Friday’s Text: Galatians 1.11-24

Friday’s Text: Galatians 1.11-24

11 For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; 12 for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
13 You have heard, no doubt, of my earlier life in Judaism. I was violently persecuting the church of God and was trying to destroy it. 14 I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. 15 But when God, who had set me apart before I was born and called me through his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with any human being, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were already apostles before me, but I went away at once into Arabia, and afterwards I returned to Damascus.
18 Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days; 19 but I did not see any other apostle except James the Lord’s brother. 20 In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie! 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, 22 and I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea that are in Christ; 23 they only heard it said, “The one who formerly was persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.

Galatians is an interesting Epistle. Many have called it a mini Book of Romans because of its deep and rich theology, touching on many of the same themes as Paul does in Romans. Galatians, though, carries a much stronger polemic tone than does Romans. Here Paul is confronting a critical issue. Even his salutation seems heavy and confrontational. Rather than his typical greeting acknowledging his apostleship, here Paul inserts the polemically loaded words, “Sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.” Paul comes out with guns blazing. And he doesn’t let up, calling them bewitched, accusing them of deserting Christ in order to follow a perverted gospel, which is no gospel at all. Two times he says that anyone who preaches such a perversion should be accursed. These are some pretty strong words from Paul. But like every piece of Scripture, there is a specific context and situation that is being addressed. It is imprudent and irresponsible to interpret Scripture outside of that context and situation. When Paul talks about “a different gospel,” he has something specific in mind.

The specific issue in this case has to do with the sufficiency of Christ’s atoning death and the degree of salvation that is provided by that death. Paul had preached that Christ’s sacrifice provided all one needs to receive the fullness of God’s grace and forgiveness. Paul preached that not only was Christ all sufficient, but any attempt to add to it derogated God’s free gift. But after Paul left, a group of “super-apostles” showed up saying that Paul only had it partly right. After all, he was a newbie, hardly experienced enough to get it all right. He didn’t fully understand all the traditions involved. Certainly, Jesus saves, but only so far. If you want to be really saved, you need to become practicing Jews as well. At issue, then, is ultimately the source and means of salvation. When Paul speaks of a different gospel, he is talking about a different way of being saved. It has nothing to do with peripheral issues such as forms of worship, ecclesial practices, or doctrinal issues such as those that have so divided the modern church. Paul’s invective, instead, is concerned with purely soteriological issues. Paul’s message was simple, concise, and straight forward: Christ crucified. The working out of that salvific event, however, is far more detailed and nuanced (as is evidenced by the variegated views presented in the NT).

In the above text Paul defends his apostleship, not in order to justify himself, or to set him and his ministry over and against the ministry of any other. Instead Paul is pointing to the divine origin of his apostleship—the fact that it didn’t rest on “human origin” but on God. Paul is an apostle because God sent him. It was God who revealed his Son, Jesus, to Paul. It was God who set him apart to proclaim Christ to the Gentiles. Because the gospel has divine authorship, it also has a divine authority and commissioning. In pointing out the divine authority of his apostleship, Paul is setting the foundation for the divine authorship of his message.

Care must be taken here, though, so that we don’t wrongfully interpret Paul’s words about “not confer[ring] with any human being” and receiving his message directly from God as arguing for a purely fideistic understanding of revelation. Paul’s erudition is without question. What changed, though, was now all that learning and theological brilliance found a new center—Jesus. It’s not that Paul had to unlearn everything, and then God supernaturally downloaded a whole new operating system into his head. In the revelation of Christ, everything Paul already new found its one true source, meaning, and purpose.