17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. 18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, 19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. (Galatians 4:17–20)

With this passage, we wrap up Paul’s passionate appeal to the Galatians not to add to the gospel they’d been given but to stay firm in the gospel of grace. Through his words, we’ve also seen the Spirit’s heart expressed for all of us, and so far, we’ve learned that God wants us to stay simple in the gospel, relating to him as our father, and to stay free in the Christian liberty he won for us.

The False Teachers' Aim

This third paragraph of Paul’s appeal tells us that God wants us to stay focused on the ultimate goal of having Christ formed within us. We aren't to try to fake Christlikeness but to learn of Christ and submit to the Spirit so fully that Christ's life is formed in us.

To make this point, Paul was clear about the false teachers' aim for the Galatians. They made a big deal about the Galatians so that the Galatians would be cut off from everyone else. Why? Because the false teachers knew that once a wall of division went up, the Galatians would make much of the false teachers. Many false teachers do this today. They elevate their listeners so they can shut them off from other voices, so their platform becomes the celebrated one.

I have always been instinctively cautious about messengers who seek to alienate me from other Christians. Don't listen to that preacher. Don't read that author. Don't attend that meeting. Don't go outside your tribe; they aren't balanced enough.

But I have resisted that message, and I'm glad I have, because so many scholars and pastors from other orthodox streams within Christianity have radically blessed my life. I'm not talking about embracing cults or ecumenicalism, but other true Christians.

Remember this when listening to Christian pastors, teachers, and podcasters. If they are trying to separate you from other orthodox and godly strains of Christianity, be wary.

Christ Formed in You

Paul, however, did not want to separate the Galatians unto himself. He wanted to, like a parent, make much of the Galatians for a good purpose (18). With mother-like labor, Paul worked to see Christ formed in them (19).

This phrase is the essence of the Christian life—Christ formed in you. [1] It is a phrase that depicts God working to develop us as his children into the image of his only begotten Son. Slowly, steadily, and faithfully, he transforms us to become more like Jesus. It isn't fake. We aren't acting. It's not a legalistic front. It's a true transformation from the inside out.

We must keep this as our primary focus. When we do, we throw ourselves into the study of Christ, yield to the Spirit, and spend time with the Father. Like a cucumber slowly turning into a pickle as it soaks in brine, Christ is formed in us as we soak in our relationship with him. But the second we drift from this as our primary focus, we will settle for legalism as a cheap replacement.

But it's our nature to lose focus. I recently heard the story about the company Stitch Fix. They had to lay off 20% of their workforce and close a massive new warehouse in Utah because they’d lost focus. Women signed up for their wardrobe subscription services in droves when they began. Then they expanded to men and kids, only to discover that many men don't care much about their fashion and kids grow too fast to make it worthwhile. But their lack of focus cost them. [2]

When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem 2,500 years ago, he knew he had a job to do. He wanted God's people to live in devotion to God. It would take many steps to get there. First, he had to have funding and a plan for rebuilding Jerusalem, the city that housed God's temple at that time. Second, he had to gather the people around the mission of rebuilding. Third, he had to resist the enemies around them that sought to attack and distract them. Fourth, he had to keep people motivated for hard work. Fifth, he had to call for the scribes to teach the people the word. Sixth, he had to deal with sins and issues threatening their unity and fruitfulness. But Nehemiah endured each step because he kept his focus on the goal: a revived people who loved God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Keep your focus: let God produce the life of Christ in you! That's all Paul wanted. And it's what God wants for us. Keep it simple. Stay free in Christ. And remain focused on God's mission to form Christ in you.

[1] Harmon, Matthew S. 2021. Galatians: Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary. Lexham Academic. [2] Forman, Laura. n.d. “The Decline of Stitch Fix.” The Decline of Stitch Fix | 1min Snip from The Journal. Accessed February 16, 2023. https://share.snipd.com/snip/49c4e97a-4961-4f07-9a9a-93985898620a.