Galatians 4:12
12 Brethren [adelphos], I
beseech [deomai] you [humon], be [ginomai] as [hos] I [ego] am; for [hoti] I [kago] am as [hos] ye [humeis] are: ye have
not injured [adikeo] me [me] at all [oudeis]. KJV-Interlinear
12 I beg of you, brethren, become
as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have done me no wrong; NASB
Paul, after a fashion, is pleading, urging, making
a strong request to the Gentiles that he is speaking to, that they become as he
is.
And remember here, that this book is addressed to
the gentiles, gentile believers who were originally heading in the right
direction in their spiritual lives but got derailed, and unfortunately easily derailed,
by some false teaching that came their way.
So Paul gives them good advice, to follow in his
example in the conduct of their spiritual lives.
First, to desire truth and to desire to know truth.
And there’s a big difference between desiring truth and desiring to know truth.
In order to know something you have to learn it.
And in order to learn something you have to be taught. And before you can be
taught, you have to want to be taught, you have to want to learn, you have to
want to know. And unfortunately in this world there is a huge majority of believers
that lack these attributes in their spiritual lives.
We live in an instant gratification world today.
Most marketing campaigns whether in business or in politics, are designed to
gain the attention and following of people with a minimum of effort. Unless a
person’s attention is gained within the first few seconds of an advertisement,
then the ad fails.
Most people today, want things to happen and want
things to happen now. But that is an unrealistic view of life. It may be okay
when ordering food at a drive-through window, but it does not apply when you
are preparing a long term structure for yourself within yourself for the rest
of your life, and especially for all of eternity.
So Paul pleads. Listen and learn and pursue wisdom
through the daily instruction of Bible doctrine so that you can apply faith to
your life. Do not pursue the preparation of your life through pretense or
ritual or works, because even though these things may seem easier because they
are unstructured approaches to life, and give you a false sense of freedom,
they are more detrimental in that you are investing your whole life, and you
will be getting nothing in return.
Paul’s second comment, and I am as you are, refers to
the ritual free life of the gentiles, unhampered and unhindered by the
stringent requirements of the mosaic law.
Paul put behind himself, the works of the law, and
traded it for faith in Christ, and faith in doctrine.
The two go hand-in-hand.
Faith is not based on a wish or luck, but it is
based on substance, the substance of wisdom derived from understanding that was
constructed with knowledge that has been learned through instruction.
And Paul’s last comment, you have not injured me,
means simply that people fail in life and it has nothing to do with Paul, or
their instructor whomever that might be.
Everyone’s spiritual life is between themselves and
their own volition, and between themselves and God.
Throughout history from Adam and Eve’s time until
now, there has been only one classification of humanity, and only two
categories within humanity, namely believers and unbelievers. Unbelievers are
by far the largest group within the human race. That makes them the majority.
Within that group that has believed in the Savior,
that has believed in Jesus Christ, you can easily divide them into three
subgroups. The largest of the subgroups of believers contains those who do not
pursue their spiritual lives. They are not interested in that they do not try.
The second of the subgroups of believers, are those
that learn some doctrine and advance somewhat in their spiritual lives, but
they still lack the urgency and desire to pursue their spiritual life all the
way. They fall by the wayside. When life gets tough their lack of faith clearly
shows. They are easily dismayed and derailed, making them fickle and
inconsistent within their spiritual life.
In the third and final group, is the smallest group
of all. It contains those people who truly desire to learn doctrine, to know
truth, to pursue a relationship as far as they can possibly pursue it, with
God. They stick with their spiritual studies and pursuit regardless of the
circumstances of their life. And especially when times get tough, or when times
look their bleakest, these spiritually mature people always look heavenward in
faith, because they truly trust in God, regardless of the outcome of their
life. This third and final group is the only true minority in all of history.
And Paul understands this, that not everyone that
hears or reads are follows his instruction, will advance to a successful
spiritual life. In fact most people won’t even be interested in what Paul has
to say, or in what any instructor has to say, or in anything you might have to
say.
You cannot force learning or understanding. People have
to face life on their own, and they have to fall on their own, and they have to
pick themselves up on their own. And sometimes this has to happen many times in
a persons life before they wake up and get it.
Therefore, if you know legitimate truths and no one
listens to you, that isn’t your fault and you should not feel offended. That is
just the way the world is.
If you advance to spiritual maturity, then
remember, that you are a member of the smallest minority group in all of
history. And in this case that is a very good thing.
