Ministry of Grace Church

 

 

Galatians 4:17

¹⁷They zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them.

Truth to Learn

Motive and method are often intertwined. We need pastors and teachers who are not only sincere and enthusiastic, but also concerned above all else for our spiritual health.

Behind the Words

“They zealously court” is translated from “dzēlousin,” which is the verb form of the noun “dzelos,” meaning zeal. Hence this verb means to be filled with zeal or to act with zeal. What Paul is saying is that the legalistic teachers in the Galatian churches were zealously seeking to win over the people with their false teaching.

The expression “but for no good” is translated from “ou kalōs.” “Ou” is the absolute negative in Greek and “kalōs” means good or well. So this basically means not in a good way. So, in effect, what Paul is saying is that these false teachers were zealous of gathering a following but not doing so in a good or honorable manner or for a good or honorable purpose.

The word “want” is from a form of “thelō,” which means to desire with active intent or purpose. It is sometimes translated as “determine.” There is a similar word in Greek, “boulomai,” which means to wish or desire but not pressing on to execute that desire. These false teachers not only had a desire to mislead the Galatians but they were determined as well.

Finally, the word translated “exclude” is the word, “ekkleiō,” which literally means to shut out. This may be a play on words by Paul since he refers to Christians as having been chosen (eklegō) by God (Ephesians 1:4). Here, the false teachers are not choosing, but just the opposite – excluding.

Meaning Explained

Paul has just been talking about how the Galatians have seemingly rejected him and his message in favor of the legalistic doctrines of the false teachers among them. Now that he has made this rejection a clear point of discussion he goes on to show how it has come about.

The false teachers in Galatia certainly could not be accused of being complacent. They were energetic and hard charging in their efforts to teach their false doctrines. But unlike Paul, who had a genuine love for these people and desired to see them be followers of Christ, these false teachers wanted the people to follow them. Their zeal was not for the purpose of building up the church but of tearing it apart.

Paul even comes right out and alerts the Galatians as to what their ultimate goal is: they want to shut you out. There is some disagreement as to whether Paul means shut-out from fellowship with Paul or shut-out from fellowship with God. It doesn’t really matter. The point is that Paul has the best interests of the Galatian Christians in mind and the false teachers have their own best interests in mind.

Application

I’ve heard Christians who have been led astray by false teachers say, “Oh, but they are sincere in their teaching.” That may be so, but to be sincere, even zealous, does no one any good if they are sincerely wrong!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2007 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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