Galatians 4:9 - Slummy mudpie-making

"But now having known God, but rather being known by God, how are you [all] returning again upon the strengthless and worthless elementals, to which all over again you [all] are wanting to being enslaved?"

-Then - but now!  Then you were slaves when you didn’t know God.  But now, Paul says, now you have come to know God!  But then he corrects himself, because in fact, you and I - when we look back on it - we were not the initiators in this relationship.  God was.  He reached out to us.  He made us.  He came down to earth to redeem us.  He sent His Spirit to woo and convict us.  He inspired His people to deliver His written Word to us.  God came a-calling at the door of our hearts, and He started knocking, and yes we let Him in, but looking back, it was God Who came to know us.  He knew us - He made us, He foreknew us, ever mindful of us, and He so wanted us to know Him.  So we said yes, opened the door of our hearts, and He came rushing in, the rushing Wind of His Spirit, bringing not only forgiveness and eternal life but also surpassing peace and inexpressible joy and living hope.  And He filled (perfectly) the Abyss, our gaping soul-hole, that which was in fact made to be filled by none other.  In Him we were (and are having been) made complete.  His words are life.  His presence is fulness of joy.  From Him (alone) are all good things to enjoy.

-So why, in the name of all that is true and holy, why in thee world would anyone thus known and set free by God ever turn back to their vomit?  Why in God’s good name would we return to wallowing in the mire (2Peter 2.22), leaving our holiday at the beach in favor of slummy mudpie-making?  These Galatians who had believed in Jesus and had been set free to know their Maker were somehow returning to their old ways of living, of trying to assuage the infinite abyss with worthless, impotent things.  With filthy ‘good deeds’ which amount to nothing, so much striving after the wind, trying to catch it in your hand.  So again, why would anyone who had ever been in bondage to that kind of vanity and who had been set free to rest and enjoy being fully accepted by God thru faith alone, why would they waste even a millisecond on trying to progress towards heaven thru even one empty ‘good’ deed?  Good deeds don’t get you known in heaven.  FAITH gets you known in heaven.