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Galatians 4:1 – How Not to be an Idiot
“You foolish Galatians! Who has hypnotized you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was visibly portrayed as crucified?” (Galatians 3:1). J.B. Phillips paraphrases it, “O you dear idiots of Galatia…surely you can’t be so idiotic…” Some translators have “bewitched” instead of hypnotized. The meaning is “to cast an evil spell, wishing injury upon someone; to bewitch”. Here again we see echoes of the Exodus that is throughout Galatians. Pharaoh’s sorcerers bewitched him and others, leading Pharaoh to go back and forth between the truth and error even though before his very eyes he had seen God’s work.
This leads us to two important truths:
- Obviously, we see it is possible to fall from grace (5:4). Perfect preaching cannot prevent this. What is perfect preaching?
- “before whose eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed as crucified”. This is evangelism – Jesus Christ crucified. This is evangelism – portraying Jesus Christ crucified as if we are standing at the cross. This is also our survival!
What is the secret to staying faithful? Keep seeing Jesus crucified. Here it applies to false religion, “for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing” (2:21). For us, it can be many things, even that which appears righteous. What replaces Jesus crucified in your life? Keep putting yourself at the foot of the cross. It keeps us from falling away to works-salvation; and keeps us from falling away to the bewitching, siren voice of Satan. What persuades you to live a life of idiocy?
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