What is the meaning of Galatians 4:16? Have I now Paul’s first words draw attention to a change that startled him. • When he first preached in Galatia, the believers welcomed him “as if I were an angel of God” (Galatians 4:14–15). • “Now” signals that something is different; the warm friendship appears strained. • Earlier he wrote, “I am amazed how quickly you are deserting the One who called you” (Galatians 1:6), showing the same surprise. • His question echoes Galatians 1:10—“Am I now seeking the approval of men, or of God?”—reminding them that the message, not popularity, is his priority. Become your enemy The word “enemy” exposes how deeply some in the churches were reacting against Paul’s correction. • False teachers (Galatians 4:17) stirred suspicion, painting Paul as an opponent rather than a spiritual father (1 Corinthians 4:15). • Jesus warned, “If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first” (John 15:18). Faithful servants share that experience. • Proverbs 27:6 observes, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” Genuine love risks being misunderstood when it confronts error. By telling you the truth? Truth is the dividing line. Paul’s candid defense of the gospel of grace (Galatians 2:21) threatened those who wanted to add law-keeping. • Jesus faced the same hostility: “But now you are trying to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth” (John 8:40). • The call is always to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15); love without truth flatters, truth without love hardens. Paul offers both. • He also foresees a danger every generation faces: “The time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3–4). Resisting truth often turns a teacher into an “enemy” in people’s eyes. • Yet the truth liberates (John 8:32), so Paul refuses to soften it, even at the cost of friendship. summary Galatians 4:16 shows the painful irony that those who love us most may feel like enemies when they insist on biblical truth. Paul reminds the Galatians—and us—that loyalty to the gospel matters more than personal approval. Real love tells the truth, even when it risks misunderstanding, because only the truth sets people free. |
    |