Leading the Way Through Galatians by Michael Youssef

Author:Michael Youssef
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780736951678
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers

6

Until Christ Is Formed in You

Galatians 4

Why are so many Christians today anemic, ineffectual, defeated, and immature? Why do so many Christians start off on the straight path of godliness only to end up in a ditch, sidelined by immorality or defection from Christ? What is this disease that stunts the growth of so many believers today?

Paul, in Galatians 4, has the answer: Christ is not formed in them.

You may ask, “What does that mean? I don’t think I’ve ever heard that phrase before. What does it mean to have Christ formed in me?”

This concept is rarely preached on or written about in the Christian community, yet I believe it is the key concept in Galatians 4. Paul writes, “my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!” (4:19).

How do we know if people who claim to be Christians are genuine or not? We tend to draw conclusions from their actions. If they attend church, use the right evangelical vocabulary, put on a plastic Christian smile (or, in some churches, a pious and vinegary frown), practice all the proper rituals, and express all the proper evangelical opinions—then we conclude they are genuine Christians. But none of these outward signs is proof that Christ is being formed in them.

A new Christian is like an empty glove. A glove without a hand in it is flat, limp, and useless. It can’t do anything. It can’t grasp anything, it can’t flex its fingers, it can’t move, it has no life or dynamism of its own.

But when I put my hand in that glove, it conforms to the shape and movement of my hand. My fingers and thumb can cause the glove to come alive with motion and strength. Everything my hand does the glove can do. My hand has been formed within that glove, and the glove takes on the form of my hand.

Can other people see my hand? No. It’s hidden within the glove. But my hand is obviously the source of the power, life, and dynamism of the glove. No one looks at the glove and thinks, What a strong, energetic, and skillful glove that is! It’s obvious to all that the power is not in the glove, but in the hand.

In a similar way, we are the glove, Christ is the hand. We are flat, limp, and useless until Christ is formed in us. We can’t do anything in our own strength. We have no life or dynamism of our own. We become useful to God only when Christ is formed in us and when we become conformed to him. When we take on the shape and form and power of Jesus Christ, we become God’s hands, and he can use us to accomplish his purpose in the world.

And that is why Paul says, “I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!”

No longer a slave but a son

As we come to Galatians 4, Paul has finished his theological argument and his doctrinal debate.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.