Defense. Galatians 1:11-24 Times come in the lives of those who preach the Gospel when they face criticism from those with doctrinal or personal differences. It is not for self-promotion or self-pity, but because of the need to defend the faith we preach, we stand up for our teaching and preaching. It was important for the Galatian believers to understand that the Gospel Paul preached was a direct revelation from God to him personally. What they had been hearing from others was a distorted message trying to combine Judaism with Christianity. A “revelation” is an unveiling from God for our benefit.
What Paul taught did not come from the traditions he learned from men. What he practiced before he was saved was in accordance with Judaism, which is contrasted here with the “church of God.” All his experiences in his pre-Christian days made him an unlikely convert to Christianity. The Old Testament teachings provide a framework of truth upon which salvation by grace is built. The righteousness of God and His uncompromising holiness cannot be achieved by men. "By the law is the knowledge of sin." The law condemns us, and we "are not justified by the works of the law."
The message of the Gospel Paul preached, and that needs to be preached today, is that when a person is saved by God's grace, they are made free from the curse of the law to serve our living Lord. We are free from the law and the power of sin. We are free to live a new life in Christ. We are not just part of a national religion like Judaism or a national church, but are identified with our Lord Jesus Christ—a Living Person. In the doctrine of the Gospel, the contrasts between law and grace are clearly outlined, and a Christian who lives under grace is "free from the law, O happy condition."
Paul addresses the confusion of mixing law and grace by revisiting the foundation of his apostleship and the authority he has to confront those troublemakers who were misleading God's people away from the true Gospel message. To do this, he recounted his personal history to demonstrate that his teachings were a revelation from God. In doing so, he referenced "the grace of Christ" (v.6): "You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ..."; "That He might show the exceeding riches of His grace..."; "...called unto the grace of Christ..."; "By grace, ye are saved..." Anyone whom God has saved by His grace will focus their message on the Person of Christ, not on human works. Paul exemplified this principle.
"The Gospel of Christ" is not Christ and Judaism or some other religious form added to the work of Christ. It is "The Gospel of Jesus Christ" from the beginning. Like Paul, those who preach should "not be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ." Our challenge in ministry is to "fully preach the Gospel of Christ" and never "hinder the Gospel of Christ." Through us today, as with the apostles at the beginning of the church, we should declare "the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ."
Christ was revealed to Paul on the Damascus Road, and the message he received was the Gospel. We all have different abilities, and the gifts God gives us are according to His will. He makes them suitable for our environment, the people we serve, and our personalities. Paul was a very zealous person, and the zeal he once used to defend the national religion he now uses to spread the Gospel. This was the message that both Jews and Gentiles needed to hear. His complete transformation was a result of God's grace. God's sovereign act was to save him and set him apart by grace to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. Conversion is not just a change in habits or occupation. It is an inward change brought about by the Holy Spirit at the moment of new birth, originating from a new nature implanted within us that enables us to fulfill what is necessary.
There was a revelation of Jesus Christ to Paul. His apostleship wasn't received by becoming a disciple of the twelve apostles. He met Peter several years after God saved him. The time he spent in Jerusalem was just long enough for them to get to know and love each other, calling him "our beloved brother Paul." The revelation of Christ never left him because, through that, Paul was commissioned as an apostle to bring the Gospel to kings, the children of Israel, and the Gentiles. His devotion to Judaism was well known by many. Now, his devotion to Christ was also well known, from his extraordinary conversion experience, being the target of outspoken Jewish opposition, to his work spreading the Gospel.
A changed life and new attitudes toward God and people still greatly influence others today. People expect Christians to stand out from others. Paul understood the message he received from God and had the spiritual insight to share it with others. This insight does not come from skills learned in psychology courses or from dressing up Christian words with spiritual meaning. Paul spent three years alone with God in Arabia, where he learned directly from the Master what other apostles learned from three years of following Jesus across the land of Israel.
When people spend time alone with God, they discover things that can never be taught in a school or learned privately from someone else. Paul would have seen in the Old Testament clear references to the Lord Jesus Christ and His teachings. Talking with other believers about scripture and God's truths helps us to understand and love one another. Therefore, there is value in being alone with God and in fellowship with others.
God revealed Christ to others through Paul. They would have learned that Jesus is the Christ, the Living Savior. The Galatians would have learned from Paul that He alone is the one and only way to the Father. They would have heard him preach that because of the sinlessness of Jesus, we can be "made the righteousness of God in Him." Paul emphasized to the Galatians, who had seen him, spoken to him, listened to his preaching, and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ because of his message, and now doubted his apostleship, that other people did not doubt him. His authority and ministry were recognized by people in the assemblies in Judea who had never seen him, yet they glorified God because of Paul. The proof of his apostleship was evident, and he stated, "I am not lying." People may have proof of our testimony, but it is God who gives them the conviction of sin and the light of life needed to bring faith.
There was no reason at all for those believers to doubt Paul's apostolic authority, except they were too eager to believe anything that came their way. We need to make our Gospel message clear, but we also must warn against false teachers. God's people have every reason to glorify Him when they see the reality of the Gospel transforming the lives of those who accept Christ.
It Pleased God. Galatians. 1:15-16. “It pleased God who separated me…and called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in me that I might preach Him…” Some things are important to God. Even if we don’t understand why, and might never know, it’s enough to know that it pleases Him. “It pleased the Lord to bruise Him…” – it was part of His plan for redemption. “The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand” – God’s perfect and complete plan was carried out by the Lord Jesus Christ.
Why it pleases Him to call me is beyond me, but it has happened – and I am so glad it did! I know it is Paul whom the verse refers to, but in His own way and for His own reason, He has separated me, called me, revealed His Son in me, too, and sent me to preach Christ.
The sovereignty of God is what distinguishes us from others. His right to do whatever He wishes with His creation sets me apart from billions of people. Sanctification by God through the Gospel of His grace can only happen because He chose to set His love upon me. There is nothing particularly lovable about me. It wasn’t a capricious love, either. He deliberately directed His loving attention toward me so that He would have a person, an object that could fulfill a need He had. Our adopted grandchildren have fulfilled that in our family. They are loved as completely as those who were naturally born into our family. In each case, we chose to love them above all other children in the world.
The revelation of the Son of God's presence in His chosen ones is one reason for the entire flow of divine attention. Others may hear about Him, but visible proof to strengthen the message is shown in the lives of those who love Him. What a purifying thought! Then, the declaration of the Gospel of God’s Son is crucial for God's evidence to be visible in all who need to know Him.