From Persecutor to Preacher

Galatians 1:11–24 CSB

11 For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin. 12 For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism: I intensely persecuted God’s church and tried to destroy it. 14 I advanced in Judaism beyond many contemporaries among my people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. 15 But when God, who from my mother’s womb set me apart and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me, so that I could preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone. 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who had become apostles before me; instead I went to Arabia and came back to Damascus. 18 Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to get to know Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days. 19 But I didn’t see any of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I declare in the sight of God: I am not lying in what I write to you. 21 Afterward, I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 I remained personally unknown to the Judean churches that are in Christ. 23 They simply kept hearing, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.

The Judaizers knew that if they could undermine Paul’s apostolic authority the could defeat his message of liberty.

They said that Paul perverted the gospel by omitting the Law of Moses; in reality, the Judaizers perverted the gospel by adding legalism.

The gospel is not a man made concept.

No human mind would have ever dreamed up the gospel of the Bible.

No humans mind would have made salvation wholly dependent on grace and the death of someone else - in this case, God’s grace and the death of Jesus.

It is only the divine revelation that we can even comprehend the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The gospel radically changes lives.

Paul was living proof of the power of the gospel.

God took Paul from persecutor of the church to preacher of the gospel of Christ.

A changed life, seeks to know God more.

Paul was a Pharisee so he was already trained in Jewish law and custom - he was close.

Encountering Jesus showed Paul he needed to learn more - the three years he spent away he was praying and learning from God - he then sought out the apostles.

A changed life, impacts others.