpose, that all your lusts, this very lust wherewith you are entangled, may be mortified. By faith ponder on this, that though you are no way able in or by yourself to get the conquest over your distemper, though you are even weary of contending, and are utterly ready to faint, yet that there is enough in Jesus Christ to yield you relief (Phil. 4:13). It staid 1 the prodigal, when he was ready to faint, that yet there was bread enough in his father’s house; though he was at a distance from it, yet it relieved him, and staid him, that there it was [Luke 15:17]. In your greatest distress and anguish, consider that fullness of grace, those riches, those treasures of strength, might, and help [Isa. 40:28-31], that are laid up in him for our support (John 1:16; Col. 1:19). Let them come into and abide in your mind. Consider that he is “exalted and made a Prince and a Savior to give repentance unto Israel” (Acts 5:31); and if to give repentance, to give mortification, without which the other is not, nor can be. Christ tells us that we obtain purging grace by abiding in him (John 15:3). To act faith upon the fullness that is in Christ for our supply is an eminent way of abiding in Christ, for both our and abode is by faith (Rom. 11:19-20).