The Non-conformist Apostle
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Chapter 1:11-24
V.11-12 “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.”
Why this tremendous concern by the apostle that the
Galatians understand that he was not sent by man, nor was his doctrine, the
gospel, taught him by men? He must be aware of a great danger in the
instrumentality and manipulation of men, which can invade and influence the
church. It is happening in these new churches and the potential is fatal in the
lives of those, whom these invaders had deceived.
Paul knew so well the ways of the Jewish rabbis from
past experience. Notice the word now in
verse 10… “Am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?” In his former
religion, he sought the approval of men, but now that ambition had ended. Previously he sought to gain the
approval of men, because he derived his authority from them and advanced
through their approval.
Zac Poonen, who personally fell into the jaws of a
sect in Norway, had this observation to make concerning that situation: “The greatest battle in the Christian life
is not the battle against anger or against dirty thoughts. It is the battle
against the desire to obtain the approval of men. This is where we must
determine to live before God’s face alone, if we want to stay free.”
I trust that everyone, who reads Paul’s inspired
chapters and can see the consequences, which he assures us, await the
Galatians, will apply these trues, where necessary, to similar present-day
circumstances, of which he is aware. He must receive a powerful, Holy Spirit-impact
upon his soul, in order to feel the seriousness of the deception. Then he will
actively begin to remove any ties, which bind his own soul, and help to bring
deliverance to others through the scriptural remedies that Paul presents to his
people.
Men, who crave leadership, but are weak in their
understanding of the full scope of Scripture and have relied on
extra-scriptural “revelation”, have taught and are teaching erroneous concepts
and doctrines. Many, unschooled in Scripture, have relied heavily upon them for
spiritual guidance. The greatest foes of those, who have their own agenda to
carry out, are the serious students of Scripture. People, who oppose theology,
do not do so because they have no theology,
but because true theology contradicts
their poor theology.
There is no legitimate personal vision, system or
program apart from that which is taught in God’s Word. There is only one gospel
to preach and there is only one purpose to carry out and that is the one
delivered to us by Christ Jesus. The duties of everyone called of God are to
preach the gospel, feed the flock of God and correct and discipline those who
sin and stray from truth.
This is why Paul is warning so strongly about men and
their “gospel”, and his writing is preserved until now, because the perversions
continue. Paul’s gospel is simply the
unfolding of the purpose of God, revealed in Scripture. Paul’s revelation came
in the light of that, which is recorded from Genesis to Malachi, followed by
the life and teaching of the Messiah, who came in fulfillment of the Old
Testament prophecies. Jesus said that after His departure, the Holy Spirit
would come and teach His disciples. He said that the Spirit of truth would
build upon Christ’s word: “He will
glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
Certainly to a lesser degree than in the case of the
apostle, true converts have an instinctive grasp of the truth, even before they
attend their first Bible class. It comes
along with the new birth. They have an insatiable hunger for the Word of God
and respond to the teaching of faith and grace. This illumination will grow and
blossom under the faithful exposition of the Word of God, but it also can be darkened
by listening to the unanointed concepts of men. A simple Baptist preacher, the
late Vance Havner quipped, “When you find
a genuine convert, try to keep him away from older Christians.” It was said
half-facetiously, but Paul would have known what he meant. The Galatians had
been seriously damaged by “older Christians”.
V.13-14. “For
you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God
violently and tried to destroy it. 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.”
Paul gives us his personal account of how he
progressed in Judaism, where his goals were to please men and gain their
approval. His zeal and his service were aimed toward the traditions of his
fathers. The fathers that he speaks about… my
fathers… are not the biblical fathers, but the fathers of the Pharisee
movement. He was, after all, the son of a Pharisee (Ac.23:6; 26:5). This is
what he served with great devotion. He was rising quickly in the system,
outdoing others, because of his fanatical commitment. This was the secret to
advancement, totally the opposite of the direction he is now taking under the
divine calling. His only aim in the preaching of the gospel is to be a servant
of Christ and to please Him.
He thought that in serving Judaism that he was serving
and pleasing God, but this was a deception, because truthfully, he was blindly opposing
the work of God, persecuting the church, and was dedicated to its destruction. It
did not end with Saul of Tarsus, but you can count on opposition, wherever and
whenever God moves. He will be opposed by those who have their own agenda. Revival
history shows clearly that resistance to the moving of God comes from them,
because revival fire is a serious threat to their status quo. The more powerfully God’s Spirit moves, the greater the
threat to man’s system, and therefore, the greater will be the resistance.
I read it in every revival movement and I personally
was a witness to this phenomenon in my youth. Throughout the area where we
lived, pastors and Bible teachers, including my own father, who was on the
executive committee of his denominational district, were forced to resign from
their positions. They were committed to following the direction of the Holy
Spirit and this made them useless in the schemes of men. I have seen in my own
case, more than once, promising flames quenched by those, who zealously and
jealously guarded their system’s perimeters.
V.15-17 (For this portion, I will turn from the ESV,
which I have used this far, because, in my opinion, it departs from a literal
translation, unfortunately weakening, if not damaging, the text. I will use
here the old KJV). “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and
called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among
the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I
up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia,
and returned again unto Damascus.”
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| Ruins from Antioch, Pisidea |
To say “God set me apart before I was born” (as my ESV has it) is
accurate enough, because, yes, God’s election of Paul occurred before birth, as
did Isaiah’s (Is.2:22) and Jeremiah’s (Jer.1:5). However, in the statement “separated me from my mother’s womb”, I
get a sense of a spiritual abortion, besides his election. God would cut him off
from everything that he was and desired to be, humanly speaking, and his life would
be totally given over to Christ. It is a preamble, I think, to his powerful
statement in 2:20: “I have been
crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”
It was a work of grace, a work achieved outside of
Paul’s efforts, on the Damascus road. It took him totally by surprise and
turned his life around 180 degrees. Christ granted him salvation and he became
a Christian. He was then given power beyond his strength and abilities, being graciously
filled with the Holy Spirit.
He said next that the Son of God was revealed, not only
to him or through him, but in Him. Paul
saw the indwelling Christ, beyond the light on the road to Damascus, which was
brighter than the sun. It was more wonderful yet to see that the reality of
this magnificent Light was within him.
Paul was cut off from his earthly ambitions, born in
the womb of the old nature, driven and brought to realization by egoistic
power. He dreamed big dreams and had the human will to see them fulfilled. He
got the best teaching available, learned at the feet of Gamaliel, and began a
climb to the top of the Jewish ladder. Nothing could stand in his way or keep
him from reaching his goals… except the King of kings and Lord of lords. God’s
will always stands, not only above, but contrary to the desires of fallen human
nature… even as it might relate to godly service. Paul wanted to be involved in
God´s business, but he was totally wrong about the part he was to play. The
will of God was that he preach to the non-Jewish heathen.
I offer this little story, written by Warren Wiersbe,
about Charles Spurgeon: “When Charles
Haddon Spurgeon was a young preacher, his father, the Rev. John Spurgeon,
suggested that Charles go to college to gain prominence. It was arranged for
him to meet Dr. Joseph Angus, the principal of Stepney College, London. They
were to meet at Mr. Macmillan’s
home in Cambridge, and Spurgeon was there at the appointed hour. He waited for
two hours, but the learned doctor never appeared. When Spurgeon finally
inquired about the man, he discovered that Dr. Angus had been waiting in
another room and, because of another appointment, had already departed.
Disappointed, Spurgeon left for a preaching engagement. While he was walking
along, he heard a voice clearly say to him, “Seekest thou great things for
thyself? Seek them not!” (see Jer_45:5)
From that moment, Spurgeon determined to do the will of God for the glory of
God.”
Rather than stating that Paul “did not consult with
anyone” (from the ESV again), the literal text said, “I
conferred not with flesh and blood.” I understand that, essentially, it
means the same thing, but there is a power and impact, which can be lost by
veering from the original language. There is a contrast here between an
encounter with Almighty God, Maker of heaven and earth, and a consultation with
a mere creature made of flesh and blood. Paul’s blinding experience in the
presence of God, the Son, spoiled him for anything that might be obtained
through a vessel, “in whose nostrils is
breath” (Is.2:22). After that meeting, to desire an interchange with any human
being, regardless of stature, would not only be a disappointment for Paul, but
an insult to Christ.
When I hear a testimony, which puts heavy weight on a
human instrument and a human institution, I wonder if the witness has really
met Christ. The command center in Jerusalem means little to the one who has heard
from heaven and to consult with apostles is only to chat with fellow human
beings. What does it mean to the one, whose ears still ring with the Great Voice
like a trumpet (Rev.1:10)? It seems God is so unreal to the average Christian
in the 21st Century. Paul went to Arabia and then back to Damascus,
longing only to hear His voice again!
V.18-24. “Then
after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him
fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s
brother. (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) Then I went
into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was still unknown in person to the
churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only were hearing it said, “He who
used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” And
they glorified God because of me.”
After three years of walking with Christ and being
taught by the Holy Spirit, Paul spent two weeks in Jerusalem. Apparently, he
didn’t need the original apostles to show him how the Christian program functioned.
I remember reading about the Jesus People in Communist China that the
government could not put their finger on. The one, who the people
seemed to credit with leadership, was found carting manure in a wheel barrel.
When they asked him, where their headquarters was located, he pointed to the
skies. Through the medium of persecution and oppression, these Christians had
reverted to the roots of the Carpenter of Galilee and his followers.
Spiritual life was being drained from Galatia. The teachers,
who had arrived, had already brought the people into a state, in which they could
not fathom the simple reality of being taught by God. Paul had to swear to them
that he was not lying about his divine preparation for ministry. The Galatians
had become spiritually impoverished by these false prophets, who choked off their
personal relationship with the Lord. They had arrived at a point of conformity
with man-powered religion, in which, the idea of not having been trained in
Jerusalem and not to have had direct contact with the apostles, was unbelievable!
Non-conformity was unknown to them. They doubted that anyone could preach and
teach without the instrumentality of their fellow-man. What is the extent of
the damage caused by interfering with the work of the Holy Spirit, who brings the
individual Christian into intimate relationship with God? I don’t think it can
be calculated.
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| Ruins of Paul's old hometown of Tarsus |
Syria and Cilicia were important areas in Paul's life
and his ministry began to really develop there. His hometown of Tarsus was in Cilicia
and it was there that Barnabas found him and brought him to Antioch, Syria
(Ac.11:25-26). The church, which had formed in Antioch, as told in Acts 11:19-22, grew
under the ministry of Barnabas. After bringing Paul there, they ministered together for the period of a year and taught a large congregation. By chapter 13, Antioch had replaced Jerusalem,
as far as the move of God was concerned, becoming the center for the ongoing
missionary work that soon extended to various Roman Provinces, Asia Minor and
on to Europe. Barnabas and Paul played a major part in the Antioch church, in
cooperation with various other key Christian prophets and teachers, Simeon,
Lucius, and Manaen (Ac.13:1).
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