Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Confirmed and Commissioned – 2:1-10

Have you ever been listening to someone tell a story, but thought to yourself, “I’m missing the point,” or maybe even vocalized, “What’s your point?” This is exactly the response Paul would have given to someone casually promoting a theology of circumcision for Christians. “What’s your point?” “You’re missing the point?” or any number of other responses would be fit if it was just a casual promotion, but since it’s not just a casual promotion and it is actually a deliberate attempt to deceive, Paul has much harsher words. “False brothers.” “Smuggled in.” “To enslave us.” When one of Paul’s Gentile associates was approached with the fact that he wasn’t circumcised, he responded, “What’s your point?” and didn’t trip for a minute.
Galatians 2:1-10 says, “Then after 14 years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also.  I went up according to a revelation and presented to them the gospel I preach among the Gentiles—but privately to those recognized as leaders—so that I might not be running, or have run the race, in vain.  But not even Titus who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.  This issue arose because of false brothers smuggled in, who came in secretly to spy on the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us.  But we did not give up and submit to these people for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would be preserved for you.  Now from those recognized as important (what they really were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism)—they added nothing to me.  On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter was for the circumcised,  since the One at work in Peter for an apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in me for the Gentiles.  When James, Cephas, and John, recognized as pillars, acknowledged the grace that had been given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to me and Barnabas, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.  They asked only that we would remember the poor, which I made every effort to do.”
Up to this point, Paul has made it very clear that he consulted no one for the content of his gospel. Here, however, he turns the page and explains once and for all that he wasn’t off doing his own thing. Paul’s gospel was confirmed as accurate by the original apostles—those who had followed Jesus during His earthly ministry—and as such, he was on their team.
Paul begins by saying, “Fourteen years later, I returned to Jerusalem. After 14 years of preaching to my countrymen, I made the 300+ mile journey south, back to Jerusalem.” Verse 1-2a  say, “Then after 14 years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also. I went up according to a revelation.” I cut it there to explain briefly some chronological points that need to be addressed here. There is great debate about when this visit (2:1-10) occurs in the life and ministry of Paul and the early church. Was it at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) or before (the famine relief trip of Acts 11:30)? I think, for various reasons, it is best to place this trip in Acts 11:30.
First, the situation in Acts 15 seeks to answer the question of circumcision of gentile converts—much like the book of Galatians does; if Galatians was written after Acts 15 occurred, all Paul would have needed to say would be the letter written in Acts 15:23-29,

From the apostles and the elders, your brothers, To the brothers among the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings.  Because we have heard that some without our authorization went out from us and troubled you with their words and unsettled your hearts,  we have unanimously decided to select men and send them to you along with our dearly loved Barnabas and Paul,  who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who will personally report the same things by word of mouth.  For it was the Holy Spirit’s decision—and ours—to put no greater burden on you than these necessary things:  that you abstain from food offered to idols, from blood, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. You will do well if you keep yourselves from these things. Farewell. (Emphasis added. Note circumcision is not present.)
Since, as today’s passage shows, Paul and Peter and James and John were all agreed on the content of the gospel, Paul wouldn’t have needed to write his own letter if written after Acts 15.
Second, Paul seems to hint in verse 3-5 that the issue of circumcision wasn’t the real reason for this trip to Jerusalem, but I’ll explain that more in the following paragraphs. The Acts 15 situation was definitely over the circumcision issue entirely.
Third, and most importantly—and most conclusively—is the reason Paul gives for his visit in verse 2. “Because of a revelation.” Is this the same sort of revelation from 1:12 and 1:16? Did Jesus reveal to Paul directly that he was to return to Jerusalem a second time? I don’t think so. If we look at Acts 11:27-30, we see,

In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.  Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine throughout the Roman world. This took place during the time of Claudius.  So each of the disciples, according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brothers who lived in Judea.  They did this, sending it to the elders by means of Barnabas and Saul [aka Paul]. (Emphasis added.)
Is there any merit to using the word revelation to refer to a prophecy? Actually, yes. Paul uses it in a similar way in 1 Corinthians 14:6. “But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in other languages, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you with a revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?” (emphasis added). Leon Morris explains, “This word is often used in the wide sense, of God’s revelation of himself, but there is also a narrower use for some specific matter that God reveals to one of the believers (cf. Gal. 2:2), and which he might then pass on to others (cf. v. 25). In this sense revelation is closely related to prophecy (vv. 29-31).”[1]
So therefore, it is accurate to understand this trip to Jerusalem as the trip to relieve the churches of Judea during the famine. Paul didn’t plan on having a circumcision discussion, but it was brought on due to the ethnicity of one of the people he brought with him. Part of Paul’s plans while in Jerusalem this time was to share the content of his preaching with the Apostles, which he did. Verse 2b concludes, “[I] presented to them the gospel I preach among the Gentiles—but privately to those recognized as leaders—so that I might not be running, or have run the race, in vain.” Paul wanted to make sure he wasn’t preaching in vain. He knew that if his message was different than theirs that he would be a sham.
Verses 3-5 explain a distraction that arose due to Titus being with Paul. “But not even Titus who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.  This issue arose because of false brothers smuggled in, who came in secretly to spy on the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us.  But we did not give up and submit to these people for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would be preserved for you.” Grammatically these verses are atrocious. In the Greek text, it is all one sentence, and our English translations do a really good job attempting to smooth it out. Literally it reads, “But not even Titus, the one with me, being Greek, was compelled to be circumcised; but because of the false brothers smuggled in, who came in to spy out our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, in order that they might enslave us, to whom we have not submitted for even an hour, in order that the truth of the gospel might remain for you.”
J. B. Lightfoot explains about the problems with these verses’ grammar, “[T]he sense of the passage is well-nigh lost. The meaning of individual expressions is obscure. The thread of the sentence is broken, picked up, and broken again. From this shipwreck of grammar it is even difficult to extricate the main incident on which the whole controversy hinges.”[2] It is very choppy and says a lot without saying much. The HCSB is helpful when it inserts “This issue arose” at the beginning of verse 4. It explains that the Titus being circumcised thing had nothing to do with the purpose of the meeting, but rather came up separately.
Some in the Jerusalem church must have found out that Titus was an uncircumcised Gentile and started urging him to be circumcised. He was so confident in his standing in Christ—apart from works of the law—that the was not compelled to heed their urgings.
As Paul writes verses 4-5, describing in choppy, almost incoherent phrases the situation regarding Titus, I don’t find it hard to imagine him relating it to the current situation in Galatia. “You guys want to follow works? That’s because of false brothers who want to enslave you. I’m fighting for you for the truth of the gospel. Listen to what I’m saying in the rest of this book.” It’s interesting that Paul views keeping the law as enslaving. We normally view sin as the thing that is enslaving—which it is—but Paul sees law-keeping as enslaving too, and it will come out clearly, and I will spend some time on it in chapter 5. Galatians 5:16-18 is where it will be explored fully; it reads, “I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.  For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Verses 6-10 pick back up where verse 2 left off. Paul’s meeting with the apostles about the content of his message. Verses 6-9 read, “Now from those recognized as important (what they really were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism)—they added nothing to me.  On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter was for the circumcised,  since the One at work in Peter for an apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in me for the Gentiles.  When James, Cephas, and John, recognized as pillars, acknowledged the grace that had been given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to me and Barnabas, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.”
Paul quickly reiterates again that he got nothing from man in this meeting. They “added nothing” to his message. They saw that he had been called primarily to the Gentiles while they had been called primarily to the Jews. They saw that the same Spirit of God—Christ’s Holy Spirit—was at work on both fronts. The Jerusalem apostles gave the right hand of fellowship to Paul and Barnabas, accepting them as their own, agreeing with their doctrine, and sending them out with their blessing.
“But wait!!!” you cry. “Why does Paul act all sarcastic about their importance if they are on the same team?” Verse 6 reads in part, “those recognized as important (what they really were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism).” This makes it seem like Paul has a problem with them. This is not it at all. Paul admits that they are important or he wouldn’t have used the word; he also wouldn’t have called them pillars in verse 9. His point is for the Galatians to not view any man as more important than he really is. He doesn’t want them to think the words of the Jerusalem apostles are more important than his words; he doesn’t even want the Galatians to think the words of their new teachers are more important than anyone else’s words. And to help solidify it in their minds, he reminds them that God doesn’t show favorites. In God’s sight all men are equal. Paul wants them and us to remember this fact.
Verse 10 concludes by Paul sharing the one thing that someone might be able to be claim was added by the Jerusalem apostles (though he says that it was in his mind already). “They asked only that we would remember the poor, which I made every effort to do.” This would be clearly proven if this trip was the famine relief trip. Paul cared about the poor, wanted to help them, and made a long journey to get them monetary relief.
And it is interesting to point out that in a meeting regarding the content and legitimacy of Paul’s apostleship, an emphasis that is reiterated is helping the poor. There may be a reason why this is. The identifying mark for a believer is love, and what better way to show selfless love than to love someone who is poor who has no way to pay you back for your love? Paul was very much a theologian—the theologian who had to contextualize the Jewish gospel to Gentile hearers—and as such, he could easily be distracted from practical matters, such as caring for the poor. How often today do we get distracted from social gospel activities (physical helps that cater to spiritual help being offered, listened to, and accepted; we can’t leave the social gospel at the word social, because without the gospel it’s just social damnation) to waste time arguing and debating different points of theology? I’m certainly guilty of it; I’d rather keep my head buried in books than utter audible words of evangelism to those who need to hear it.
And here’s the truth: we’re all poor, totally bankrupt, literally in debt, and God loved us enough to save us. If we know that truth about our past, then every non-Christian we meet fits this category of people we need to remember. So who do you need to remember today?
So Paul has made clear that men didn’t add to his gospel, but that he is on the exact same page as the rest of the apostles, and that circumcision has nothing to do with the true gospel. The true gospel is a gospel of freedom that frees people to love the poor. This is what marks Paul’s life and the rest of this letter.
Til next time.
Soli Deo Gloria



[1] Leon Morris, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries – 1 Corinthians (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Academic, 2008), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 184.

[2] J. B. Lightfoot, The Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians, 104.

Sunday, June 19, 2016

The Revelation of Jesus Christ to Paul – 1:11-24

Secrets. They don’t make friends, but friends do make them; or so the saying goes. It is interesting, therefore, to note what Jesus said to the disciples in John 15:15. “I do not call you slaves anymore, because a slave doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father.” Jesus didn’t keep secrets from His friends. Jesus wanted his friends to be in on His business. So when Paul twice uses the Greek word transliterated “apocalypse” in Galatians 1:11-24, he wants to show that he was one of Jesus’ friends as well, and that Jesus revealed secrets to him also. The secret that is the point of this passage is the content of the gospel.
Galatians 1:11-24 says, “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’s goal here is to make perfectly clear that he did not receive his gospel from man. As such, his goal in all of this is to show that he isn’t out to please people. I find R. Alan Cole’s outline of the book particularly helpful at this point: “I. argument from experience (1:1-2:21); II. argument from theology (3:1-5:1); III. argument from results (5:2-6:10).”[1] And thus, we find ourselves in the epicenter of the argument from experience. And lest anyone try to say, “We can’t trust experience; experiences can vary, but God stays the same; so we must look to God alone as revealed in His Word,” I would ask what the point of a Christian testimony is then. That’s all Paul does here. He explains life before Christ, life as he met Christ, and life after and with Christ.
Verses 13-14 are Paul’s statement regarding life prior to Christ. They read, “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.” Two things are clear in these verses about Paul’s past.  Two things are what he reflected on more than anything else about his past. First, he was a violent persecutor of the church. Second, he was a champion of Jewish theology and practice.
The first thing that came to Paul’s mind regarding his past was his sinfulness. He was ashamed of the fact that he had harmed the church, the same church that he was now a part of. As believers (at least this is true in my case) we are quick to remember our sins. It might not necessarily be a problem (as Paul goes on to contrast this with the great grace of God), but it does say a lot about where our focus is. Does my focus on my sin lead to praising God for His grace, or does it lead to condemning myself for mistakes? If the latter, I need to repent and turn my gaze back on Christ.
For free: if you don’t yet know the Lord, I would urge you to reflect on your past. What are you doing these days that could be seriously harming a member of the body of Christ, or even a future member of the body of Christ (maybe you even are already a member of the body of Christ )? If you turned to Christ, or if that person turned to Christ, how would you feel about the way you’ve been treating them? Paul here feels intense remorse. He was actively persecuting the church and destroying it. In another passage it says,
In fact, I myself supposed it was necessary to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus the Nazarene. I actually did this in Jerusalem, and I locked up many of the saints in prison, since I had received authority for that from the chief priests. When they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. In all the synagogues I often tried to make them blaspheme by punishing them. I even pursued them to foreign cities since I was greatly enraged at them (Acts 26:9-11).
And in another place he says, “Being zealous for God, just as all of you are today, I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women in jail, as both the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. After I received letters from them to the brothers, I traveled to Damascus to bring those who were prisoners there to be punished in Jerusalem” (Acts 22:3b-5). Paul calls himself the chief of sinners (cf. 1 Timothy 1:15) because his life prior to Christ severely rocked him. I guarantee that not a day went by that he didn’t regret his actions against his brothers and sisters in Christ. So, my plea today is to think about others. If your life was dramatically changed, or even if someone else’s life was dramatically changed, would there be things that you would regret about your life beforehand? If so, cast them aside and don’t give Satan any more ammunition to use in accusing your soul.
And speaking of Paul’s former zealousy for God leads to the second main point of his life before Christ. He was advancing ahead of all his contemporaries and was more zealous for his ancestor’s traditions than anyone else. I’m sure he saw this partly as playing into the previous point, because his zeal for God led him to want to keep Judaism pure, and in his unconverted mind, Christianity was a pollution of Judaism. But at the same time it shows his zeal for the law. He was all about the law. Philippians 3:4b-6 would expand on this at a later time: “If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless.” It’s the circumcision point that will come up later in this letter, possibly one reason why he leaves that accomplishment collection out of this letter.
Paul’s point is that there is no way he made up this gospel that he preaches. He was too schooled in the law and too violent against Christians for him to join them on his own. So then he explains the divine intervention that occurred, that he initially introduced in verse 12. “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.”
Verses 15-16a are Paul’s statement regarding his conversion. They read, “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.” Paul is so adamant about the fact that his gospel is not from humans, or based on human merit that the subject of this passage is God.[2] Paul is the object. It’s very clear in the Greek as well. “The one who set me apart” is in the nominative case which means subject, or “the one performing the action.” “Me” is in the accusative case and is the object, or “the one who receives the action.”
God set Paul apart from his birth (if not before, cf. Ephesians 1:3-5). This means that before Paul had ever done anything good or bad, God had decided to set him apart for His work. The Greek word for “set apart” in this verse implies a setting apart for a specific use, which will come at the very end of 16a. Paul definitely highlights the grace of God when he says, “and called me by His grace,” because by the time Jesus called to him on the Damascus road Paul sees the reality that technically he could have forfeited the fact that God had set him apart. However, the grace of God is shown in that all those He set apart will be called, justified, sanctified, and glorified (cf. Romans 8:28-39). There is no “what if” in God’s sovereignty over salvation. Grace cannot and will not be forfeited.
God called Paul through the revealing of Jesus to him. Not only was Paul called through this revelation of Jesus Christ, but he was also given his gospel at the same time (cf. 1:12). Jesus was revealed to Paul because God wanted to reveal Jesus to Paul. Paul didn’t deserve to have Jesus revealed to him, just like you and I don’t deserve to have Jesus revealed to us. When Jesus was revealed to Paul, He gave Paul a commission to service, described to Ananias, the one who restored his sight, “Go! For this man is My chosen instrument to take My name to Gentiles, kings, and the Israelites.  I will show him how much he must suffer for My name!” (Acts 9:15-16). In the same way, every believer is called to be on mission for God. When was the last time you spoke to someone about spiritual matters?
But again, it is important to reiterate that Paul nowhere had anyone explain Jesus to him. Jesus revealed Himself to him and that was the source of Paul’s gospel. It will be even more clearly proved in the next 8 verses.
Verses 16b-24 are Paul’s statement regarding life after conversion. They read, “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 here explains some things that are vastly different from what we read in the book of Acts. Hopefully, by the time I’ve finished explaining it, you will see that they don’t contradict. In fact, I hope you’ll see that Paul’s story in Galatians is unique from any other Christian’s experience. Paul here writes that he didn’t consult with anyone after meeting Jesus, which on face value seems to directly contradict Acts 9:19b-20: “Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some days.  Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: He is the Son of God.”  However, what does Galatians say?  Paul simply writes here that he did not go up to Jerusalem to confer with the other apostles, but instead went to Arabia, and then came back to Damascus for three years. It’s safe to say that Paul travelled to Arabia between Acts 9:19a and 19b, and then stayed with the disciples in Damascus for three years.
Now before explaining anything (purely conjecturally) about Paul’s time in Arabia, it is important to make a point. There is a difference between Paul’s situation and ours. We can’t look at Paul here after we are saved and say, “I don’t need to go join a fellowship of believers.” Paul is making the point in Galatians that his gospel was purely from Christ and there was nothing that could have polluted it. In Acts, Luke is making the point that just like all believers should, Paul himself was part of a fellowship of faith. There is no contradiction, just a difference of emphasis. So please, if you haven’t already, join a church! You aren’t Paul. The canon of Scripture is closed. You need to fellowship with other believers, love them, and study the Word!
Arabia. Why does Paul go to Arabia? Since Arabia only occurs in the New Testament here and in 4:25, the only time we here about Paul’s trip to Arabia is right here in 1:17. So everything we can offer about what happened while he was there is pure conjecture. Some points seem to make sense though, and I will share them here.
In the second occurrence [of the word], Paul associated Arabia with the giving of the Mosaic law at Mount Sinai (Gal. 4:25). In an epistle where the law is depicted negatively with regard to justification and sanctification, it is natural to read 1:17 as colored by these themes. While not denying the apostle’s geographical movement from Damascus to Arabia and back, the impression is that Paul wanted believers to read that movement as part of his spiritual journey as well. In other words Paul united Arabia and Mount Sinai geographically in order to unite them theologically also. Shortly after Paul’s conversion he departed (“I departed, withdrew”) from Damascus (the place of grace and faith) to Arabia (the place of law). But he came back (“I returned once again”) to Damascus (the place of grace and faith). Paul wanted the Galatians to follow his example and return to grace and faith and away from their law-centered living.[3]
It is an interesting viewpoint, and it sheds important light on the debate over Romans 7 (pre- or post-conversion Paul), and while it would say, “Paul didn’t live a miraculous Christian life, he struggled with legalistic tendencies just like we do today even after salvation,” it need not necessarily mean that. J. B. Lightfoot explains,
Standing on the threshold of the new covenant, he was anxious to look upon the birthplace of the old, that, dwelling for a while in seclusion in the presence of " the mount that burned with fire," he might ponder over the transient glories of the " ministration of death," and apprehend its real purpose in relation to the more glorious covenant which was now to supplant it. Here, surrounded by the children of the desert, the descendants of Hagar the bondwoman, he read the true meaning and power of the law. In the rugged and barren region whence it issued he saw a fit type of that bleak desolation which it created, and was intended to create, in the soul of man.[4]
So while some would argue that Paul’s time in Arabia is supposed to be a symbolic way of saying that for a time he fell into a form of legalistic Christianity, others would say that his time in Arabia was literal and it was a time of meditation on the new task he’d been charged with. I have my doubts about supposing that Paul had a legalistic stint as a Christian, especially if it is Paul trying to find common ground with his readers, as the first quote above suggests. There is nothing in his tone throughout this letter that would indicate that he wants to say, “I’ve been where you are, but I got out; now it’s your turn.” The whole tone of his message in this book is, “Why are you so foolish?” So Paul travelled to Arabia literally, and likely was reminded of the powerlessness of the law to give life, which would be why he brings it up here. But again, this is all conjecture.
Paul then says in verses 18-20 that after three years in Damascus he finally went to Jerusalem and spent about two weeks with Peter, and also saw James, the brother of Jesus, while there. He makes it clear that this is the truth, that there was no one else he saw during this time, and the fact that he was only there for fifteen days would go to show that his three year theology foundation wouldn’t have been greatly shaken in such a short time period. Even in visiting other church leaders after three years didn’t change the fact that Paul received his gospel from Jesus alone. He even makes it clear that the point of his time there was “to get to know Peter.” He wasn’t going there to share his beliefs (cf. 2:1-2), but simply to make a new friend. His gospel, the one Christ gave to him, was not corrupted by men at any point.
Then Paul concludes his point of not being influenced by men by writing verses 21-24. He went away into Syria and Cilicia for fourteen years (cf. 2:1).Cilicia was a region more than 300 miles removed from Jerusalem, and also was the region in which Tarsus—Paul’s hometown—was located. (Maybe his first step, post-three years in Damascus, was to evangelize his own family and friends.) The region of Syria began about 100 miles north of Jerusalem and stretched another 200 miles before bordering Cilicia. So when Paul says, “I remained personally unknown to the Judean churches,” he isn’t lying. His first trip to Jerusalem was solely for the purpose of visiting Peter, and he stayed away from the churches. However, news of his transformation spread quickly. The man who had persecuted the church was now preaching the faith he had tried to destroy.
And lest anyone think that Paul preached a different gospel than the other apostles and early Christians, think again. What gospel did Paul preach? It was the same one that he had tried to destroy before. The one Stephen preached in Acts 7 was the one Paul preached as well. So while Paul didn’t get his gospel from men, he did get it from Jesus, the same One who gave Peter and James and John their gospels. Jesus is consistent enough to give everyone the same gospel; to say He gave Paul something different would be to say that Jesus doesn’t believe in His people being unified, which would go against John 17, and would mean that Jesus prayed for things He wouldn’t even work to achieve Himself, which would mean that Jesus didn’t say what He meant, which would mean that He was a liar and a deceiver, which would mean that He wasn’t sinless and couldn’t die for our sins. So, when Paul says in verse 12 that he received his gospel through a revelation of Jesus Christ, it is clear that Paul preached the exact same message that Peter and James and John preached, but maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. The proof of this will come in the next post.
Paul concludes this point by saying that the people who heard about him praised God because of him. This was his life goal. He didn’t want the praise for his transformation; that praise went to God alone. Galatians 1:5 says that it is to God that the glory belongs forever. This was Paul’s motto, and should be ours as well. What is your reason for wanting physically visible spiritual transformation in your life? Is it so you can pat yourself on the back? Is it so that others will pat you on the back? Or is it so that God will be seen as the gracious, glorious, powerful God that He is? Only the last option is viable. Let it be the story of your life. If our primary goal isn’t glorifying and pleasing God, we will never rightly relate to people; Paul glorified God with his life and was able to impact all of Christianity for almost two millennia to follow. Let’s do the same.
Til next time.
Soli Deo Gloria



[1] R. Alan Cole, Galatians, Tyndale New Testament Commentary Series (IVP, 1989).
[2] I know there’s a variant here, but the fact that the “one who called [him] by His grace was pleased to reveal His Son in [him]” proves that the one who called him was God the Father. So whether God is included or not changes nothing and casts no shadow on the trustworthiness of the text.
[3] John F. Hart, "Paul as weak in faith in Romans 7:7-25," Bibliotheca Sacra 170, no. 679 (July 1, 2013): 332-333.
[4] J. B. Lightfoot, The Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians, 88-89.

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Shaken and Stirred – 1:6-10

Sitting at my desk, drinking a Dr. Pepper out of a can got me thinking about what happens if you shake a can of soda before opening it. It creates a huge mess that someone has to clean up (be responsible and clean up your own mess though!). And in this opening section of the book of Galatians, immediately following Pauls introduction, Paul explains that there is a mess for him to clean up in Galatia because someone shook the people up.
Galatians 1:6-10 says, I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from Him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to change the good news about the Messiah. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel other than what we have preached to you, a curse be on him! As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone preaches to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him! 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.
And right out of the gate it is clear that Paul is trying to solve a very big problem. The word for "turning away" can literally mean, "apostatizing from," and the weight of the whole sentence is, "I am amazed that so soon you are all apostatizing yourselves." Apostasy is rightly understood as decisively turning away from the gospel, thus as turning your back on Christianity, thus as proving that you never really belonged to Christ. Interestingly enough, Paul leaves the verb in the present tense because he trusts that his letter will restore them. They "are apostatizing," not "have apostatized." This is very important. Paul wants to prevent furtherance of apostasy. So a key fact to learn is that apostasy is a process. It doesn't just up and say, "I quit on Jesus." Rather, it starts to excuse sin or false ideas or lack of love for God, and then eventually ends up where sin is pursued exclusively, God is hated, and false ideas are accepted as true. (I for one am going to stop sugarcoating the problem of apostasy with the word backsliding, because backsliding makes it seems like less of a problem than it is.) John Owen counsels and exhorts us to watch ourselves closely so that we don't get to the point of complete apostasy:
[H]e who is spiritually sensible of the evil of his backsliding is unquestionably in a recoverable condition; and some may be so who are not yet sensible thereof, so long as they are capable of being made so by convictions. No man is past hopes of salvation until he is past all possibility of repentance; and no man is past all possibility of repentance until he be absolutely hardened against all gospel convictions (Nature of Apostasy, chapter 12).
The thing to note in Galatians 1:6 is that Paul is amazed. He is surprised. Apostasy shouldn't be common for Christians. Unfortunately though, in our day, it seems as if a good majority of those who are called Christians are in some measure apostatizing from the gospel. Paul would be astounded. Now while it is true that no believer should ever consider himself immune to apostasy until safely in heaven, it is also true that our lives shouldn't evidence signs of apostasy. In context this specifically refers to false doctrine, but false belief leads to wrong living, as Paul will prove in chapters 5-6, so let's stand our ground against sin and deceit.
Paul's amazement was in part that they were so quickly and easily seduced away from the gospel. He writes almost as if to say, "You didn't even object when the false teachers came in! You just bought their lies hook, line, and sinker." We need to know what we believe so we can stand up against this type of deceit. (There is a lot these days in the name of Christianity, Biblical Studies, and Theology that would encourage Paul to write another epistle if he were here today; so beware!)
One line of thinking that we should beware of in current evangelical "scholarship" comes in the area of Pauline studies. People spend more time trying to learn about Paul through his letters than they try to learn about Jesus through his letters. Paul preached (and wrote) Christ crucified; that was all. Some scholars will take the phrase that follows "turning away from" and say, "Paul is amazed that they are deserting him." This is foolishness of the ultimate degree. Paul could care less if people deserted him; look throughout his letters to find proof of that. Paul's ultimate desire is that people follow Jesus; the specific minister of choice is no big deal. The reason scholars even have an argument here is because of intrusions into the text throughout the history of its transmission. (I plan to write a whole post in the near future on the Bible's trustworthiness so this discussion here will be brief; just know intrusions and variants don't knock against us at all.) There are 5 main ways to take the verse:
    From the one who called you by the grace of Christ
    From the one who called you by the grace of Jesus Christ
    From the one who called you by the grace of Christ Jesus
    From the one who called you by the grace of God
    From the one who called you by grace
Most English translations follow the first of the above list which is fine because it is basically the best of both worlds. However, most of the time the shortest text is preferred because it can explain the other variants. In this case someone was probably trying to explain where grace comes from, and then different people tried expressing it differently (some are Christ, some are Jesus Christ, etc.). It's theologically accurate, but it also makes Paul the one they were deserting. The truth is that the one who truly calls anyone by grace is Jesus, whether his name is in the text or not, and if someone is apostatizing from the one who called them by grace, then they are apostatizing from Jesus. No man can truly be apostatized from. Paul wasn't out to please man, and he wasn't seeking to be pleased by men either (cf. 1:10).
Then Paul explains where they are being apostatized to. This lasts from the end of verse 6 all the way through verse 7. It reads, "and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to change the good news about the Messiah." Paul explains that they've turned to a different gospel, but then explains that there is no other gospel. To believe anything but the gospel of grace through faith is to claim another gospel (good news about the way to salvation), but to say salvation is anything but grace through faith is not the gospel at all. And the great thing about the whole book of Galatians is that it defines and explains what the ONE and ONLY gospel is. (Keep reading the updates to this series to grow in your understanding of it.)
So Paul points out that they haven't really turned to another gospel, but he can't just leave it there. So he does something unique in all his letters. While he always has opponents, this is the only letter in which he goes after them explicitly. He gives a face to them. He says, "I disagree with these people and I want everyone to know it." I also think it's important to note that this was Paul's first letter. (As new believers who stumble upon a key point of theology, we are quick to call everyone else foolish and make a whole list of things we are against rather than things we are for; I don't think I'm alone in this at least...) Since Paul does it here, and since this is the Word of God, there is no sin necessarily in this tactic. "Necessarily" is necessary because of the words Paul uses to describe the "some" he is writing against. They are people "who are troubling you and want to change the good news about the Messiah." This is key. Most of the things we end up attacking others about are less than changes to the good news of the gospel. Timing of creation, events of the end times, and whether alcohol and tobacco are right or wrong for Christians are not things to debate and divide over. Paul was dividing from these people because they were changing the gospel—a change to the gospel ruins the gospel and makes the result not the gospel—and shaking up the Galatians. Since the Galatians were shook up and confused, they wanted to find footing for themselves, and also wanted to look good in the eyes of these new teachers so they gave in to the teaching. It created a mess, and Paul knew that they'd started the process of complete apostasy from the gospel and he was out to stop that.
Paul is so adamant about the fact that this is the only gospel that he says in verses 8-9, "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel other than what we have preached to you, a curse be on him! As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone preaches to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him!" Paul goes so far to prove that the gospel he preached was the true gospel that he says even he should be condemned to hell if he starts preaching anything else. The gospel is what saves, the only thing that saves; if works are added to the gospel, it can no longer save; if the message is in any way altered, it can no longer save; and since anything but the gospel can't save, then it follows that anything that isn't the gospel actually damns; and if the message damns, Paul says the messenger should be damned too. And he's consistent enough to include himself in there too.
Paul loved others enough to try to keep them from being damned (cf. Romans 9:1-5). He was amazed at the fact that anyone would abandon the gospel of grace for something more. But, it's understandable why they would want to add works. I (at least) am often guilty of the same. We want some proof that we have been saved, so we do things so we can look at them and say, "well of course God loves me. How could he not, when I do all these things?" However, that defeats the emphasis on faith in Christianity. God's righteous one lives by faith (Habakkuk 2:4) not works. This is the first step to a Christless Christianity, which is no Christianity, so let's love others like Paul loved them and warn people about trusting themselves instead of trusting God. Paul loved the Galatians enough to tell them they had been deceived, but he also loved the purity of gospel ministry enough to tell the false teachers they were wrong (cf. Titus 3:10-11; James 3:1). However, before getting back to either, Paul will elaborate on the fact that he didn't send himself or pull his gospel out of a hat.
But first, Paul makes a transitional statement regarding his ministry. He says in verse 10, "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." God was his passion, humility was his method. Paul wants them to know that this letter isn't him blowing off steam. This letter isn't him just attacking people. He isn't trying to get people to like him more. His goal is to please Christ. His goal is to get himself out of the way and let the Spirit of God do its work. Paul loved God and wanted to glorify God, and that mindset led him to love people enough to want to see God glorified in them.
So that sums up verses 6-10 of chapter 1. We've seen Paul appalled at apostasy, and want to change people's minds. We've seen Paul appalled at false teaching, and want to get them silenced. And we've seen Paul appalled at accusations of man-pleasing, and his desire to only glorify Christ. Do we see people walking away from the faith, even if just maybe starting to dabble in some form of sin, and actually see it as a big deal and call them back to Christ (or even just remind them of the gospel of Christ, including the bad news that initiates it)? Do we see people propagating something less than the gospel and tell them to change? Do we try to please people or God? The answer to all of these questions will show us just how much we're living in love right now.
Maybe you don't know Christ. I speak of the gospel, how there's only one, but I haven't laid it out in these pages yet. Here it is: you've done things that seek to bring you glory and ignore the glory due to God alone. That's idolatry of self and it smacks God in the face. However, God loved you enough to send Jesus to the earth to live a life perfectly for God's glory, to die on a cross in your place, and to rise again from the dead. All He requires is that you believe that truth, and if you do, grace has been made yours, and you can walk in the new way of life that Paul will describe in chapter five of this book. We're getting there, but I beg you today to put your faith in Jesus, watch out for apostasy, and love others well.
Til next time.

Soli Deo Gloria

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Greetings of Grace in Galatia – 1:1-5

“It was a dark and stormy night.” “I opened my eyes and confusion hit me like a semi-truck.” “A long time ago in a galaxy far far away.” Like any good piece of literature (I know the last quote isn’t from literature) the introduction sets the pace. The more solid the introduction, the more likely someone is to keep reading. Biblically, the case is true as well. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). “The historical record of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). “How happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked or take the path of sinners or join a group of mockers!” (Psalm 1:1). “The revelation of Jesus Christ that God gave Him to show His slaves what must quickly take place” (Revelation 1:1a). The opening statement lays out the point of the book in each instance. So, it follows, in the book of Galatians the introduction has been carefully crafted so that 1) we will be encouraged to keep reading the text, and 2) so that we will clearly understand the author’s point before diving into the particulars that take the rest of six chapters to explain.
Galatians 1:1-5 says, “Paul, an apostle—not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead—and all the brothers who are with me: To the churches of Galatia.  Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. To whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
In starting, the first thing to do is to see who is writing. Verses 1-2a say, “Paul, an apostle—not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead—and all the brothers who are with me.”
The first word is Paul. Paul is the man who was a persecutor of Christians. He hated the cause of Christ. He wanted to stamp it out. He saw it as a heresiacal sect of Judaism that was going to destroy Judaism. But all that changed that one fateful day on the road to Damascus when Jesus appeared to him and commissioned him as an apostle. Paul the Christian-hater became Paul the greatest-promoter-of-Christianity in history. Galatians is likely the first book he penned—the one that started the series of thirteen Pauline epistles that make up about 25% of our New Testament.
The first thing Paul does is say what he is not. A literal Greek translation would say, “Paul, not an apostle [sent] from men and not [an apostle] through [the agency] of men.” He instantly takes us back to the day on the Damascus road and says, “I’m not writing from my own authority. I’m carrying a much greater message. These aren’t my words. They come from Christ.”
And when he says who did send him with this message, he gets caught up in a sort of theologizing. He says, “Jesus isn’t the only one who sent me; God the Father sent me too—He’s actually the One who raised Jesus from the dead.” This is important for two reasons. First, it shows the 180 that has taken place in Paul’s life—he persecuted Christians because they worshipped a dead person; he hadn’t believed the message of resurrection until He revealed Himself to Paul. Paul now worships and serves a resurrected Messiah. Second, we see two-thirds of the Trinity right here, and give it two chapters and we’ll see the third person of the Trinity in 3:2 (the trinity was present in one of the earliest books of the New Testament; not an invention of the church fathers!).
And then verse two has him credit some other believers also with the writing of this letter. Too often we think that Paul was on his own with his theology of grace alone by faith alone apart from works, especially when we think of a verse like James 2:24: “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.” But this verse says that other people agreed with Paul and helped him write this letter. Thus we should give Paul’s words in this letter great heed because they’ve been attested by more than two witnesses. We can’t excuse legalism and the like under auspices of, “That was just Paul’s theology.” We must live in the freedom of the gospel the way Paul declares. Many witnesses in his day and since would say that he was right on, and we have no right to say they were wrong. To do so is to say that God is wrong, because these words are God’s Word. But we’ll dive into that whole situation in the ensuing posts.
Verse 2b-3 says, “To the churches of Galatia.  Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul is writing to a whole region of churches in this letter. And it is very interesting that the first thing he says to them is “Grace and peace.” Glance at verse 6 which we’ll look at next week and you’ll see why this is interesting. This is the only letter Paul wrote that doesn’t contain an opening blessing (several verses of such) to the recipients. It’ll be discussed more next time, but the point is that Paul isn’t vehement in this letter just because he can be; rather, he wants the people of Galatia to experience the grace and peace of God. They can’t experience that when caught in the legalism that they were caught in.
Finally, in verses 4-5, Paul describes Jesus in more clear terms. Jesus, the one who grace and peace come from is the one “who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. To whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” It is specifically the death of Jesus that grants grace and peace. It is the death of Jesus that frees is from this present, evil age. It was God’s will to rescue us. For this reason, God is the one who deserves the glory forever. Grace removes all chances of glory from us and instead places glory squarely in the possession of the one who showed it—in this case, God. When we try to save ourselves by law-keeping, we try to steal the glory from God.
Maybe you’re still trapped in this present, evil age. Turn to Jesus! He died for your sins. He can and will rescue you from it if you believe that He is who He claimed to be. Like Paul, make a 180 in your mind about Him, stop trying to save yourself by your good deeds, and let grace do its work. Maybe you already know Him, but maybe you still feel trapped in this evil age. Look to the cross. That’s where the work was accomplished. Stop beating yourself up about your past. Look forward to your future. Love God daily. Love people daily. Loving people sometimes looks like writing them a harsh letter out of love for them, with their ultimate well-being in mind. This is what Paul has begun in these verses. This is what Paul will continue throughout the letter.
Til next time.

Soli Deo Gloria