Excess Baggage – Galatians 4:9

“Excess Baggage”

“But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are
known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly
elements, whereunto ye desire to be in bondage?”
Galatians 4:9

The Judaizers were at it again. While they followed Paul
on his missionary trips, they also sought to return to churches
he had planted and pressured their members to add the Law to
their beliefs. They never won anyone to Christ, but they knew
of Paul’s success, and they tried to move in and take over.
Paul uses a play on words. He marveled at how soon they
removed “unto another gospel” (1:6), and said, “which is not
another” (1:7). In 1:6 he uses, another as “another of a
different kind,” but in 1:7 he uses another as “another of an
equal or the same kind.” It is true now, as it was then, that
nothing needs to be added to the work of Christ’s death, burial
and resurrection for salvation.
Paul alerts the church that they are carrying excess
baggage if they return to the Law. Jesus said, “It is finished”
(John 19:30). Every Old Testament “type” had been realized
that day on the hill called Calvary. He also reprimanded their
return to circumcision (Gal. 5:6) and to keeping the Jewish
feast days (Gal. 4:10).
There are modern Judaizers today which go into churches
and try to find a weak believer and lead him into returning to
the Law. Don’t allow yourself to be fooled by them. Jesus
paid it all!!! -G.G.

Prepared by Roger Fulk, from the “Baptist Bread”, May 15, 2023, by author Dr. Guy Goodell, Pastor, Bible Baptist Church, Hudson Falls, NY. With permission from Tim Green, editor of Baptist Bread. The Baptist Bread