A God-Called Man
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Paul begins to speak directly to the Galatians about the issues that false teachers are causing.
In verses 6-10 Paul warned against their false teaching and about false teachers.
Here we begin to see that not only did these false teacher attack the true Gospel, but they also sought to discredit the Gospel Preacher. This is implied in the fact that Paul spends a great portion of his letter defending his credentials and calling.
In one way or anther, everything from verse 11 of chapter 1 all the way to the end of chapter 2 is personal with Paul at the focus.
John MacArthur sees 1.11-24 as Apostolic Credentials, and the first part of chapter 2 as the other Apostles giving him commendation.
At first glance, it may seem like Paul is jumping around. He’s been talking about false teachers and then he starts defending himself. But his defense is to point out that he has been a Jew all his life and excelled at it. But his religion didn’t work. Keeping the Law didn’t work for Paul, but his life was forever changed when he met Jesus.
For am I now trying to win the favor of people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ.
Now I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel preached by me is not based on human thought.
For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation from Jesus Christ.
For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism: I persecuted God’s church to an extreme degree and tried to destroy it.
I advanced in Judaism beyond many contemporaries among my people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.
But when God, who from my birth set me apart and called me by His grace, was pleased
to reveal His Son in me, so that I could preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone.
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.
Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to get to know Cephas, and I stayed with him 15 days.
But I didn’t see any of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.
Now I am not lying in what I write to you. God is my witness.
Afterward, I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia.
I remained personally unknown to the Judean churches in Christ;
they simply kept hearing: “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith he once tried to destroy.”
And they glorified God because of me.
Paul didn’t go looking for Jesus
Paul didn’t go looking for Jesus
For am I now trying to win the favor of people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ.
Now I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel preached by me is not based on human thought.
For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation from Jesus Christ.
This is a truth we all need to understand. We don’t first seek God, He seeks us.
Paul had every reason to keep doing what he was doing.
But Paul was radically changed, He HAD met Jesus.
Therefore his aim was to please the Lord, and not man.
A pastor can really struggle with this:
He can become fearful that he will get fired and his family will suffer
He can not want to hurt the feelings of friends that he knows longer and longer.
He can not want to upset the apple cart.
To be sure there are some pastors who seems to go out of their way to be abrasive about everything. Everything is not a hill upon which to die. A dog can whip a skunk every time, but sometimes it not worth it.
There are some issues where you just have to say, I’ve got to follow my convictions and preach no matter what.
Paul had been a radical opponent of Christianity
Paul had been a radical opponent of Christianity
For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism: I persecuted God’s church to an extreme degree and tried to destroy it.
I advanced in Judaism beyond many contemporaries among my people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.
Paul radically met Jesus and was forever changed.
Paul radically met Jesus and was forever changed.
But when God, who from my birth set me apart and called me by His grace, was pleased
to reveal His Son in me, so that I could preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone.
Paul accepted that God had called him to live for Jesus
Paul accepted that God had called him to live for Jesus
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.
Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to get to know Cephas, and I stayed with him 15 days.
But I didn’t see any of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.
Now I am not lying in what I write to you. God is my witness.
Afterward, I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia.
I remained personally unknown to the Judean churches in Christ;
they simply kept hearing: “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith he once tried to destroy.”
And they glorified God because of me.
Let me just add this. Paul had declared in Romans that God sent Him to be an Apostle to the Gentiles.
The Judaizers did not like the thought that someone outside Judaism had the same standing as they did.
They did not like that he taught that Jewish Law, customs, and traditions had been trumped by the freedom that was found in God’s grace.
Jesus satisfied the law, and all that was against us.