Galatians 02 Where did Paul Get His Gospel? (Gal 1:1-24)

SBC family near and far,

I cannot over-emphasize, in a day of taking verses out of context to prove whatever new-fangled idea, it is to learn book arguments. There is clearly nothing that a verse can mean that isn't the author's intent within the scope of it's purpose in the argument. People are soo prone to proof text. A dear couple who listen sent Robin and I two coffee cups this past Christmas. On the humorous coffee cups it reads,

"I can do all things with a verse taken out of context."

I feel that way almost every day of my life as I see verses ripped from contexts and abused to support some kooky idea. It doesn't help that this is an age of novelty, so everyone is trying to say something new and novel. In academia, Galatians is that way with the New Perspective on Paul (blah blah blah), but it is usually just seen on a practical every day individual level.

When I see the verses in Galatians 1, I see the key ideas like "the gospel," and how disfigured the gospel was very early on. The same disfiguring continues today, even though all one has to do to see the gospel Paul preached at Galatia is turn to Acts 13 where he preached it at Galatia. Why is this so difficult? In Acts 13:32 Paul announces he is preaching "the gospel" and then talks about the death and resurrection of Christ and believing. There is nothing there about just believe in Jesus for eternal life. There is nothing there about just believing Jesus died. There is nothing there about doing good works, committing your life to Christ, repenting of your sins, turning from sin, confessing Christ, admitting you are a sinner, getting water baptized, doing your best, going to Sunday school, following Him, brushing your hair right, or anything else. Wha tis there is believing in the death and resurrection of Christ! Why, why, why, have so many disfigured the gospel or the human response? I think Satan and the flesh are pretty busy today just as they were then.

Then I see verses in Galatians 1 that discuss Paul's history as it relates to the gospel. Why is this in there? I suppose most Christians buzz through these verses going yeah, yeah, yeah, or just thinking of anything except the verses and what they mean. However, they play an important role in proving that Paul's gospel that he just preached in Galatia a few months before is the ONLY GOSPEL. Every one of those verses is to prove that Paul did not get the gospel or his apostleship from men, but from God. That's critical for Paul's authority and the success of the gospel in the Galatian's lives.

The reason this becomes important in later chapters is because if Paul just got his gospel from man, then it is just another human idea. Who cares about that? However, if Paul got his gospel from God, then it is truth. In the end we will learn that his gospel is from God and that it is not just for justification, but also for sanctification, and if you believed the gospel for justification and then disfigured the gospel over in sanctification, you can't grow spiritually. You become enslaved and then you are stuck in sin and distorting everything else in the Bible. This is happening right now with Lordship Salvation, Roman Catholicism, Church of Christ/Campbellism/Restoration Movement, Et. al. These groups may be believers, saved by grace, just like the Galatians, but since they have disfigured the gospel they can't grow spiritually, they are blind, they are spouting out a lot of silliness all the time from pulpits around the world, and all along thinking they are telling people the truth. Paul says they have been "bewitched" and are "foolish" (Gal 3:1, 3). They are usually legalists. BEWARE. They are EVERYWHERE.

So, yes, the gospel is still important for sanctification and your spiritual life is at stake.

I hope to see you tonight. See the attachment.

Grace to you,
Jeremy

Attachment:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i7eKjacSnI-FWwTT3-HDhuyUhMXAG4Sr/view?usp=share_link