Chapter 6
PAUL'S AUTHORITY
(Galatians 1:11-24)
As is our custom prior to reading God's Word, let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father,
Father God we come to You in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Father please bless this time as we study Your Word. Help us to better understand the anointing and commission You gave to Your servant Paul. Help us to truly recognize the privilege and authority You gave to the Apostle Paul to preach and teach Your Word.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
Before we begin this portion of our study let us recall that the major reason this letter was written was to counter those who were attempting to lead the Christians in Galatia away from their simple and pure faith in Jesus Christ. In attempting to do this one of their strategies was to try and undermine Paul's apostolic authority.
Thus, in the letter to the Churches in Galatia, Paul, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, made his defense as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. This defense is recorded from Galatians 1:11-2:15. As one reviews these Scriptures one discovers that within them there are four main topics:
a. Paul's Authority - Galatians 1:11-24
b. Paul's Authority Confirmed - Galatians 2:1-10
c. Paul's Faithfulness - Galatians 2:11-14
d. Paul's Basic Teaching - Galatians 2:15-21
Since the discussion to address all of the above topics would be too large for one chapter, the following four chapters, which are Chapters 6, 7, 8 and 9, have been devoted to separately address each one.
For this particular study, we will focus on exactly how and where Paul received his authority to preach and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To do this, we begin by reading from,
Galatians 1:11-24
"[11] I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. [12] I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. [13] For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. [14] I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. [15] But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased [16] to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, [17] nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus. [18] Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. [19] I saw none of the other apostles--only James, the Lord's brother. [20] I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. [21] Later I went to Syria and Cilicia. [22] I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. [23] They only heard the report: "The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." [24] And they praised God because of me."
In reflecting upon the above discourse we come to realize that within them Paul has revealed at least the following three main points.
1. Paul received the Gospel directly from Jesus Christ.
2. Paul was a very zealous and devout Jew.
3. Paul was appointed by God to be an Apostle, which means a special messenger of Jesus Christ.
With this introduction in mind, let us now explore in more depth the above three points. To do this we begin with the fact that,
PAUL RECEIVED THE GOSPEL DIRECTLY FROM JESUS CHRIST
To see this let us go back and reread,
Galatians 1:11-12
"[11] I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. [12] I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ."
Let us stop for a minute and reflect on what we have just read. Specifically, we found that Paul received what he taught and preached directly from Jesus Christ Himself! What makes this statement so amazing and significant is that when Paul received the Gospel, Jesus already rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven.
Now some may ask, "How did Paul see and hear directly from Jesus Christ?" As we read the Scriptures we find that the Apostle Paul had heavenly visions and revelations. In fact, Paul shares with us about one of his experiences in,
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
"[1] I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. [2] I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know--God knows. [3] And I know that this man--whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows-- [4] was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. [5] I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. [6] Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say. [7] To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. [8] Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. [9] But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. [10] That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Let us notice the following verses,
1 … Paul had visions and revelations from the Lord Jesus Christ. It is noted that according to “Webster’s New World Dictionary” the word revelation used for religious matters means: “God’s disclosure or manifestation to man of Himself and His will.”
2-4 … Paul is telling us that he was taken up to Heaven.
5 … The Apostle Paul is telling us that he does not like to boast about these type of things. He would rather talk about his weaknesses. (Something for us to ponder and reflect on)
6(a) … Even if Paul did boast he would not be exaggerating but telling the truth.
6(b) … The reason Paul did not boast about all the visions and revelations that God gave him was that he did not want people to think more highly of him than they should. (Another attitude we should ponder and take heed)
7-9 … Because of all the visions and revelations, God allowed the Apostle Paul to be afflicted. He did this so that Paul would not become spiritually proud but remain humble and be dependent upon God.
10 … Paul graciously accepted God's will for Him.
In summary, we can conclude that when we read the letters written by Paul, it is the same as reading the Words of our Lord Jesus Christ. This conclusion is made even surer when we come to realize that the Apostle Paul knew exactly when he wrote something of his own volition and when He was writing under the direction of Jesus Christ. To see this let us read the following excerpts from the instruction Paul gave to the church in Corinth relative to the sacredness of marriage. The passages of interest begin with,
1 Corinthians 7:10(a)
"[10] To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord):”
In the above passage the Apostle Paul clearly indicated that what he about to write was not from him but it was the Lord's command.
And now let us read from,
1 Corinthians 7:25
"[25] Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy."
Notice the difference. In the above passage Paul tells us that, with respect to virgins, he has no command from the Lord, but instead he provided his own advice.
Thus, we find that when Paul wrote his letters to the various churches he knew what was from the Lord Jesus Christ and what was from him. In addition, as we saw above, the Apostle Paul also informs us to what his advice was and what the commands from God were.
To emphasize it was God and not he (Paul) who decided to preach and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for us to better understand and appreciate God's Mercy and Grace,
PAUL DESCRIBED HIS FORMER LIFE
As we read the New Testament we find that prior to the time Paul became a born again believer in Jesus Christ,
HE PERSECUTED THE CHURCH
To see this let return to his letter to the churches in Galatia and read from,
Galatians 1:13
"[13] For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it."
To better understand the significance of what Paul is teaching us, let us read about the time when Stephen was stoned for being a faithful disciple and bearing witness to our Lord Jesus Christ. The Scriptures of interest for this study is where we are told of the reaction the Jewish Sanhedrin had to Stephen's discourse about faith in Jesus Christ.
Acts 7:54-8:3
"[54] When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. [55] But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. [56] "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." [57] At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, [58] dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. [59] While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." [60] Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep."
"[8:1] And Saul was there, giving approval to his death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. [2] Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. [3] But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison."
For this study let us notice the following verses from chapter 8,
1(a) … Saul who was also called Paul, concurred to the stoning, that is the death, of Stephen.
1(b) … Also, please note this event launched an all out persecution of the Christian church.
3 … At this time of his life Paul did all he could to stamp out Christianity.
Question: Why? Why did Paul behave this way?
To find out let us read what the Apostle Paul wrote about his commitment to Judaism. As we do we will discover that,
PAUL WAS A VERY DEVOUT PHARISEE
To see this let us begin by returning to the letter to the Galatians and read from,
Galatians 1:14
"[14] I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers."
To expand upon this a bit let us read about the time when the Apostle Paul defended his faith to King Agrippa. Agrippa was appointed by Caesar to be King over Israel. In defense of his faith Paul began by explaining to the King that he lived as a Pharisee.
Acts 26:1-5
"[1] Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission to speak for yourself." So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense: [2] "King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews, [3] and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently. [4] "The Jews all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. [5] They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee."
To give a little more flavor to just how committed Paul was to the Jewish way of life, let us now read an excerpt from his letter to the Philippians were they and us are warned to not let Jewish ceremonial rules and traditions (such as circumcision) into the church.
Philippians 3:2-6
"[2] Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. [3] For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh-- [4] though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: [5] circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; [6] as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless."
Let us notice the following verses,
2 … We are warned to not let the Jewish law of circumcision enter into the church as a requirement for our salvation.
3 … The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul explains to us that it is the born again believers in Jesus Christ who are the true circumcision, that is the true children of God. These are the ones who have been circumcised inwardly, which is the heart. In other words, these are the ones who only depend upon God the Holy Spirit to sanctify them and not the things done to or by the flesh. To expand upon this let us read from,
1 Thessalonians 2:13-14
[13] But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, [14] to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us now notice the following verses from Chapter 3 of Philippians,
4-5 … Paul explained that if anyone is able to boast about complying with the external requirements of the law, he has more reasons than anyone.
6 … As far as legalistic righteousness Paul claimed to be faultless!
Question: How does this explain Paul's actions with regard to the stoning of Stephen and the ravaging of the church?
Actually, Paul thought that he was serving God. He thought that the Christians were preaching and teaching about a different god than the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Consequently, under the Jewish law they were commanded to stone those who were leading the nation into idolatry, which in effect was blasphemy. To read this law let we go to,
Leviticus 24:13-16
"[13] Then the LORD said to Moses: [14] "Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. [15] Say to the Israelites: 'If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible; [16] anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death."
Question: What happened? How can such an apparent zeal for God go so far afield? How can someone who is thinking they are following God's commands and serving Him be so wrong?
The answer to these questions is twofold,
First of all, the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, provides us with the answer for one of the reasons in,
Romans 10:1-3
"[1] Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. [2] For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. [3] Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness."
Let us notice the following verses,
2 … They are zealous for God. Unfortunately, their zeal is not based upon knowledge of Him.
3 … Instead of submitting to and receiving the righteousness that comes from faith in God, they were trying to establish their own righteousness.
This is a very good object lesson for you and me. In other words we must be very careful to not fall into the trap of trying to justify ourselves by good works rather than relying upon the Grace and Mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to save us from our sins.
The second reason is recorded in,
Romans 10:17
"[10] … faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."
Notice this is a two part verse. The first part tells us that faith comes by hearing the message, which is the Word of God.
Romans 10:17(a)
“… faith comes from hearing the message, ..."
The second part of the verse 17 teaches us that the message is heard through the Word of Christ.
Romans 10:17(b)
" … and the message is heard through the word of Christ."
In other words, the ability to hear, which is to understand, God’s Word comes from our Lord Jesus Christ. A good illustration of this happened what Jesus did while He was talking to His disciples after His resurrection but just prior to His ascension. To read about it we go to,
Luke 24:36-45
"[36] … Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." [37] They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. [38] He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? [39] Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." [40] When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. [41] And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" [42] They gave him a piece of broiled fish, [43] and he took it and ate it in their presence. [44] He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." [45] Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures."
Let us pay particular attention to verse 45 and consider all the time Jesus spent with the disciples teaching them about the Kingdom of God. Yet, it was not until Jesus opened their minds they could understand the Scriptures. So it is with us! In other words, before we read or listen to the Bible we are to come before Jesus and ask Him to open our minds to understand.
As we consider the above, we come to realize that Godly faith is a gift. It is not something we work up. In fact, this is exactly what the Bible teaches in,
Ephesians 2:8
"[8] For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--"
As we reflect upon the above we suspect that to change Paul’s views and beliefs something similar had to have happened to him.
This brings us to the third and final point made in the Scriptures from the theme of this study. Specifically, God saved him! Paul met Jesus Christ on his way to Damascus and was chosen by Him to preach the Gospel before Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel. In other words,
PAUL WAS APPOINTED BY GOD TO BE AN APOSTLE OF JESUS CHRIST
To see this we begin by noting that,
PAUL BECAME A BORN AGAIN BELIEVER IN JESUS CHRIST
To refresh our memories from our first study let us about the encounter Paul had with our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul’s conversion is recorded in,
Acts 9:3-18
"[3] As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. [4] He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" [5] "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. [6] "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." [7] The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. [8] Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. [9] For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. [10] In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!" "Yes, Lord," he answered. [11] The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. [12] In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight." [13] "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. [14] And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name." [15] But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. [16] I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." [17] Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord--Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here--has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." [18] Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized.”
Let us notice the following verses,
3-5 ... As Jesus did for His disciples He revealed Himself to Paul.
7 … Even the men who were with Paul were amazed and heard the sound of Jesus speaking to Paul.
17 … After laying his hands upon Paul, Ananias told Paul that the Lord Jesus Christ sent him so he (Paul) could see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
18 … The scales over Paul’s eyes fell off and Paul was baptized into Jesus Christ.
Now Paul was a born again believer in Jesus Christ. In other words Paul had just become a new person. This is exactly what the Bible teaches us of what would happen to those who truly become a born again believer in Jesus Christ. To see this let us read the following Scripture,
2 Corinthians 5:17
[17] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Now, be filled with the Holy Spirit,
PAUL BEGAN TO FULFIILL HIS CALL TO BE AN APOSTLE OF JESUS CHRIST
To see this let us continue our reading is Acts and read from,
Acts 9:19-20
[19] So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus. [20] Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.
With this in mind let us return to our theme and read how Paul, when relating to this time of his life, tells us that when he began to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ he did not consult with any man.
Galatians 1:15-17
"[15] But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased [16] to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, [17] nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus."
Let us notice the following verses,
15-16(a) … Paul was set apart from birth to preach and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
16(b)-17 … After his conversion Paul did not consult with anyone. Instead he went into Arabia. It is believed that it was here were our Lord Jesus Christ gave Paul most of the Gospel that he preached and taught.
After three years Paul then went to confer with the Apostle Peter and Jesus' brother James. Presumably, he went there to receive confirmation of what he learned from Jesus and what he was about to preach and teach.
Galatians 1:18-24
"[18] Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. [19] I saw none of the other apostles--only James, the Lord's brother. [20] I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. [21] Later I went to Syria and Cilicia. [22] I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. [23] They only heard the report: "The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." [24] And they praised God because of me."
This brings us to the point or,
THE MESSAGE FOR US
As we reflect upon all we have covered in this study there are at least the following four points to be made:
The first point to made is that,
GOD GAVE PAUL THE AUTHORITY TO PREACH AND TEACH THE GOSPEL
To see this let us review what was written in,
Galatians 1:1
"[1] Paul, an apostle--sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead”
In addition, we also discovered that,
PAUL'S LETTERS ARE NOT THE WORDS FROM MAN BUT ARE FROM GOD
This truth is was made clear to us in,
Galatians 1:11-12
"[11] I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. [12] I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ."
As we look at the former life of Paul we are also warned to only,
SEEK THE RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD
We discovered this in,
Romans10:1-3
"[1] Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. [2] For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. [3] Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness."
Finally, as we reflect upon Paul's conversion we come to a deeper realization that,
JESUS CHRIST CAME TO SAVE SINNERS
To see this a bit clearer let us read how the Holy Spirit explains this in Paul's first letter to Timothy,
1 Timothy 1:12-16
"[12] I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. [13] Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. [14] The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. [15] Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst. [16] But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.
CLOSING
Let us close this study by reading from,
1 Timothy 1:17
[17] Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen."
And,
Amen