FRIDAY March 5, 2021

Back to Bondage

But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.
Galatians 4:8-11

Paul reminded the Galatians how they were once heathens who worshiped Greek gods. In Christ they were set free from idolatry. There is only One God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Paul was greatly saddened that these believers, having been freed from idolatry, would consider removing themselves away from the grace of God, in favor of adhering to the Mosaic Law. It would be another damaging mistake to embrace the Law and go back into bondage.

The Galatian believers had a relationship with God. Why would they keep the principles of the Law––the observations of days, such as the Shabbat and the Feast of Tabernacles––which were only a shadow of things to come? That would be going back to bondage. They had freedom in Jesus Christ, but they chose to embrace rules and regulations. How do you think Paul felt? He saw their spiritual growth and then saw them walking away to go back to religion. It must have hurt Paul tremendously.

As a Pastor for over 40 years, I have watched people serve the Lord. It has saddened my heart to see people who have served the Lord for years, drift back to drinking or sexual promiscuity. They had tasted the sweet honey of God’s Word. They had been set free from sin! “Why would they go back to the bitterness of this world––to sin?” Satan has them held captive in bondage. He just wants to destroy their lives and take their souls.

If you are facing a tough situation in your life, do not walk away from God. “Where are you going to go?” Sometimes people feel it will be better to walk away from the faith. They give up walking the narrow path to go back into the world––the wide path that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14).

“The devil makes it his business to keep Christians in bondage, bound and gagged, actually in their own grace clothes!”
~A.W. Tozer~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!