Background – Galatians
In the twenty-first century there are those who proclaim to have a "lock" on what scripture says and how it is to be interpreted. They are quick to tell you: "This is what you have to do to be saved: come to our church, follow our rules, follow the Bible the way we interpret it, and you can earn your way into God's good graces, and maybe even into heaven."
What is happening in the twenty-first century is remarkably similar to what was going on in the churches at Galatia in the first century. Paul had founded these churches–they were among the first he had founded. For the most part the congregants apparently were Gentile Christians with a pagan background. Then along came a group of Jewish Christian believers, called Judaizers. They challenged Paul's authority and denied his apostleship. They claimed that in order to be saved one must follow all the laws of Moses, starting with circumcision. In other words, according to the Judaizers, if one wished to become a Christian one must embrace Judaism first. They tossed aside Paul's concept of salvation through unmerited grace and taught that salvation was earned through following the law.
Paul's response to them through his letter to the Galatians is just as pertinent today as it was two thousand years ago. Even today there are those who still insist that obeying a rigid code of conduct based on the laws of the Hebrew Testament can earn you a ticket to heaven. Paul's words to the Galatians echo through the centuries to us today to teach us once again how to respond to modern-day "Judaizers" and others who would rob us of the "good news" of Jesus–that salvation isn't won by living up to impossible laws, but by simply accepting that God loves us just the way we are. If we but trust that Jesus is the way to salvation, and try to follow the path Jesus prepared for us, we will "get there."
Galatians 1:1-10
"From Paul, an apostle, who was not called by human beings, but by Jesus Christ and God, our Parent-Creator, who raised Jesus from the dead. All the sisters and brothers with me send greetings to the churches in Galatia. Grace and peace to you from God our Parent-Creator and from our Savior, Jesus Christ, who was crucified as an atonement for our sins in order to rescue us from this present evil age, in obedience to the will of God, to Whom belongs glory forever and ever. Amen.
I am astounded at you! You've wasted no time abandoning the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to another gospel, which is really no gospel at all. Apparently, some people are confusing you and trying to adulterate the "good news" of Christ. But if we–or even an angel from heaven–were to preach a different gospel than the one we preached to you–then let us and them be eternally damned! Now, am I saying this in order to win God's approval, or the approval of people? Do you think I'm trying to appease people? No! If that was what I was trying to do, I would not be a servant of Christ."
One quickly can deduce a sense of urgency in the way Paul begins this letter. In most of Paul's other letters he begins with a word of prayer, thanksgiving and remembrances for the people to whom he is writing. Paul begins the letter with his credentials. He is an apostle, called by Jesus Christ himself, as well as by God. The Judaizers had said that because Paul was not one of the original twelve who had walked and talked with Jesus, he could not call himself an apostle Paul pointed out that since Jesus himself had spoken to him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), and had appeared to him on that road (Acts 9:17) he was indeed an apostle. Paul's claim of apostleship is all the more strengthened when we realize that at one time Paul had been an enemy of the gospel–had seen it as a threat to Judaism. He had once been a strong persecutor of the Church. For him to perform such a complete about-face had to have come about through nothing less than a miracle–in his case, by being knocked off his horse by Jesus Himself. Paul states the fact that he is not traveling alone but with fellow Christian leaders further legitimizes his apostolic authority.
The heart of the gospel message is grace and peace. Grace is the unmerited blessing of God by which we are declared holy in God's sight, and forgiven of our mistakes. When we acknowledge and accept this gift of grace we find that we become filled with a "peace that passes understanding." Paul is shocked that the Galatians were so quickly turning away from this gospel of grace to follow the law of the Judaizers–which Paul says, is not "good news" at all. He is very emphatic that those who are influencing the Galatians by inducing them to follow the Jewish law are actually perverting the gospel of Jesus. He says that anyone who would try to teach that the way to salvation is through following the law of Moses should be eternally condemned.
The Law of Moses taught that one could earn their way to Heaven by being good enough. Paul's teaching is that no one could ever become "good enough," but then one doesn't have to. It is Paul's contention that God judges on the intention of the heart, not on merits earned. We demonstrate our intention by accepting Jesus as our Savior and by trying to follow His example. We are saved by having faith–by trusting that we are saved. This is the "good news" Paul offered the people.
Paul's teaching was a radical departure from the accepted principles of Judaism and the Jewish leaders and teachers. So Paul points out that if he's teaching in opposition to the hierarchy, it should be clear to the people that he's not trying to gain anyone's approval–he's doing what God through Jesus has called him to do. By saying this, he's also claiming that following the Law of Moses is not what God wants from people.
Galatians 1:11-12
"I want you to know friends, that the gospel I preach is not something made up by human beings. I didn't receive it from anyone, nor was I taught it. It came to me directly from Jesus Christ Himself."
When Moses went up on Mt. Sinai, he came back with Ten Commandments on two stone tablets, claiming they were written by the Hand of God. On the heels of the Ten Commandments came over six hundred more laws to govern the lives of the people, all claimed in scripture to be the laws given by God. When Jesus came He summarized all in one sentence–one must love God, and love our neighbors as ourselves.
An important point to note–if we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, we must first be able to love ourselves, and that's not always an easy thing to do for some of us. Jesus said that if we but obey the law of love, if we but follow the law of love, then we would be by extension obeying and following all of God's laws. This is the "good news." This is the gospel Paul preached. Paul says that no person gave him this information, none other than Jesus Himself taught it to Paul. And Jesus, when He speaks directly to your heart, must be your final authority, as He was Paul's. No human being, no written word, can supersede what Jesus Himself speaks to you, through the Spirit, to your heart.
LIFE APPLICATION