Galatians 3:4
4 Have ye suffered [pascho] so many things [tosoutos]
in vain [eike]? if it be yet [eige] [kai] in vain. [eike]KJV-Interlinear
4 Did you suffer so many things
in vain — if indeed it was in vain? NASB
Here Paul asks if the Galatians had suffered the
many things that they suffered, were they in vain, if indeed for nothing or for
no purpose?
And particularly in this verse, the Galatians had
been placed under the intense scrutiny from the traditional Jews, ridiculed, ostracized,
gossiped against, boycotted and such things as people do to others in social
settings, and especially in religious settings wherein one group tries to ruin
or destroy those who did not agree with them.
On the one hand, the Galatian gentiles, had
believed in Christ and had held to the teachings of Paul as they were properly
taught. On the other hand, the
traditional Jews were trying to make life miserable for them unless the
gentiles agreed with and conformed with the traditional Jewish teachings of the
Law.
And so, if you hold to the promises and teachings
of truth, you will suffer in many respects for your beliefs, because the world
rejects Christ, rejects grace, rejects faith in its truest sense.
You will be tempted or pressured into changing your
views, and submitting to peer pressures whether as teens or adults, whether in
your local church or community or work or business or social circles, even to
the point of ostracism or intimidation making it seem like you will lose out on
many normal activities if you do not change and conform to their standards.
This suffering is for truth and is a good form of
suffering because one day, you will be vindicated at the resurrection and that
vindication will continue forever. Your rewards
will far surpass those of others, if indeed others are even there in heaven or
even have rewards of any kind.
This of course presumes that you indeed view the
blessings of eternity as far more valuable than anything you may have here in
this life.
This suffering does not cause you to lose anything,
especially when you stick to your spiritual guns and truth as you should. God provides everything for everyone, even
those who reject Him. He certainly
provides you with what is needed in order for you to maintain your focus and
path toward spiritual maturity.
Now, on the other hand, anyone who rejects God and
truth, regardless of how their life goes, will sooner or later endure
suffering. Their suffering will be for
naught. For when you reject truth, your
costs in life gain you nothing and you end up with nothing.
So, suffering correctly for truth, enhances and
accelerates your spiritual growth. This is an investment in gold, as it were,
or something that has intrinsic value.
Now realize that suffering for good is not something
that you actively pursue or do, it is merely the result of the differences
between your thinking and that of the world.
You do not starve yourself, you do not beat
yourself, you do not move out into the desert and live alone, you do not wear
black only, refuse to dance, refuse to chew gum, and on and on with all sorts
of ‘works’ activities. These are the things that the works crowd do.
While suffering for empty things is like investing everything
in a sure loser, and then of course losing.
This is an investment in stubble or in something of no value.
The traditional Jews were investing and gambling
their entire eternal future on tradition and works, which are of no value. You cannot get a profit from something that
has no value, especially when God is the ultimate and only buyer and rejects all,
no value things.
The only good investment is truth and doctrine and
your legitimate spiritual growth to maturity in which God places infinite value
and accepts it without question. That is a sure winner.
