Galatians Journal: Chapter 4, Verse 16

Galatians 4:16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

Looking at this verse by itself, the old adage of “the truth hurts” comes to mind. Obviously, the result of telling the truth, particularly when the listener is not open to hear the truth, can result in the loss of a friend. But in the context of the rest of this passage, the irony drips from Paul’s words – but not in bitterness. Here is a deep, deep sadness. The same people who in the previous verse were willing to give up their most precious commodity for Paul’s sake now dismiss him as an enemy. Indeed, how sad! A relationship grounded in Christ, forged in the trials of persecution and debilitating illness, developed over a relationship shared together in good times and bad is now lost. I get the sense that the churches of Galatia (not just a “church,” but plural, see my commentary on Galatians 1:2) were authentic Christian communities, that is, places where people really stood by each other, and really laid down their lives for each other in the spirit of Christian brotherhood. Indeed, not too very much different than my own home church. But the bald statement of this verse is the natural product of both legalism and racism. The result in both instances is the same. People who had been closer than brothers, who had been through the toughest, leanest times together – not unlike comrades who fought in war together – and the man who “saved their lives,” who introduced them to Christ, who was a spiritual father to them, a man who had lived with them as family, helped build their church community – He is now regarded as an infidel, as one who is “unclean,” or worse yet, a traitor! If we rely on rules or ethnic/racial or other cultural concepts to define who we are in Christ, this is the ultimate result – the rupturing of RELATIONSHIP – the one essential concept of Christianity that separates it from all other world religions. And while the Judiazers formed a community of sorts, it was founded on the wrong principles. In Christianity, our relationship with God is based on relating to the Lord as a person – that is, his personality; who he REALLY is. Our relationships with one another are based on the same things because of who the Lord is, and what he is in our lives. But, just like Paul here in verse 16, when we bring these concept to a church community (or any community) that would rather define itself by what we do, or what race we are, or what our cultural mores are, we will ultimately be rejected, just like Paul. Imagine – the most important, foundational truth of Christianity – REJECTED! But even sadder is the essence of Christianity – the concept of a living relationship with the one true God, and then through him, a living relationship with each other as a community of believers – dies a bitter death. This is the fruit of both a rules oriented environment, or one where culture is the overriding factor.