NOT from Men - Gospel Freedom in Galatians - October 24 Readings: Galatians 1:1-5

 

Gospel Freedom in Galatians  

Background: What was the key issue in the early church? Race. Culture. Issues that are still with us today. The church at its inception on Pentecost was essentially 100% Jewish and the Apostles and the church in Jerusalem seemed content to keep it that way. Then God called a Pharisee named Saul to salvation and set him aside as an Apostle to the Gentiles. Over the next 30 years, the church became primarily Gentile with a Jewish minority, and many Jews fought it. 

Galatians was Paul's first letter, written at the end of his first missionary journey when Gentiles began to come to Christ in droves. A group, sometimes called Judaizers and sometimes the circumcision party, opposed the inclusion of Gentiles in the church. If they were to be part of the church, they needed to become Jewish - follow the law and Jewish rituals. Paul fought them tooth and nail his entire ministry. The gospel was for the whole world. 

Galatians is a powerful argument for a gospel free from the works of the law. 

As often as time allows, the reader is encouraged to read the entire book - it will not take more than a few minutes. Each day we will work our way through the book passage by passage. 

Today's Reading:  Galatians 1-6  Focus Passage - Galatians 1:1-5

Paul, an apostle—not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers who are with me:

To the churches of Galatia.

3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. 5 To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Through the Bible Readings: Jeremiah 51-52, 1 Thessalonians 4, Psalm119:41–48, Proverbs 26:2–4

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: NOT from Men     

In this, his first epistle, his normal greeting, which would become much more standard in later letters, was forming here. He identified himself and greeted the church, and wished them "grrace and peace from God the Father and Our Lord Jesus Christ."  These were all part of his standard greeting as he wrote to churches, but there is at least one element in this one that is unique to Galatia. 

Paul often identified himself as an apostle. The word means "one sent" but in the New Testament church, it was far more than just a missionary. Yes, the apostles were sent on God's worldwide mission, but they were the ones who held authority in the church. When Jesus left for heaven the authority in his church rested in the apostles. Paul, not one of the original 12, was given authority by Jesus Christ in miraculous ways. 

That is what Paul is asserting here in verse 1. He was an apostle, sent not just by the church at Antioch but chosen and imbued with authority by God himself. He was not grasping for power and control nor did he get voted into office by others. He was chosen by God and given authority from heaven. 

Why did this matter? Because Paul was proclaiming something startling, something new and powerful that many people rejected. Some among the Jewish Christians wanted to hold on to their traditions, their sense of privilege, and Jewish identity. They did not appreciate Paul coming in as the "Apostle to the Gentiles" and proclaiming that salvation was completely separate from the law. 

Some people today don't like to hear thing that go against their prejudices or their preferred ideas, but when the authority comes from God's word, we must obey. Paul hammered home the idea that his authority came from God. We must never allow our cultural ideas, our preferences, our political views, or any other human idea to overwhelm the authority of God and his word. 

Father, may I always listen to you and to your word. 

Think and Pray:

Do you follow human preferences and prejudices, or the authority of God and his word?