Refuting Legalism (in ourselves and in others) pt 11 Gal 1:22-24 May God be glorified because of us!

Gal 1:22  And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.

Gal 1:23  They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”

Gal 1:24  And they glorified God because of me.

In writing the discourse in vs1:11-2:10 proving that Paul didn’t receive the gospel from man but rather from God, one of the arguments that he uses is found here in vs 22-24. In these verses Paul is showing that during the first few years after his conversion, he didn’t have much contact with the other believers down in Jerusalem…or throughout the entire region of Judea for that matter. However, they had heard of Paul.

 

So what was it about Paul that they had heard? What was it that he was known for to these believers down in Jerusalem? In verses 13-14 Paul shares his about his past as a zealous Pharisee named Saul: how he persecuted the church down in Jerusalem beyond measure, even to the point of killing some, and traveling to other countries (Damascus in Syria) to capture believers there and bring them to Jerusalem to be put in prison. The early church certainly knew who he was, and they were afraid of him.

 

But now they knew something else about this Paul. While he had been persecuting them in the past…now he was preaching the very faith that he had tried to destroy. How is it that someone who was so incredibly zealous toward persecuting the church to the point of killing those who were a part of it, be so transformed that he then began to preach the same message that he was once opposed to? This can only happen as a result of the transforming power of God.

 

So what was the result? After stating in Gal 1:23 that “They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” Now in verse 24 he adds that: “they glorified God because of me.” This was all that they knew of Paul…but it was enough for them to glorify God as a result of his testimony of God’s grace. This should be said of each one of us. yes, about our salvation testimonies, but also about how we handle various trying situations in our lives. 1 Peter 2:19-20 says: “For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.” How we handle difficulties can either bring glory to God, or detract from him. Let our actions and reactions be such that as people observe us, they glorify God because of us!

 

Refuting Legalism (in ourselves and in others) pt 10 Galatians1:11-2:10 A Discourse Defending the Gospel

The Proposition of the Discourse: It’s NOT man’s gospel!

 

Gal 1:11  For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel.

Gal 1:12  For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

 

Argument 1: Paul’s past opposition to it

 

Gal 1:13  For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.

Gal 1:14  And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.

 

Prior to conversion Paul was vehemently opposed to this gospel of Grace. So much so, that he tried to destroy all who followed “that way”. However, something happened! He went from trying to destroy this faith to proclaiming its message to the world! A change so radical doesn’t come from man teaching man’s message, but rather it is a change that only comes from a message that has its origin in God.

 

Argument 2: Paul’s miraculous conversion

 

Gal 1:15  But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace,

Gal 1:16  was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;

 

It was GOD that set Paul apart before he was born. It was GOD who called Paul by HIS grace. It was GOD who was pleased to reveal HIS Son to him. All of this was of God, not of man.

 

Argument 3: Paul’s initial lack of exposure to the other Apostles

 

Gal 1:16b  I did not immediately consult with anyone;

Gal 1:17  nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

Gal 1:18  Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days.

Gal 1:19  But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother.

Gal 1:20  (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!)

Gal 1:21  Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

 

Paul tells us that after his conversion, he did not immediately consult with anyone, and he also didn’t go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before Paul was a part of the faith. Instead, he went away to Arabia, and returned to Damascus. During this whole time, Paul had zero contact with those who were pillars of the faith, no instruction from anyone other than God himself. Then, only after three years, Paul made a trip up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas (Peter) for only fifteen days. During that time out of all the apostles, he only saw Peter and James. After those 15 days, he returned to Syria and Cilicia. Paul shares all this to make sure that it is understood that he was not instructed by men, but by God.

 

Argument 4: Paul’s initial anonymity to the church in general

 

Gal 1:22  And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.

Gal 1:23  They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”

Gal 1:24  And they glorified God because of me.

 

During the time shortly after Paul’s conversion, the church had not spread too far from the region of Judea. Therefore, the fact that he was still unknown to those of the churches of Judea also proves that he was not taught this gospel by men, but from God.

 

Argument 5: Paul consults with the other apostles AFTER his revelation

 

Gal 2:1  Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me.

Gal 2:2  I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain.

 

Paul waited until after he had the revelation from God to consult with the other apostles. In fact, it was this revelation that prompted Paul to make the trip up to Jerusalem. Paul went up to consult with the other apostles in order to ensure that he wasn’t mistaken in the revelation that he had received. He wanted to make sure that it lined up with what the other apostles knew from their time with Christ.

 

Argument 6: Titus remained uncircumcised

 

Gal 2:3  But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek.

Gal 2:4  Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in–who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery–

Gal 2:5  to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.

 

When they did go up to Jerusalem, apparently there were those who wanted Titus to be circumcised, because they believed that it had something to do with his standing with God. However, they did not yield, because doing so would lend itself to the impression that salvation does indeed have something to do with man’s efforts.

 

Argument 7: Those who were apostles before Paul confirmed that this message was true!

 

Gal 2:6  And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)–those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me.

Gal 2:7  On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised

Gal 2:8  (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles),

Gal 2:9  and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.

Gal 2:10  Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

 

When Paul did bring God’s revelation of the gospel to him before the other apostles, they confirmed that indeed this is the true gospel of Christ, and also that God is working through Paul to be a minister of the gospel to the gentiles.

 

Refuting Legalism (in ourselves and in others) pt 9 Galatians1:15-16 Called by God’s Grace…to be saved and to serve

Gal 1:15  But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace,

Gal 1:16  was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;

 

In the previous two verses, Paul shared how prior to Christ, about his former life in Judaism, how he persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And how he was advancing in Judaism beyond many of his own age among his people, so extremely zealous was he for the traditions of his fathers. Now he contrasts that with “But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;” While Paul is not sharing this here to focus on his own personal testimony, it certainly deserves a closer look. In the next post we will look closer at the reason why he is sharing this here and now.

 

In verse 15, Paul writes: “But when he who had set me apart before I was born,” Isaiah writes in Isa 49:1 “The LORD called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name.” Jeremiah writes in Jer 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Paul also writes in Rom 1:1 “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,” finally, God himself also adds (during the record of Paul’s conversion) in Acts 9:15 as God is instructing Ananias to take care of Paul “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.”

 

These verses show that it is God who sets us apart before we are even born, both to salvation and to whatever it is that he calls us to do in life. This is a beautiful picture of our relationship with God…because God is not bound by time, there was never a time in which he did not know us as his own. Paul then goes on to add: “who called me by his grace,” This is yet another proof that our salvation is all of God, and not of man. 1Peter 5:10 “And the God of all grace, who called you unto his eternal glory in Christ,” God has called us by his grace unto his eternal glory in Christ! There is nothing that we can do to earn it to deserve it!

 

Paul then goes on to add: “was pleased to reveal his Son to me,” Rom 3:10-12 says: “as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” Who was seeking who? It was God who was pleased to reveal his son to Paul…he didn’t stumble upon the truth because of his own effort. And neither did we! God drew us to himself by his grace.

 

Verse 16 shows that God “was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles,” God not only revealed Christ to us so that we might partake of salvation, he also does so that we might be his ambassador to the lost in this world. 2Cor 5:17-21 says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Just like Paul, we too have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light so that we can be ambassadors of our heavenly Kingdom, as we get the privilege of participating in the ministry of reconciliation!

 

Refuting Legalism (in ourselves and in others) pt 8 Galatians1:13-14 Paul’s Persecuting Past

Gal 1:13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.

Gal 1:14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.

The two previous verses are a proposition for a discourse which Paul is beginning. The proposition states: “For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” Paul then spends the rest of this chapter all the way through 2:10 proving the fact that this gospel does not come from man, but indeed has been delivered to Paul by God himself.

Paul begins this discourse by reminding them of his own personal testimony. Why is this so important? This goes back to the question that he asked in verse 10 “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Prior to conversion, was Paul trying to please man? or was he trying to please God?

 

Let’s take a look at what else the scriptures say about Paul’s former life as a Pharisee named Saul. Paul writes about himself in Phil 3:5-6 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” In Acts 8:3, the following account is given of him: “But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.” As Paul gives his defense before an angry mob of Jews in Jerusalem, Acts 22:3-5 records Paul as saying: “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.”

 

These passages put together with Galatians 1:13-14 paint a pretty good picture of who Saul was. Was he a man pleaser? By looking at these two verses we can observe the following:  In reference to his former life in Judaism, Paul explains how he persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. Was this persecution that he was administering due to him trying to please men? Let us dig further. Verse 14 goes on to tell us that Paul was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, and finishes verse 14 by adding “so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.” If Paul was a man pleaser, he would not have been advancing above most of his peer group (the Pharisees). What was he zealous for? It was for the traditions of his fathers. So much so that he it didn’t matter what others thought about him…this is why he was able to advance so far above his peers to become a Rabbi of the Law.

 

Saul was so zealous for the traditions of his ancestors that his zeal drove him to persecuting the church. Paul was blameless concerning the Law, he was a moral and upright man (in the sight of men anyway). He was persecuting the church because they were following what he thought was attacking the traditions of his fathers of which he was so zealous for. This is a testament to how deceitful sin actually is, that a man as educated and advanced as Paul, someone who is so learned in theology can still be deceived by sin so that he was persecuting the true way.

 

If a man like Paul could be so deceived by sin, what does that say about the rest of us? if we are not careful, we might become so zealous for the “traditions of our fathers” the traditions of Christianity, of our denomination, or even the traditions of our local church that we are blinded from God’s truth. This is why it is so important to weigh every decision we make, everything that we believe that against God’s Word, and submit our lives to its truth.

 

Refuting Legalism (in ourselves and in others) pt 7 Galatians1:11-12 The Gospel Origin: its comes from God, not man

Gal 1:11  For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel.

Gal 1:12  For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

 

It is the origin of the gospel message which is one of the many things that set it apart from other messages claiming to reveal the truth of how to experience a restored relationship with God. The message which the Judiazers proclaimed (salvation through Christ plus the Law) was man’s gospel. Their message did have its beginnings from God, but it was distorted by man when God revealed the culmination of his salvation plan through Christ.

 

The Law was indeed given by God. God first revealed his Holy Law to Moses on Mount Sinai shortly after He used Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Bondage in Egypt to freedom. However, the Law however, never was meant to have any salvific merit. The Law was given to reveal to man his own sinfulness, and show him his desperate need for a savior. The Law itself is something that is absolutely impossible for sinful man to keep. This is why we need a savior. The purpose of the Law will be looked at in greater detail later, as we dig into what Paul explains its purpose further in the epistle.

 

Although the Law itself does have its origin in God, since the Judaizers were claiming that it indeed had merit unto salvation, this clearly was man’s gospel…as the message itself came from man, and its fulfillment comes through man, and is therefore void. However, Paul makes it clear that this gospel that he preached to them by him is not man’s gospel. There is no way that this could be man’s gospel, because as we are reminded in 1Co 1:20-24, this gospel is foolishness to Greeks and a stumbling block to the Jews. Since it makes no sense to the unregenerate man, it could not have had human origin.

 

Paul reminds us in verse 12 that he “did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it” He goes on later in the passage that is to follow to prove that he indeed was not taught this gospel by men. So where does the gospel have its origins? How did Paul come to learn about it if he wasn’t taught it by men? Paul makes it clear in the rest of the verse when he says: “I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”

 

1Pe 1:18-21 “knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” God had devised such a plan to atone for the sins of the world before the foundation of the world. Paul writes in 1Co 15:3-4 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,” This was set in place by God long before man was even around to devise such a plan! Such wisdom comes directly from God, and was revealed to Paul by God, without any human intervention.

 

So based upon these truths, how should we then live? We can stand firm in the confidence of knowing that the message in which we trust for our salvation has its origin in the master planner who is the only one wise enough to devise such a plan, and the only one capable of actually bringing it to pass. God himself is the author of this gospel, so we can with confidence take rest in this truth, knowing that since it was not devised by man, nor brought about by man, it can neither be brought down by man.

 

Refuting Legalism (in ourselves and in others) pt 6 Galatians1:10 The Fear of Man: a Hindrance to the Gospel

Gal 1:10  For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

After sternly rebuking the Galatians for disserting the gospel, and strongly lashing out against the ones who are distorting the gospel, Paul then asks the question: “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?” why does Paul ask this question? 1Co 1:20-24 says “Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

 

The gospel is the wisdom of God, which it completely contrary to what this world views as wisdom. There are two types of people that Paul addresses with his charges: the Galatians (gentiles) and the Judaizers (Jews). This passage in 1Cor 1 shows that to the unregenerate in both groups, the gospel makes no sense. The message of Christ crucified is a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles. Therefore, the Jews are hard pressed to push the Law onto anyone who might take heed to the gospel of Christ…including the Galatians. The gentile Galatians are still grappling with this message which naturally seems foolish to them. Therefore, the fear of men compelled the Galatians to dissert the Gospel of God and turn unto a different gospel.

 

So what else does the Bible say about the fear of man? Prov. 29:25 “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.” Ps 56:11 says “in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Heb 13:6 says “So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
The fear of man is a snare. It is something that will entrap us to make choices in life that will compromise our faith in Christ. In the case of the Galatians, it was a snare that kept them from being faithful to the gospel by which they were called. Paul realized this when he said: “If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Since the gospel is a stumbling block to the Jews, and foolishness to the gentiles, if Paul struggled with the fear of man, he would not have preached the gospel with boldness.

 

Unfortunately the Galatians are not the only ones who struggled with the fear of man. Most of us in some way struggle with this in different areas of our lives. So how do we overcome this obstacle, this snare which entraps us from fully serving God? It is vitally important that we remember as David writes “in God I trust; I shall not be afraid” Solomon also reminds us that even though the fear of man is indeed a snare…whoever trusts in the Lord is perfectly safe. This is why Hebrews 13:6 says: “So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” with confidence we can trust that God is greater than man, and as long as he is our helper, we have nothing to fear from any mortal.

 

Refuting Legalism (in ourselves and in others) pt 5 Galatians1:6-8 Charge #1: Distorting the gospel Charge #2: Deserting the gospel

Gal 1:6  I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel–

Gal 1:7  not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

Gal 1:8  But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.

 

In the last post we established that Paul was angry. Because of his anger he was very sharp in his writings to the Galatians. We also established that while in most cases our anger in sinful and unjustifiable, in this case, Paul had good reason to be upset. He was watching the very gospel which he was charged to preach, be distorted to the point that it was no longer the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

The gospel in a nut shell is that God created man, man fell into sin thus putting the penalty of sin upon the shoulders of mankind. The penalty of sin is death, both physical and spiritual, which equals eternal separation from God. When man fell, he was placed under a yoke of slavery to sin. Mankind needed a redeemer, someone who could pay the ransom to redeem mankind from the slave market of sin. Redemption needed to take place in order to restore fellowship with God, and to remove the just penalty. The solution to this problem was that God sent his only Son, Jesus the Christ, God himself, to become man, born of a virgin, to live a sinless life, and pay the ransom with his blood, shed on the cross for the sins of the whole world. He also took the penalty upon himself, so that we could be redeemed, and have restored fellowship with the father. The problem of sin requires a perfect, holy divine sacrifice. The righteousness that is required to be declared righteous before God can only come from God himself. There is no way that this righteousness can be earned by those who need it.

 

Charge 1: Distortion

So how was this gospel being distorted? The Judaizers were coming into the region of Galatia and teaching the new believers there that in addition to faith in the finished work of Christ, circumcision, and keeping of the Mosaic Law was necessary for salvation. In the previous age (from Moses to Christ) God had commanded Israel to keep the Law. Even further back, all the way back to Abraham, God commanded him and his descendants to be circumcised as a sign of his covenant with him. However, neither of these acts ever had any salvific merit. Anyone trusting in either of these outward things for their favor before God was placing their trust in the wrong thing, regardless of the age in which they lived.

 

So serious is this charge of distorting the gospel that Paul writes in 1:8 “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” This is such a serious offence that Paul is willing to say (twice for emphasis) that anyone who distorts the gospel of Christ should be condemned! Distorting the gospel should not be taken lightly.

 

Charge 2: Desertion

Paul writes in 1:6: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—“ At some point prior to writing this letter, Paul had the opportunity to preach the gospel through the region of Galatia and se many gladly accept the truth contained within it. He has already laid a firm foundation upon which they should have been building their faith upon. However, as the Judaizers have come in and preached that faith + works = salvation, the young Galatian believers eagerly accepted this “different gospel” and began to zealously follow after it.

 

This astonished Paul, since they seemed to be so easily shaken from the foundation which Paul had laid of the true gospel of Christ. Paul writes in 1:7 “Gal 1:7  not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.” This is to ensure that they understand that there is no other gospel. No matter what anyone else says. Acts 4:12 says: “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

 

So how is it that these young believers were so easily shaken from the truth to turn to a damnable heresy? While the right foundation had been laid by Paul, they did not take the time to accurately build upon it. Therefore, they were so easily moved when someone else presented them with an alternative to the truth. So what about us? How does this relate to our lives? Have you accepted the one true gospel of Christ? If so you must take care to actively build upon that foundation in your life. There are many out there who would try to sway you from the true foundation, and if you are not laboring in the Word and in prayer, and growing with a body of believers, you too will be easily moved from the one true foundation, to another gospel.

 

Refuting Legalism (in ourselves and in others) pt 4 Galatians1:6 Paul’s Righteous Anger

Gal 1:6  I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel–

Gal 1:7  not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

Gal 1:8  But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.

Paul abruptly and drastically changed his tone from warm and friendly in the salutation, to sharp and rebuking in the charge. Here Paul is laying two charges: one against the Judeizers and one against the Galatian believers. Paul has every reason to be very stern in his rebuke, due to the seriousness of the two charges at hand. This instance, along with Christ overthrowing the tables of the money changers in the Temple show that there are times that we as believers should get fired up, even angry about.

However, this should not be used to justify one’s own passionate feelings about various issues. We must take into account the seriousness of the situation at hand. In the case of Christ, his reaction was due to the money changers desecrating the House of God. In this case, Paul is getting angry NOT because his personal agenda or even his character is being attacked. Rather he is upset because the very gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is under attack.

So what else does the Bible say about us getting angry? Eph 4:26-27 says: “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” These verses tell us that anger itself is not always sin…there are times to be angry (as we just mentioned) but in doing so we MUST ensure that there is no sin accompanying our “righteous indignation”. Allowing sinfulness to accompany our anger will manifest itself in the ways mentioned in Eph 4:31 which says: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” If any of these characteristics accompany our “righteous indignation” then it is sinful. Also, we must ask what is it that we are getting angry about…if it is something that is attacking the truth of God’s Word…there maybe some place for it. However, if it is something that is hindering a personal agenda, it is probably not of God.

Also, we are not to stay angry for any length of time. Verse 26 says not to let the sun go down on our wrath. This is because most of the time, what we go to bed thinking about is the same thing that is on our minds when we wake up. Therefore, if we go to bed angry, we will be stewing about whatever the issue is. Then we will wake up with bitterness creeping into our hearts because we didn’t take care of our anger in a timely manner. When we go to sleep angry, we give the devil a foothold in our lives to pump bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander along with all malice into our hearts. So even if we are angry about something justifiably, we must give due diligence to getting it taken care of as soon as possible.

James 1:19-20 says: “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” These verses show that we must be slow to anger. If we are not easily angered, then we will not be as prone to experiencing the wrath of man in our own heart attitude. Since the anger on man does not produce God’s righteousness in our lives, we should not be looking for an excuse to exhibit “righteous anger” as Paul does here, and Christ did in the Temple. If we are looking for an opportunity…chances are we will be given over to the wrath of man.

Therefore, As James says, let each of us be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.

 

Refuting Legalism (in ourselves and in others) pt 3 Galatians1:1-5, Salutation #2

Gal 1:1  Paul, an apostle–not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead–

Gal 1:2  and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:

Gal 1:3  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

Gal 1:4  who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

Gal 1:5  to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

 

In verse 1 Paul established that his authority did not come from man, but rather from God. This fact gave Paul’s authority a much weightier backing than anything else could have. It is God who gave Paul his authority…the same all powerful God who raised Christ from the dead. Now he goes on to address whom he is writing…and in doing so also sends greetings from the other brethren who are with him.

 

In every other epistle that Paul writes, it is to either an individual church, or an individual. However, this epistle is written to several churches in the region of Galatia. In Gal 4:12-14 we see that Paul had to spend unplanned time in the region due to his poor eyesight. While many others may have seen such a situation as a hindrance, Paul saw it as an opportunity. He used this opportunity to preach the gospel to them, and therefore many were saved, and several churches were started across the region. It is to these churches to which Paul is writing.

 

In verse 3 Paul greets them with a greeting not uncommon throughout his epistles: “Grace to you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,” it may be easy to overlook such a greeting in other of his epistles but in this one they hold special importance due to the reasons why Paul is writing to the Galatians. Grace and peace ONLY comes from God the Father, and through Christ. This is important for him to emphasize in this letter because of the heresy creeping in to those churches of justification by works. They especially need such a reminder about this during this time, as they are so tempted to depart from the gospel of grace through faith alone.

 

Paul then goes on in verse 4 to remind them that it is Christ “who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father” Again, it is crucial for Paul to remind them of this truth: that it is Christ who gave himself as a sacrifice to deliver us from this evil age…and since he is our sacrifice, this is far more sufficient to do such then our trying to keep the Law. Paul reminds them that this is according to the will of God the Father. Therefore, their attempt to justify themselves by the Law is going against God’s will for them.

 

This is a great example of how Paul is so saturated with the gospel that he is always looking for an opportunity to share it and to remind us of it. This is a characteristic that should be present in each one of our lives…we too should be so saturated with the gospel, that it flows out of us as a natural part of our communication with others. Paul finishes his salutation in verse 5 by saying: “to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen” Again, yet another characteristic of Paul that we should emulate. He is always looking for an opportunity to magnify and glorify God. This too should be characteristic of our lives…so that as we go throughout our daily tasks, we are acknowledging God in all that we do.

 

Refuting Legalism (in ourselves and in others) pt 2 Galatians1:1-5, Salutation #1

Gal 1:1  Paul, an apostle–not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead–

Gal 1:2  and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:

Gal 1:3  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

Gal 1:4  who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

Gal 1:5  to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

 

V1 “Paul, an apostle–not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—“Paul begins this letter as he does many other letters, by stating who he is, and to whom he is addressing. Paul also begins by stating the authority that he has. The reason which he does this is not to make much of himself. A big part of why he starts off this way has to do with the motivation for his writing the letter in the first place. As stated earlier, Paul is writing to these believers (many of whom he led to Christ) because they are turning away from the gospel of grace unto a false gospel: one of dead works, requiring them to put themselves under the Law yet again. Therefore Paul is now beginning this letter by reminding them of his apostolic authority to give validity to what he is about to tell them.

 

Paul then goes on to make clear that his apostolic authority did not come from men. Paul never stood before council, or was publicly “sworn in” by men in order to gain this apostolic authority. It didn’t come through men…Paul was not in some geniolocial line through which apostolic authority was passed…it did not work the same way the Aaronic Priestly succession did. This is so crucial to the arguments that Paul is about to make in this letter, because the Judeizers were trying to get the Galatian believers to glory in the flesh. The whole idea of what they were teaching rested on man’s effort. That’s why Paul establishes from the very beginning of this letter that his authority did not come from man. Therefore no human, including Paul could claim any merit in his position of authority.

 

So where did Paul’s authority come from? He goes on to show this in verse one by stating: “but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead” His authority had no other source than almighty God himself. Again, through writing this, Paul is making the point that we have nothing in the flesh to glory in…even his authority comes only through God’s power. This then, is much more powerful than if man were the source, because Paul received his authority by the same power that raised Christ from the dead! This therefore sets up a powerful platform for which he can refute those who are preaching another gospel.

 

The fact that Paul did not receive his authority from man, but rather from God should remind us that we too, do not receive any authority in our lives, other than what God grants us. This is important to remember and apply to every area of life, as we do not receive anything, whether it be provision, protection, comfort, or even life itself, apart from God. This should drive us back to him constantly…reminding us of our daily need for him. Prov3:6 “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”