Why Return to Slavery

[전승훈2]

Summary:
Paul reminds the readers that before they came to know God, they lived in bondage to beings that were not truly gods. But now, having come to know God - and more importantly, having been known by God - he is troubled that they are turning back again to weak and worthless elemental principles, as if returning to slavery. He points to their renewed attention to observing special religious times and calendars (days, months, seasons, and years) as evidence of this backward move, and he ends with a personal fear that his labor for them may have been in vain.
 
Teaching
Paul says that Jews serve as slaves under the Law, and Gentiles serve as slaves under things that are not God.

Remember how Paul referred to “weak and worthless elemental principles.” Accept this biblical assessment: worldly studies, morality and ethics, religion and philosophy, common sense, manners, culture, fashion, and trends are all included in what was mentioned above. No matter how smart someone is, and even if they have refined worldly manners, they are weak and worthless.

The church may be that way because the people inside the church lack dignity, but the Word inside the church cannot be compared with anything in the world. The things of the world are powerless - they cannot save us, and they cannot restore our lives.

If we remain under these elemental principles, we become slaves.

Excerpt from the sermon by Pastor Lee, Mar 3, 2026
Galatians 4:8-11