For am I now trying to persuade people, or God? Or am I striving to please people?
If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Galatians 1:10
Paul was shocked that the Galatians had so quickly deserted God and turned to another gospel, which was no gospel at all, according to Paul.
The Judiazers had come into the churches and preached a false message, convincing the Galatians they needed to obey the Law to be saved.
They told the Galatians that Paul didn’t give them the whole gospel because he was trying to please people.
Paul had taught the Galatians that Christ had redeemed them from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for them (Galatians 3:13). So, now they were free and lived by grace.
So, why had they turned away from the message Paul preached?
That’s what Paul wanted to know. So, he defended his apostleship in hopes of correcting their error.
Let’s find out what his defense was.
Table of Contents
Why Did Paul Defend His Apostleship?
Paul wanted the Galatians to know that the gospel he had brought them was true. And that any other gospel was false. So, he defended his apostleship to convince them that what he said was the truth. He reminded them of three things: First, God was the One who sent him, not man, and second, he had received his message directly from Christ. Furthermore, he said the drastic change in his life was the evidence. Third, the other apostles approved of Paul and his message and sent him on his way after hearing the gospel he was preaching.
Sent by God, Not Man
Paul opens up his letter in his usual way by reminding his readers that he was an apostle sent by God.
Galatians 1:1 Paul, an apostle (not sent by men, nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead).
Indeed, the Galatians knew about Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. And how it led to him preaching the gospel to them.
However, now they were hearing and accepting another gospel that included works through obeying the Law.
Why would they believe this other gospel was true?
Paul struggled to understand, so he continued by reminding the Galatians how he had received the message he had brought them.
Acquired Through Direct Revelation
Next, Paul told them his message came directly from Christ.
Galatians 1:11-12 Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me, Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.
He said to remember his past and how he had violently persecuted the church.
And to keep in mind that God chose him to be the one who would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles before he was born (Galatians 1:13-17).
Paul didn’t leap directly into his calling or consult anyone after his conversion. He left Damascus and went to Arabia for an extended period before returning.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary says,
It is doubtful that he went there to evangelize but rather to be away from men and alone with the Lord for personal study, meditation, and to receive further revelation…The product of these days in Arabia was the Christian theology that Paul explained in his epistle to the Romans. The point of Paul’s declaration is clear. He formed his theology not by consulting others but independently as he sought God’s guidance. [p. 592]
I would think that seeing the change in Paul and hearing how he received the gospel message directly from Christ Himself would be enough to convince the Galatians that he had the correct gospel.
But just in case it wasn’t, there was more.
Approved by the Apostles
Years later, Paul finally met the other apostles. He wanted to make sure that he wasn’t preaching the wrong gospel. But they agreed that Paul had the right gospel and sent him on his way with their blessing.
Galatians 2:2-3 I went there because God revealed to me that I should go [to Jerusalem]. While I was there, I met privately with those considered to be leaders of the church and shared with them the message I had been preaching to the Gentiles. I wanted to make sure that we were in agreement for fear that all my efforts had been wasted and I was running the race for nothing. And they supported me and did not even demand that my companion Titus be circumcised, though he was a Gentile.
The only reason the question of circumcision even came up with the apostles was that some false believers were in Jerusalem, saying Christians still needed to follow the Law.
On the other hand, Paul was preaching the opposite, and the other apostles agreed with him. The Law and circumcision were not necessary for salvation.
So, they encouraged him to continue preaching as he had previously. Their encouragement was confirmation to Paul that what he was preaching indeed came from God.
Galatians 2:9 And recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas [Peter] and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we might go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.
In other words, Paul would return to the Gentiles, and Peter, James, and John would stay with the Jews.
Paul’s Defense
Final Thoughts
There are many false religions that pretty much do the same thing the Judiazers did. They add to the gospel and essentially say that Christ is not enough.
Why did Paul defend his apostleship? Because he needed to remind the Galatians that the gospel he preached was true. And therefore, another gospel couldn’t be.
Christians can use Paul’s defense of his apostleship today to know that the gospel he preached is the same gospel we are to preach.
So, what is the gospel he preached?
1 Corinthians 15:3-8 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me: Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the twelve. After that he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.
There is no other gospel that can save, and Paul had it right. He:
- Was sent by God, not man
- Received his message directly from Christ
- Was drastically changed by the very gospel he preached to the Galatians
- Gained the approval of the other apostles
As you can see, Paul’s defense of his apostleship showed the Galatians that the gospel he gave them was true.
Do you agree the gospel Paul preached was right and the one that will get you to heaven?
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