Lack of Logic (8-11). Lack of Fruit (12-16). Lack of Proper Motives (17-20). Lack of Logic, v.8-11. Paul argues that it is illogical to revert to bondage by observing the law. Spurgeon said, “How can you go back to the things of your spiritual childhood? As well may full-grown men begin again to read their ABC’s and learn from baby picture books!” Before they knew God, the Galatians had been slaves to pagan gods. (8-9) Through faith in the one true God, they had been delivered from this bondage. They could not claim any credit to say they had achieved a knowledge of God. Notice Paul’s doctrinal correction in v.9. God had taken the initiative to form a relationship with them so that He knew them. Christianity is not a matter of what we know; it is a matter of who we know. An even better way to say this is that Christianity is a matter of Who knows us! Paul points the Galatians back to a right relationship with the Father. “He makes a comparison between being a slave to an impersonal and nonexistent idol-“god” (v8) and knowing relationally the true God.” (Keller) Paul isn’t saying they don’t know God. He is saying: How can you turn back to idols since you know God and, more importantly, are known by God?! Paul asked them why they were turning back…That the Galatians had been in bondage through ignorance of the true God is no surprise to Paul. It is only what would be expected. But that they should return to their former bondage after having been delivered from such ignorance by God himself—this is totally incomprehensible. Notice the extent of Paul’s point giving the wording he uses: v.8 - “no gods” — not God, not real. v.9 - weak — lacking power or ability. Sick. v.9 - beggarly — poor, of little or no value, relatively worthless, destitute, inadequate, insufficient. The greek word Paul uses from which we derive “beggarly” implies that their level of being destitute of material resources was so much so that it is contemptible! Put Paul’s question of logic up against all of that — you are choosing to be a slave…to this? (9b) In v.10, Paul addresses their use of the calendar. (10) Evidently, the Judaizers had persuaded the Galatians to observe the Mosaic calendar. These seasonal events included special days (weekly sabbaths). Special monthly observance (new moons). And seasons (Festivals of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles). The Galatians were being led to keep these festivals in an attempt to gain God’s favor. These events under the law were God given, but never required for the church. Paul is seeing a slippery slope into the sea of legalism. It begins with circumcision, it continues with diet, and goes even further with old covenant religious observances. Put v.10 together with vv.8-9. Just as the pagans in Galatia have been saved away from their pagan gods and all the “special” days, rituals, observances that entailed…They’ve also been saved outside of and away from all of the Jewish things that were similar. Paul’s point is — your behavior here doesn’t follow logic. God didn’t free you from one form of bondage to put you under another. He freed you and made you sons. We too, can be “legalistic” with our religious calendar. “Any religion that is based on observing special days is primitive because it reduces a relationship to a ritual. It makes following God a matter of doing one’s duty rather than receiving God’s grace.” (Ryken) This is the potential danger with religiously observing the liturgical calendar the way some churches do. It is also a warning sign that many Americans are really pagans, for our national spirituality focuses on major holidays rather than on living for Christ every day. There are still far too many people who think that all they have to do for God is to go to church at Christmas and Easter. There is nothing wrong with taking a day to praise God for the birth or the resurrection of His Son. But..there is a huge difference between the optional observance of a day and making it mandatory as a means of justification. Romans 14:5-6, “5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it.” Col 2:16-17, “16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” Wiersbe asked, “Does this mean that it is wrong for Christians to set aside one day a year to remember the birth of Christ? Or that a special observance of the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost, or the blessing of the harvest in autumn, is a sin?” “Not necessarily. If we observe special days like slaves, hoping to gain some spiritual merit, then we are sinning.” “But if in the observance, we express our liberty in Christ and let the Spirit enrich us with His grace, then the observance can be a spiritual blessing.” If they continued in legalism, Paul feared that his efforts on them would have been wasted. (11) This could mean one of two things. It could mean that the Galatians were true Christians but that Paul’s efforts to spur them on to spiritual maturity in Christ were not fruitful. Or it could mean he feared that not turning from their legalism would indicate that they were never Christians in the first place. The Galatians hadn’t gotten that far. They have only begun to observe the feasts; they have not been circumcised (5:2). Nevertheless, they are wavering (“turning,” v. 9), and their wavering lacks logic. This is Paul’s Pastoral Plea to the church in Galatia. Their behavior lacked logic. The outcome lacked fruit. They lacked proper motive.