No, I am not the one who coined the expression “foolish Christians”. Apostle Paul did in his pastoral letter to the Church at Galatia (Galatians 3:1). It means that some Christians are foolish, but I pray you are not one of them, in Jesus Christ’s name.
Why did Paul call Galatians brethren in Christ foolish? In attempting to answer the question I hope we highlight the distinguishing marks of a foolish Christian according to the apostolic letter to Galatians Christians.
The first thing to note is that foolish Christians are easily bewitched or deceived or influenced. They have brains but scarcely use them to make sense of their walk/experiences with God because someone they consider more spiritual or anointed told them that rational thinking and faith do not belong together: A man of faith does what he is told without thinking. Is it true?
In Galatians Apostle Paul does just the opposite. He is asking them to consider and think. He is appealing to their reasoning. Here is how he challenges them to think: Verse 3, “Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human efforts? And Verse 5, “Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard.”
We have here Christians who were baptised in the Holy Spirit and seen evidences of the Kingdom of God in their midst through various miracles. I believe some of the miracles happened without the involvement of Apostle Paul, as is often the case when revival breaks out. Yet, someone convinced them that God was not really pleased with them unless they were circumcised. In other words, they had to be circumcised to become children of God.
Imagine someone who became a child of God by faith or on account of believing in Jesus Christ being told to try hard by works (fasting, tithing, circumcision, church attendance) to become a child of God! Or someone God spoke to already being told that God will not speak to her unless she spend money to travel to a faraway place to hear from God -as if she needs to qualify herself in order to hear from God. Is it not sheer foolishness?
To such a person apostle Paul would say, think for a moment: Don’t you know that the Holy Spirit in you cries out Abba father? When you believed in Jesus Christ you were sealed with his Spirit (Spirit of sonship). It means that you are already a child of God by faith. Hence, God speaks to you through his Spirit dwelling in you and you can hear him because he made you alive already.
God does not expect anything from you except that you expect more from him. He knows you cannot please him by your own efforts or without his help (grace). Hence, he calls on you to fix your eyes on Jesus (exclusively)…. (Hebrews 12:2). Anyone who teaches otherwise does so for his/her own interest, to rule and pride over you, and not for your spiritual good.
We all hear about ministers abusing church members in various ways. All such cases evidence not only the devil having infiltrated the church, but also the reality of foolish Christians in churches. I pray that you are not one of them, in Jesus Christ’s name!
A church whose members are not “foolish Christians” will always feel hostile to “wolves in sheep’s skin”, as it were.
Join me in praying that where there are foolish Christians the Lord will release his Spirit and raise up ministries against it and convict hearts and turn eyes onto Jesus the only one who sets free and the author and perfector of our faith. Amen!
