Paul the Apostle continues his appeal to the Galatian Church to not be pulled into a legalistic doctrine by forgetting that Grace Alone through faith brings salvation. In his appeal, he bids them to recall when he had first come to them to preach the gospel. “ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first, and my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God” (Galatians 4:13-14). We are not told what the illness was that Paul refers to; but, it would appear that he was forced by illness to stop in Galatia. They may not have even been on missionary route; but, God caused an illness to press him to stop for a moment. While there he taught the gospel message to them.
Whatever the illness was, it was one that caused him to appear repulsive. Still during his stay, they received him with great gladness; because of the message of the gospel. He told them of Jesus Christ and His completed work of redemption on the cross so that sinful man might be saved by grace through faith, not of works. Yet, now, Paul is writing them because the Judaizers had begun to teach them that righteousness could only be obtained through following the law and demanding they be circumcised. Legalism appeals to mankind’s pride, so they were quickly allowing this false doctrine to infiltrate the church. Paul takes them back, reminding them of his own illness; which forced him to rely on the strength of Jesus Christ and not his own. He bids them to rely on Jesus Christ for their righteousness becoming themselves putty in God’s hands.
A Note from John Piper’s Sermon “O That Christ Would Be Formed In You”
the Son of God comes and shapes us from within if we rely on him to come and shape us. The Son takes shape in those who abandon themselves to him. Christ forms himself in the lives of those who will let go of all the forms of life in which they have shaped on their own. Christ takes shape in a life that is willing to become putty in God’s hands. Christ presses the shape of his own face into the clay of our soul when we cease to be hard and resistant, and when we take our own amateur hands off and admit that we are not such good artists as he is.
Here we can see clearly what faith is. Faith is the assurance that what God will make of you, as Christ is formed in your life, is vastly to be preferred over what you can make of yourself. Faith is the confidence that the demonstration of Christ’s work in your life is more wonderful than all the praise you could get for yourself by being a self-made man—or woman. Faith is a happy resting in the all-sufficiency of what Christ did on the cross, what he is doing now in our heart, and what he promises to do for us for ever.
So it’s clear how Paul’s message and the Judaizers’ message are opposed to each other. Their message caters to our natural pride—our desire to be “self-made” people who get glory for ourselves. Paul’s message robs us of all such pride by saying we should be “Christ-made” people who get glory for God by trusting him to shape us every day. [1]
Illness Can Be a Blessing
We do not know if the illness Paul is referring to here is the same as the “thorn of the flesh” that Paul spoke of in 2 Corinthians 6 or if this was another illness he faced during this lifetime. Either way, Paul knew that illness had a benefit of stripping away all pride, forcing one to rely on Jesus Christ.
For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. 2 Corinthians 6: 6-10
When Illness Comes
When God allows illness into our life, He bids us to rely on Him. It may be that it comes to strip us of our own pride. Sometimes it comes that we might be placed in a position to witness to others we would never have been able to. Whether the illness comes to bring us a blessing or that we might be a blessing to the Kingdom, still we must trust and rely on God. We can always know that God has a perfect plan for those who know Him as Savior and Lord; no matter what.
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Through a study of Nahum, Habukkuk, and Zephaniah; I brought their message into our modern times. Answering the questions of “Why, God?”
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©Effie Darlene Barba, 2017
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Footnotes and CREDITS
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[1] https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/o-that-christ-would-be-formed-in-you