Shall we open our Bibles to
the Book of Galatians chapter one? As we turn our attention now to
the New Testament, we begin our study with verse one where we read:
Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but
by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
Our first word, “Paul”
directs our attention toward the author of this wonderful book. Paul,
who used to be Saul of Tarsus, is now “an apostle” of Jesus
Christ. Paul said in his own words in the book of Philippians in
chapter three and verses four through seven:
Though I might also have confidence in the flesh.
If any other man thinks that he has whereof he might trust in the
flesh, I have more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of
Israel, [of] the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as
touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the
church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
This converted man Paul is
now an authority on the grace of Jesus Christ not only because he
knows it is available to all who will believe, but because he has
experienced the grace of God himself. He is “an apostle” which
means “one set apart” for the ministry of Jesus Christ. His
primary focus was upon the Gentiles because when he went to the
Jewish people to share this grace of Jesus, he was often rejected. As
we dive into this book, may we keep in mind the one who wrote it.
Galatia was a territory that
is primarily Turkey today. Paul was responsible for starting several
churches in the area of Galatia, and although he shared the “gospel”
of Jesus Christ there, afterwards some came in and perverted the
“good news” that he shared. Those called “Judaizers” were
ones who said basically, “Yes, believing in Jesus is good, but you
must also keep the law.” They promoted the idea that a person had
to keep the laws of God in order to have a relationship with Him.
This was man's problem then as it is today. We do not keep the law of
God, nor did they, and try as much as they'd like, to promote the way
of keeping the law only kept people in despair. Paul addresses this
problem throughout this book.
The difficulty for Paul was
that people questioned his authority. They would ask, “Who are you,
and what gives you the right to teach us about God?” The idea of
“apostolic succession” was held as the only true way that a
person could have authority to speak on the oracles of God. This
meant that a person must be ordained by men who were already
established teachers of the law, and those who were deemed worthy by
these men would have hands laid upon them as a symbol of the passing
of authority to share about God. Although Paul was a Pharisee at one
time, he now was rejected by the Jewish religious community, and
since he was now speaking with authority on behalf of God, many
wondered about his credentials.
Paul establishes right away
that his authority was “(not of men, neither by man, but by
Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)”.
The authority of man mattered little to Paul. His right to speak
on the subject of the gospel of grace came directly from Jesus
Christ, and God the Father. The power within God the Father to raise
Jesus from the dead is the same power and authority that ordained
Paul the apostle. Paul who was “called out of due season”
declares to us as he did with the people of Galatia, that he is the
one God chose to share the truth of the gospel with all mankind.
Although some trust in the ordination of man, Paul placed his trust
in the authority of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. It is
from this basis that we will study and see the intention God has for
man, and oh what fellowship is to be gained with God as we study
Paul's words.
Next time we will look
further into the words of our authority Paul, so read ahead, and we
shall join together then.
Until tomorrow...there is
more...
Look
for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites,
www.amazon.com
; www.barnesandnobles.com
; download
to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
No comments:
Post a Comment