Remember how you received the Gospel. Galatians 4:12-20 When Paul was saved, he became free from Jewish ordinances, just like the Gentiles, because salvation is by faith, not works. When he brought the Gospel to the Galatians, they did not treat him badly but showed him kindness and regarded him as a messenger from God. Paul and Barnabas were initially welcomed as Jupiter and Mercury. Despite their physical appearance being unattractive, they recognized that his teachings were what they needed.
Those with children in the faith can easily understand Paul's concern over the departure of God's saints when they turn away from what they have been taught and follow false teachers. Paul knew that the truths he shared were accurate to the word of God and were confirmed by his own experience. He had been bound by the law and was now set free from it. With sincere heart, he urges the Galatians to remember his example when he first preached the Gospel. Despite his illness, they welcomed him and listened as if he were an angel from heaven or even the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sometimes, we don't understand why some of our spiritual children leave the place where God called them. Paul loved them as a father loves his spiritual children, and they loved him. Still, they turned away to false teachers. We cannot help loving those whom God has saved by His grace, but we don't always agree with what they do. When God's people lose the joy of their salvation and fall into spiritual bondage, they lose the joy of fellowship with the Lord and His people and the joy of walking in the light. Instead, they feel guilt and failure rather than the humility that grace brings.
The emphasis on law replaces spiritual relationships with those of "like precious faith." The shortcoming we recognize usurps authority over our gratitude, causing us to focus more on our failures than on our spiritual blessings in Christ. Abandoning the power of the true Gospel for the futile efforts of men to please God seems so contrary to God's will. Paul was puzzled that Christ had been replaced in the lives of the saints by the demands of the law - and it seemed to happen quickly. When or if such an attraction draws us away from those who appear to hold the answers in their new teachings, we need Christ to be renewed within us. We must return to the words of the four Gospels and focus on Christ—who He is and what He has done for us.
He was telling them the truth in this letter from the same one who brought the Gospel truth to them. He had not changed in his teaching or way of life. What had caused them to turn away from the truth he taught and from the one who truly cared for them? There seemed to be a hostile attitude against Paul among the Galatian believers. That was probably introduced or at least encouraged by the false teachers.
Faithfully teaching the truth can provoke hostility from those who oppose or reject God's word. Typically, such reactions are driven by motives that are neither honorable nor righteous. Some reject biblical teaching because they already have their own agenda they want others to accept. Religious practitioners might try to enslave people with their "form of godliness" to gain power, fame, or money—or all three. A spiritual father longs to be with those he has seen saved when they go astray. His heartfelt wish is for them to recover quickly and return to fellowship with God and himself.
False teachers, using flattery and deception, aimed to divide the Gentile believers in Galatia from those who were Jews and even from Paul himself. False teachers look for followers who will be passionate about them and their teachings. Their motives are often driven by a desire for power, fame, and money. Zeal isn't inherently bad as long as it comes from a good purpose or is directed toward a trustworthy person whom the zealot supports.
Paul had called the Galatians “brethren” earlier as members of the same family. Then he calls them “my little children.” This is a term of affection for them as his spiritual children, but because of their lack of spiritual growth and discernment, he portrays himself as their “spiritual mother” who is feeling the labor pains of their spiritual rebirth all over again. This was a result of them falling for, and then into, serious error. Paul really wanted to be with them so that he could convey his concern through spoken words and visual cues, not just in written words. Apparently, he had doubts about how they would receive the words of this letter.