Galatians
Galatians 1:11-12
For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; 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. (NRSV)
Quoting Longenecker in his commentary on Galatians:
…as for Gentiles being accepted by God and living as Christians apart from the regulations of the Mosaic law–and so, as for the legitimacy of a Gentile mission apart from the Jewish law–Paul saw this as a ‘mystery’ enigmatically rooted in the prophetic Scriptures but now made known to him by revelation (Rom 16:25; Eph 3:2-10; Col 1:26-27), and so uniquely his.
…what they [the Judaizers]…opposed were the implications Paul drew from these confessions for a law-free gospel among Gentiles. Paul, however, saw in the proclamation of full salvation in Christ the attendant truth of acceptance and life for Gentiles apart from the Mosaic law. This is what he calls ‘the gospel I preached to you’ or ‘my gospel’ (Rom 2:16; Rom 16:25; see also 2 Tim 2:8; and ‘our gospel’ at 2 Cor 4:3; 1 Thess 1:5; 2 Thess 2:14).
The Judaizers (those seeking to have those in Galatia circumcised and completing their salvation by obeying the law) claimed that Paul didn’t have the authority to preach his gospel and also that he initially received his teaching from the “real” apostles in Jerusalem as opposed to direct revelation from Jesus Christ.
Galatians 1:18
Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days;
Although Paul did see Peter (Cephas) for 15 days, as Longenecker says with a bit of humor:
Certainly their fifteen days together were not spent ‘talking about the weather.’ They discussed, without a doubt, matters pertaining to their common commitment to Christ. And it is not beyond the range of reasonable probability to believe that such discussions included Peter’s accounts of Jesus’ ministry, and that from such accounts Paul learned much. But to learn about the details of Jesus’ earthly life from Peter and to be subordinate to or dependent on Peter for his apostleship and Gentile mission are clearly quite different matters. Paul is willing to acknowledge the former, but he is adamant in his rejection of the latter.
Paul is not bragging or trying to be a renegade apostle going off on his own. He is only defending the authority to preach the gospel given him and its authenticity.
This is well illustrated in Ephesians (also cited by Longenecker above). O’Brien points out that the words given/gift and grace are mentioned three times each in this passage for emphasis:
Ephesians 3:2-8
for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ,
Did you notice that two of the mentions of grace in the Ephesians passage refer to Paul having this grace to bring the gospel to the Gentile nations? Why do some many people speak of grace and seem to refer to it in a reflexive way - God’s grace to me (period; end of statement)?
Interesting point. Thanks for the reply.
Jeff
“Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.” Acts 15:19&20 This is what Paul and Barnabashad to say in regards to those who were trying to put gentile believers under law. Regarding Paul’s Gospel, as of late I have heard many troubling things. One of the things that I’ve noticed is the use of Acts 26:20 to sum up Paul’s gospel, which in one sense is true, but used out of context is used to support many perversions of the gospel. “But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.”Acts 26:20 The word repent is wronly used as a work that the sinner must do to be saved. Verses are gathered from various parts of scripture in an attempt to support this heresy. If we examine the verse in its natural setting it interprets itself. Paul is telling Agrippa what the Lord had given him for his gospel message:”Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” Acts 26:17 & 18 The following verse shows that he was not disobedient to the heavenly vision but went forth preaching to repent turn to God and show forth works meet for repentance. Since repenting is listed separately from turning to God then it must mean to have our eyes opened and turning from darkness. Is not this what happened to Saul, the self righteous pharisee bent on exterminating Christians, blinded by a light from Christ in the Glory that he would have his eyes opened latter to see that he was as lost of a sinner as the gentiles? As far as the details of Paul’s gospel, I believe the first eight chapters of Romans are a clear detailed message of that gospel. Every mouth stopped and the whole world guilty before God, to be justified freely through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus whom God has set forth as a mercy-seat through faith in His blood. We also have dead to sin, dead to law and alive to God in a risen saviour.
One other comment that I would like to make. The error of the Galatians that had Paul so upset that he stood in fear of them was that they were receiving another gospel, which was not another but a perversion of the true. Was this perversion something that caused them to accept sinful conduct such as in Corinth? The answer is no! Circumcision was being brought in as an additional requirement to the gospel and troubling those who were already justified by faith in Christ. They were being told that they needed to be circumcised to be assured of their salvation. Anything added to the finished work of Christ has this same character, Paul warned the Galatians of the leaven that they had allowed in. Allow any leaven to come into the gospel and the whole becomes leavened. Which of the two assemblies was Paul more stern with, the Corinthians or the Galatians? “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.” (Galatians 5:4) How do we fall from favor against merit? Is it not that we begin in the Spirit and now we think that we can be made perfect in the flesh? Paul told the Galatians to walk in the Spirit and they would not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Beware of legality although holding a form of godliness it denies the power of true godliness. The end result is self righteousness or despair.
Thank you for your thoughts.
Jeff