Christians are forced to defend their faith. They always have. But it's different today. We no longer live in the biblically oriented America that existed for the past four centuries. Ours is atheistic, pagan and cultic. Pluralistic, our culture tolerates false doctrine. The belief is that every person is his own authority. Each of us is independent; we determine truth for ourselves. There is no central authority for truth; there is no absolute truth. This is no small matter; it is a critical problem. Eternal life hangs in the balance. "We are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?" (2 Cor. 2:15-16) How we live and what we teach will make a difference in whether people obey the gospel or meet Jesus in the fire of judgment, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ."(2 Thess. 1:7-8) This is why Paul was so provoked at the false teaching in Galatia. It was another gospel and would bring eternal ruin to those who embraced it. What strong words he spoke, "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." (Gal. 1:8)
This means that the question of authority is a most critical one for us today. Who are we to believe? Who or what has the right to command our obedience? To whom has God delegated His authority? Paul answered the question for the Galatians by asserting his authority as an apostle of Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:1, 11-12, 15-16). Paul's answer can help us today. The church of God is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Eph. 2:20). It is an apostolic church. It bases its teachings, not on human ideas and traditions, but on the teachings of its Lord's apostles. The Bible is God's own Word. It follows then that they who subject themselves to the Bible, subject themselves to God. The Bible is not a mixture of human opinion but the repository of divine truth.
Questions to Ponder:
1. Paul defends himself in Gal. 1:11-2:14. Why must he do that?
2. What evidences of true apostleship does Paul present in Gal. 1-2?
About Me
- Dick Gelina
- God regenerated me in my second year of university life. One year later God brought a beautiful woman into my life, Ruth, an outstanding wife for 55 years. We began church planting in 1959 in Maine. We later started four more churches: one in Virginia, one in Pennsylvania and two in South Africa. This has been a privileged life that I wouldn't change for all the wealth in this world. God is good - all the time!
2 comments:
1. The Judaizers infiltrated the Galatian churches and were undermining Paul's authority as an apostle. Without certainty that God spoke through Paul, the saints would not listen to him.
2. Paul's evidences of God's call to the apostleship are stated in 1:1, 11-12, 15-16. In chapter two the other apostles recognized his calling.
This topic has come up recently in some other blogs I have visited--the importance of looking to God's Word rather than to additional baggage that we many times try to attach to God's Word.
I think we add the things that are easy for us to accomplish and take away from God's word the things that we don't want to give up.
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