Monthly Archive for December, 1999

Page 2 of 4

Galatians 1:22

Published on December 21, 1999 in Galatians. 0 Comments
Read Introduction to Galatians

 

“And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ”
 
And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ.
 
The churches of Judea, as distinguished from the church in Jerusalem, did not know Paul by sight, because he ministered elsewhere. Paul mentions this to answer the accusation of the legalists who say that the churches in Judea taught him the gospel. The point of recounting these events from his life is to show that He got his message from God and not from the apostles who preceded him. Paul was “unknown by face” to the churches of Judea. They only heard of his conversion from afar.
 
There is a temptation to thrust new Christians into the limelight, especially if they are celebrities. The churches of Judea did not carry out a media campaign about Paul’s conversion: “Come hear a murderer turned Christian!” They did not capitalize on his conversion. Instead, they waited for his spiritual maturation. God takes years to build a great oak.
Principle:
God takes time to develop leadership in the church.
Application:
The Bible puts a premium on qualified leadership (1 Timothy 3:1f). One of a number of qualifications listed in this passage in Timothy is that a leader should not be a novice” (3:6). When we thrust new Christians into leadership, we stunt their spiritual growth. Although someone may have impeccable business qualifications and business leadership, the Christian maturity to lead may still be lacking.
We do not put novices in leadership lest they be lifted up with “pride.” There is a special vulnerability toward pride in new Christians. “I must be important to this church since they put me on the board after being a Christian such a short time,” they may think. Pride is one of the main reasons the Lord bypasses certain people.
New Christians need time for God to chisel, sand and polish them for ministry. Our society makes sure that we train our medical doctors. We send them to university for their academic training; then we put them into an internship program so that they can practice. We want them to practice under the supervision of a competent doctor. New believers also need training and internship so that mature believers can nurture them along.
It is easy to get sidetracked while God prepares us for a mission. We must keep our eye on the vision. It is easy to fix our eyes on something lucrative or self-serving. But we must not let the Devil get us on a tangent.
Share

Galatians 1:21

Published on December 20, 1999 in Galatians. 0 Comments
Read Introduction to Galatians

 

“Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia”
 
Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia
 
After his brief fifteen-day visit to Jerusalem, Paul went to the “regions of Syria and Cilicia.” He left Jerusalem because of persecution (Acts 9:29-30). Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. It always costs something to follow the Lord.
 
Tarsus, Paul’s hometown, was in Cilicia. He stayed in Tarsus for at least six years until Barnabas asked him to come to Antioch in Syria (Acts 11:20–26). He may have needed experience in the local church in Tarsus.
Paul had now been a Christian for at least nine years. God waited nine years before He used him in Antioch. Paul needed to go through God’s training time. Paul did not become a missionary until after an extended time in Syria, Cilicia and Antioch. Some people are in a hurry to minister, so they take shortcuts into ministry. God has a timetable for our ministry. We must wait on His time.
Antioch of Syria was the city from which they launched the first missionary expedition (Acts 13:1–3). Since Paul was far from Jerusalem, he did not have sustained contact with the leaders there.
Principle:
God has His own timing for our ministry.
Application:
Do you chafe at the bit wondering why God does not use you more? Are you waiting for God’s timing? God is in the process of preparing you to serve Him. This takes time. He wants to reveal what you’re made of, so you must go through certain tests to determine whether your character can stand up.
Share

Galatians 1:19-20

Published on December 19, 1999 in Galatians. 0 Comments
Read Introduction to Galatians

 

“But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.) Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia”
 
But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.
 
In passing, Paul met “James, the Lord’s brother,” who was also a key leader in the Jerusalem church (Acts 12:17). Jesus had more than one biological brother (Matthew 13:55; cf. Psalms 69:8,9). This verse violates the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary (Mark 6:3; Galatians 2:9; 1 Corinthians 15:7; Acts 15:13; 21:18). James was Mary’s biological son.
 
Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.
The legalists who came to Galatia cast such a pall of suspicion on Paul that he pledged he wrote the truth in the preceding verses. He took this oath in God’s presence making it solemn. He calls on God to witness his statements (Romans 9:1).
Principle:
False teachers love to undermine God’s messengers, since it also undercuts God’s message.
Application:
How strange that Paul’s very own converts would think that he was not truthful! This shows the pall that false teaching can cast on the integrity of Christians. Satan loves to cast aspersions on God’s people, so that he can undermine God’s message.
Share

Galatians 1:18

Published on December 18, 1999 in Galatians. 1 Comment
Read Introduction to Galatians

 

“Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days”
 
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter,
 
The word “then” means thereafter, referring to the time following Paul’s three-year stay in Arabia and Damascus. After waiting three years, Paul finally went to Jerusalem to see Peter (Acts 9:26-30). When Paul first left Jerusalem, he had gone to Damascus to murder and imprison Christians. However, he came back as a Christian! He left as a beast but came back as a champion for Christ.
 
We get the English word history from the Greek word for to see. When Paul says he went to see Peter, the word carries the idea of making a social call on his fellow apostle. Paul wanted to get acquainted with Peter. They told each other their story. This must have been a great time of fellowship. In fifteen days, they told of God’s grace and work in their life.
and remained with him fifteen days
Paul wanted to get to know Peter. He stayed in Jerusalem only a short time because his life was threatened (Acts 9:29). There was no time for Peter to train Paul theologically or certify his ministry, so Paul did not get his doctrine of grace from Peter.
After fifteen days, Paul fled for his life. It took some courage to go back to Jerusalem. He was not afraid to face the past. We cannot get away from our past by running away from it. We deal with it by facing it.
Principle:
Iron sharpens iron.
Application:
Christians do not lives to themselves. Christians do not live by themselves.
Share

Galatians 1:17

Published on December 17, 1999 in Galatians. 9 Comments
Read Introduction to Galatians

 

“…nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus”
 
nor did I go up to Jerusalem
 
Paul did not need the approval of the apostles in Jerusalem for his gospel of grace. He did not check with Peter before he went out to preach.
 
to those who were apostles before me;
The apostles mentioned here were those apostles appointed earlier than Paul. They took up residence in Jerusalem. It would have been natural for them to teach him about the fundamentals of the faith. As Paul did not receive the gospel from human beings at his salvation, neither did he receive it from the apostles after his salvation. This shows his independence from the twelve apostles. But, by acknowledging them as apostles who came before him, he also gives them full recognition.
but I went to Arabia,
Instead of going to Jerusalem immediately after his salvation, he went to an area of Arabia known as Nabatea (in Transjordan to the south and east of Damascus of Syria). Arabia was a barren and thinly populated place. Paul needed to clarify the distinctions between law and grace. He spent decades steeped in legalism, so he needed time to orient himself to grace and think through the issues.
He went to Arabia to spend time with God in solitude. During this stay, God clarified the doctrine of grace to him. He did not get his message from human beings but from God. He wanted to get his message as clear as he could before he started preaching.
and returned again to Damascus
After the Lord clarified his message in Arabia, Paul returned to Damascus. He stayed there for a stretch of time and encountered persecution from the Jews.
“But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ. Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him. But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him. Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket” (Acts 9: 22-25).
Principle:
God schools his saints in solitude.
Application:
God uses isolation and solitude to separate our souls from restless and busy lives. The Psalmists says, “Be still and know that I am God.” We need time to think about God. Solitude is God’s Wilderness Graduate School. It”s the place where we develop deep convictions about our relationship with the Lord and our service for Him.
God took many of his ministers to His Wilderness Graduate School. He took Moses there before He would use him. He also allowed Elijah to go through a wilderness experience. David spent some time there, while Saul hunted him like an animal. The Lord Himself spent forty days in the desert.
God must speak to us and we to God before we speak to other people. Has God placed you in His Wilderness Graduate School in order to use you later?
Share

Galatians 1:16

Published on December 16, 1999 in Galatians. 2 Comments
Read Introduction to Galatians

 

“…to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood…”
 
Now Paul turns to events after his salvation to show his doctrine of grace is independent from other people’s influence. Although he met with Christians after his salvation, he did not consult them about the doctrine of salvation.
 
to reveal His Son in me,
God revealed Christ not only to Paul but also in Paul. God wanted to get the gospel into Paul’s innermost being. It seems that Paul would be the last person on earth that God would chose to reveal His Son. Of all people, he would be the last for he was guilty of executing Christians. Nevertheless, God unveiled His very own Son to Paul in grace.
that I might preach Him among the Gentiles,
The gospel must get into our innermost being before we can preach the gospel with conviction. The purpose of Paul’s message was to commission him to take the gospel of grace to the Gentiles. “Gentiles” is a term for the nations foreign to the state of Israel. A Gentile is someone other than a Jew. Peter was the apostle to the Jews and Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles.
Notice how God couples salvation with service. God calls every person He saves to serve “Him,” the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not enough to preach about Him; we must preach Him. And we cannot preach Him until we know Him.
I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood
The word “confer” means to take into counsel. Literally, “confer” comes from two words: to put and before. Paul did not take the counsel of any human being. He did not put his doctrine of grace before the leaders in Jerusalem to get their advice or opinions. Paul deliberately refrained from getting the counsel of human beings. He did not use a consulting firm to get an understanding of the gospel of grace.
With the word “immediately,” Paul begins to expose a sequence of events that proves that he could not have received the gospel of grace from human beings. He went to Arabia so that God could clarify the gospel of grace to him (Galatians 1:17).
Principle:
Nothing pleases God more than to reveal His Son through His saints.
Application:
God not only wants to reveal His Son to us, but also in us. He wants us to conform to the image of Christ daily.
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Even sinners can make great saints when they allow Christ to transform them. God can take foul sinners and make them just like the Lord Jesus in character.
God will also use those with awful backgrounds to serve Him in unique ways.
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10).
Share

Galatians 1:15

Published on December 15, 1999 in Galatians. 0 Comments
Read Introduction to Galatians

 

“But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace…”
 
But when it pleased God,
 
The word “but” is an about-face word. In stark contrast to his earlier position as a foe of grace, Paul now embraced it with all his being. Up to this point in his life, it was all of Paul and none of grace. The foremost opponent of Christianity became its outstanding proponent.
 
God did three things for Paul:
1) separated him from birth for a special purpose,
2) called him by grace and
3) revealed the Lord Jesus through him. God did all of this so that Paul would preach Christ among the Gentiles.
Paul ascribed his call to God’s pleasure. This is God’s motive for saving him. Paul’s conversion put a smile on the face of God.
who separated me
The word “separated” denotes to mark off by boundaries or limits. It comes from two words: to separate and from. God set Paul apart for a special purpose. He knew Paul’s call from eternity and set prescribed limits around his destiny.
The last option in Paul’s mind was to become a Christian, but God set him apart for that work. He was no longer what he was; he experienced a radical transformation. This is all because God put a limitation on him.
from my mother’s womb
“From my mother’s womb” does not refer to physical obstetrics but to spiritual obstetrics. “God knew from before I was born that I was going to be the apostle to the Gentiles.” This is sheer grace (Jeremiah 1:5).
and called me through His grace
Paul’s call came strictly through grace. God did not call him because he was better than other people were because grace opposites merit. Rather God chose Paul before he had a chance to show any merit.
Paul did not instigate his salvation; God took the initiative. God chose him out of unadulterated grace. No work by Paul added anything to his call. God’s grace turned him around. God never faces a dilemma for He knows what He wants to do from eternity. Our call is never capricious; it is always premeditated. It is part of God’s eternal plan.
Principle:
God is in the business of turning antagonists into catalysts for the cause of Christ.
Application:
When God touches our lives, He turns our lives around 180 degrees. If God can change a murderer like Paul, He can change us. God will do this in His own sovereign way. He saves us by sovereign grace.
None of us earns or deserves salvation. If we got what we deserve, then God would consign us to the Lake of Fire. Everything this side of Hell is undiluted grace. God can take His most bitter enemies and turn them into His greatest champions. Note Paul’s description of his salvation.
“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Timothy 1:12-17).
Share

Galatians 1:14

Published on December 14, 1999 in Galatians. 0 Comments
Read Introduction to Galatians

 

“And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers”
 
And I advanced in Judaism
 
Before Paul became a Christian, he had a sterling religious career for he “advanced beyond many.” The word “advance” means to strike forward, cut forward a way. Secular Greek used this word to refer to pioneer woodcutters who went ahead of the army blazing a new trail through the forest so the army could move forward quickly.
 
The idea here then, is that Paul was an innovator of systems for furthering his religion. Paul, the Pharisee, obtained breakthroughs in dealing with this new religion called Christianity.
“They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee” (Acts 26: 5).
beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation,
Paul surpassed other leaders in Israel. He had a brilliant career in Judaism. He outstripped his contemporaries in pioneering new areas for Judaism. He was a very successful Pharisee. Paul was notorious in his persecution of the church. He was brutal and bloodthirsty with his religion– infamous for his opposition to Christianity. Religion has a tradition of brutality.
“I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished” (Acts 22:4-5).
“Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities” (Acts 26:9-11).
being more exceedingly zealous
Paul clearly excelled above his peers in his commitment to the annihilation of Christianity. He was an uncompromising adherent to legalism. He went to any extreme with passionate intensity for his cause. Paul says in effect, “I was a passionate professional persecutor of the church. In doing so, I was outstanding in my religion.” Even in the face of all this, the supernatural power of the gospel of grace brought him to the Savior.
for the traditions of my fathers.
Paul lived for legalism. His tradition was one of religious rules that went beyond the Law of Moses. These rules defied compliance. There was not the slightest orientation to grace in his background. It was a performance and works mindset based on ancestral tradition. All his previous education and prejudices were the polar opposites to grace.
Principle:
Some people use religion as a platform for self-advancement.
Application:
Many people use religion to gain a standing among their peers. Their main goal is to impress people. They desire to be noticed. Self-promotion creates a sense of rivalry.
Religion has a history of brutality. Religious history is full of intolerance and prejudice. We should turn in our religion if it makes us bigoted toward others.
Share

Galatians 1:13

Published on December 13, 1999 in Galatians. 0 Comments
Read Introduction to Galatians

 

“For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it”
 
 
For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism,
 
Paul speaks of his “conduct” before he became a Christian while he was still a leader in Jewish religion in verses 13 and 14. Paul was a religious leader of first rank (Philippians 3:5-6). His conduct shows that he did not receive the gospel from Christian men. He was a legalist to the core before he became a Christian; he did not think of grace at all.
 
how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure
Paul explained his furious persecution of Christians to Herod Agrippa in Acts 26:9-11. The Greek indicates that Paul persecuted the church on an unrelenting basis. He was the supreme Jewish militant of his time. He pursued the church on every occasion he could (Acts 9:4).
As a Pharisee, Paul was a stickler for rules as a way to live for God. He saw no exceptions to legalism. He was not open to a view of salvation by grace. Now, as a Christian, Paul has found grace and it is the single prevailing passion of his life.
and tried to destroy it
It was not enough for Paul to persecute the church, he wanted to “destroy” [waste] it. Secular Greek used this term for ravaging a city or sacking a city. As an arch-persecutor, Paul wanted to apply a scorched earth policy to the church. He made a career out of persistently destroying God’s church (Acts 9:21; 22:4; 26:10,11; 1 Timothy 1:12-15).
“As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison” (Acts 8:3).
“Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem” (Acts 9:1-2).
Principle:
Legalism is rooted in our ability to perform; grace rests in the performance of Christ.
Application:
Legalism attempts to gain God’s approval by works. Grace rests in the work of God. If God does the doing then God gets the glory. If we do the doing then we get the glory.
People who try to gain God’s approval by works cannot perform enough. They never know whether they measure up enough to gain God’s favor. Those who humbly accept God’s provision for salvation or sanctification can rest in what He did for us, remembering that Jesus died for our sins and provided all that is needed for the Christian life.
The glory of Christianity is found by resting in what Christ did for us. Have you come to rest in what God did for you in Christ?
Share

Galatians 1:12

Published on December 12, 1999 in Galatians. 0 Comments
Read Introduction to Galatians

 

“For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ”
 
For I neither received it from man,
 
The source of Paul’s gospel of grace is not from his associations with people. Paul did not receive the gospel from anyone other than the Lord Himself. His gospel was not a man-manufactured message. Paul did not invent the gospel nor did he spin it out of his own spiritual cocoon.
 
nor was I taught it,
The word “taught” means to teach didactically by a course of instruction (Matthew 4:23; 9:35; Romans 12:7; Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 4:17; 1 Timothy 2:12; 4:11). No one imparted the gospel of grace to Paul by instruction. Peter, John or James did not teach him at the Jerusalem Theological Seminary.
Ananias taught Paul some basics shortly after he became a Christian. Paul’s point in this passage is not that no one ever at any time taught him about things in general. His point is that he received the gospel of grace exclusively from the Lord Jesus Christ.
but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ
Paul went to seminary at the feet of Jesus Christ. He could have no better seminary professor.
The word “revelation” means an uncovering, unveiling. Jesus took the scales off Paul’s eyes about the gospel (Acts 26:4-19). The gospel came to Paul like a dramatic unveiling of a new statue in the football hall of fame. Jesus removed the veil of darkness over his eyes and made the gospel fully known to him independently by immediate revelation (1:17,18). When Paul connected to the apostles, his message was the same as their gospel.
Jesus Christ is both the revealed and the revelator (1:16; Acts 9:3-8). Paul, the erstwhile Saul of Tarsus, received the gospel of grace from the Lord Jesus personally. Human beings had nothing to do with it. There was no personal evangelism involved in his salvation. Paul was the head of a goon squad on his way to Damascus to slaughter Christians when the Lord revealed Himself to him. He did not anticipate this direct revelation from the Lord. It was not in his plan to become a Christian but the Lord turned him right about face (Acts 9:5,6).
Principle:
The Bible is not man’s message but God’s.
Application:
We are accustomed to thinking of the Holy Spirit as the revealer of truth but Jesus revealed truth to the apostles. Whether it is the Holy Spirit or the Lord Jesus, the gospel message is a supernatural message. Human rhetoric does not win people to Christ; the miracle of the gospel of Christ transforms lives. Oratory is of little consequence in the final analysis. No human being can win anyone to Christ without the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.
The source of the Christian gospel is direct revelation. The Christian can be certain about truth because he deductively receives truth from God by the Bible. No one can find final truth by inductive methods– such as science uses–because man is finite and cannot find infinite truth by his pint-sized brain. The Bible is the Supreme Court beyond which there is no appeal.
Share