Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CONGREGATIONS OF BELIEVERS

SUMMARY OF CHAPTER ONE 

Like all of Paul’s writings, the Book of Galatians is an epistle – a letter. Paul founded the Christian congregations of believers in the region of Galatia during his early missionary journeys. After leaving the region, he wrote the letter we now call the Book of Galatians in order to encourage the congregation he planted – and to offer correction for some on the way they were easily being led astray from the Gospel that he brought and taught them.

Paul began the letter by claiming himself as the author, which is important. Some Final Covenant epistles were written anonymously, but Paul made sure his recipients knew they were hearing from him. He begins Chapter One by asserting that he was appointed by the Anointed One, not the other Apostles or the Jerusalem Council. Paul claimed that this fact alone made him, unlike the other Apostles. The first five verses are a standard greeting for his day.

Paul was writing this letter to the congregations of believers in Galatia because there was a huge problem about men claiming to be teachers for the Lord. Their true intention, however, was to steer the people away from the Scripture and insert alternate books and teachings. These false teachers wanted to discredit Paul’s word in order to continue their selfish mission of corrupting the congregation of the Anointed One.

In verses six and seven, however, Paul got down to the main reason for his correspondence: I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from Him who called you by the grace of the Anointed One, said Paul, and are turning to a different gospel – not that there was another gospel, but there are some who were troubling them and wanted to change the good news about the Messiah with the bad news of the Law.

Paul also mentions that he was disappointed in how easily these false teachers were able to sway people away from the Scripture. Paul then made it clear that any person, whether they are a priest, an apostle, or even an angel, that spoke of any other word than the Word of the Lord were to be promptly told to leave without any goodbyes. As an obedient servant of God, he saw it as his duty to please God and not mankind.

This all happened because after Paul departed from Galatia, a group of Jewish Christians entered the region and began denouncing the Gospel of salvation Paul preached. These Jewish Christians were often referred to as “Judaizers” because they claimed that followers of Jesus must continue to fulfill all the regulations of the First Covenant Law – including circumcision, sacrifices, observing holy days, and more.

Paul’s Gospel was being put on trial by those that questioned his authority as an Apostle. Paul continued to defend his Gospel by saying that its words were sent to him by the Lord and not by man. He wrote how God’s grace saved his soul and called him to preach the Scripture to the Gentiles. He claimed that he had very little interaction with the other Apostles.

Paul was completely against the message of the Judaizers. He rightly understood that they were attempting to twist the Gospel into a process of salvation by works. Indeed, the Judaizers were attempting to hijack the early Christian movement and return it to a legalistic form of Judaism.

For this reason, Paul spent much of chapter one establishing his authority and credentials as an Apostle of Jesus. Paul had received the Gospel message directly from Jesus during a supernatural encounter on the road to Damascus and then later in the Arabian wasteland.

Just as importantly, Paul spent most of his life as a gifted student of the First Covenant Law. He was a zealous Jew, a Pharisee, and dedicated his life to following the same system the Judaizers wanted. He knew better than most the utter failure of that religious legal system, especially in light of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

That’s why Paul used this letter to explain his conversion on the road to Damascus, his connection with Peter and the other Apostles in Jerusalem, and his earlier work teaching the message of the Gospel in Syria and Cilicia. After his conversion, he did not consult with anyone else but traveled into Arabia. Then after three years, he traveled to see Peter in Jerusalem, but only stayed for fifteen days. The only other Apostle he spoke with was James, the brother of Jesus. Paul then moved to Syria and Cilicia, remaining out of sight to the congregations of believers in Judea. The people of Judea only heard of Paul’s teachings, which was enough to make believers out of most of them that he was for real.

Paul faithfully taught the Gospel to the people of Galatia. He proclaimed the truth that Jesus the Anointed One died and rose again in order that all people might experience salvation and the forgiveness of sins as a gift received through faith – not as something they could earn through good works. Therefore, Paul showed no tolerance for those who attempted to deny or corrupt the truth.

Additionally, Paul reinforced his credibility as an Apostle of Jesus the Anointed One. One of the ways the Judaizers attempted to argue against Paul’s ideas was to discredit his character. The Judaizers often tried to intimidate Gentile Christians on the basis of their familiarity with the Scriptures. Because the Gentiles had only learned about the First Covenant for a few years, the Judaizers would often bully them with their superior knowledge of the text.

Paul wanted to make sure the Galatians understood that he had more experience with the Jewish Law than any of the Judaizers. In addition, he received a direct revelation from Jesus the Anointed One regarding the message of the Gospel – the same message he proclaimed to them. This was something the Judaizers were unable to do. So one question the Galatians might ask these intruders was this: When did you meet Jesus the Anointed One? When did He call you to be an Apostle to the Gentiles? Where did you spend three years learning more from the Great Teacher about His Word, His Mission, and His desire to save the world? I’m sure, that if they did, they’d only hear excuses and alibis. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

LESSONS ON GALATIANS UPDATE

A grateful “Thank You” to all my readers whose love for God’s Word is greater than their desire in using their time for other things. You are blessed of the Lord for your urge to learn more about what the Word of God has to say about our conduct in this present world. Especially among those outside the church walls, as well as, those inside the church walls.

Tomorrow we will post a Summary of Chapter One for you to add to your notes, that will give you a quick overview of what Paul wrote and what role it plays in his message to the Galatians – which is also a message to us.

Then on Friday, I will finalize the first lesson on Chapter Two for posting next Monday, July 15th. I hope that your appreciation for what the Apostle Paul went through just to spread the Gospel to those to whom the Lord Jesus sent him. So the next time you encounter any difficulties in carrying out the mission given to you by God, just remember what Paul went through. It should make you feel better and give the Lord thanks for what He’s doing through your life.

P.S. If you haven’t heard about our studies on the Book of Galatians, or haven’t joined yet, there is still time to get in and be able to catch up. Just go to Facebook Group “Called to Live in Freedom” and ask to join. You will be accepted immediately. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CONGREGATIONS OF BELIEVERS

CHAPTER ONE (Lesson LXVI)

Collector of anecdotes, British Sunday school teacher J. L. Nye offered this story as an illustration of verse twenty-three where Paul relates how so many were talking about the difference in meeting the Anointed One face to face made a change in him from a Persecutor of the Gospel into a Preacher of the Gospel.

One of Martin Luther’s most fierce enemies was Count Eberhard of Erbach, Germany. At a scheduled meeting of Church officials in Heidelberg, Germany, Count Eberhard heard that Martin Luther would be attending. So leaving a sick daughter at home, he rushed to get to the city in time. While staying at a Gasthaus, he conversed with several men, who were all strangers to him, about Luther staying there. Count Eberhard was struck by the learning and piety of one of them, an unknown monk. After their talk, Count Eberhard quietly told them of his plan to get rid of Martin Luther and invited them to join him. When the other men left, the monk stayed behind. He looked steadfastly into the Count’s eyes and said, “You can spare yourself with any further trouble in this matter. The man you desire to seize and put in prison is standing in front of you. I am Martin Luther.” Thunderstruck and bewildered by this sudden revelation, the Count fell to his knees and in a choked voice said to Luther, “You are a much better man than I am. May God in His mercy forgive me of my evil intentions.” In a calm and reassuring voice Luther took his hand and said to Count Eberhard, “Rise and go in peace. The one who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus the Anointed One.” As a result, Count Eberhard became on of the staunchest supporters of Luther and the Reformation Movement.1

What a model for faith and faithfulness that Martin Luther gives us to emulate. His core belief that came from the Apostle Paul wrote in his Epistle to the Galatians. And in the same manner, we should all be ready to become an Apostle Paul or a Martin Luther when it comes to any persecution or hardships we may have to endue because of our faith in the Anointed One. We must stand fast in the belief that we are “called of God,” “called by God,” until we are “called away by God” to our rest to await the resurrection.

Andrew Roth shows us that the Aramaic version of Galatians gives us a slightly different nuance on what Paul is saying here in verse twenty-four about praise going to God. His translation reads: “And they turned their praise to Elohim on my account.”² The translation from Aramaic by John Etheridge has: “And in me they glorified Aloha.” (Hebrew “Eloah.”). And James Murdock’s translation reads, “And they glorified God in me.” Edger J. Goodspeed renders it as, “…and they praised God for me.”³ In the Contextual Bible it is rendered, “And they praise God because of me.”⁴ When we put all of these together it is clear that Paul was saying that when they saw what God was doing through me they gave Him all the praise. That’s the way it should be for all of us.

Ronald Fung has another insight as to why the congregations of believers in Judæa rejoiced because of Paul’s conversion and the ministry God gave him. Not only was it because of what they saw in him that was truly attributed to God’s transforming grace, but because it also showed that the Gospel he was preaching was in harmony with that believed by earlier congregations. This caused the Judæan Christians to be cordial in their attitude towards him. Therefore, the Judaizers whom he is opposing are both of recent development and out of harmony with the original Gospel and with the original attitude of the Judæan Christians. In other words, it was the Judaizers, not Paul, who deviated from the right path.⁵

Messianic scholar Lancaster explains that when Paul ended up in Antioch, it would have been very easy for him to begin teaching them about Judaism and guide them along the path to full conversion by first becoming converts to Judaism. This is what the false teachers were doing in the Galatian congregations of believers. But Paul refused to follow this model. Instead, he taught the new believers to remain as non-Jews as far as being circumcised was concerned, and, as well as the observance of the Jewish holidays and feasts.

Lancaster believes that Paul’s message in Antioch was the same as that he would share with the believers in Corinth: “But each one of you should continue to live the way the Lord God has given you to live—the way you were when God chose you. I tell people in all the congregations of believers to follow this rule. If a man was already circumcised when he was chosen, he should not change his circumcision. If a man was without circumcision when he was chosen, he should not be circumcised. It is not important if anyone is circumcised or not. What is important is obeying God’s commands. Each one of you should stay the way you were when God chose you. If you were a slave when God chose you, don’t let that bother you. But if you can be free, then do it. If you were a slave when the Lord chose you, you are now free in the Lord. You belong to the Lord. In the same way, if you were free when you were chosen, you are now the Anointed One’s slave. God paid a high price for you, so don’t be slaves to anyone else. Brothers and sisters, in your new life with God, each one of you should continue the way you were when God chose you.”⁶

Lancaster goes on to say, that Paul wanted the Galatian believers to know that the Gospel he preached teaches that a non-Jew can become a full member of the body of the Anointed One without having to go through the Jewish process of first being a convert to Judaism with circumcision, and then accept Jesus of Nazareth as the true the Anointed One. Lancaster concludes, that Gentiles would not be present in the community of faith today, nor in any congregation of believers if it were not for the revelation from Heaven that God granted His servant Paul. God set him apart before he was born, called him by His grace, and was pleased to reveal His Son to him in order that he might preach the Anointed One among the Gentiles.⁷

Charles B. Stevens (1854-1906) offers a paraphrase of verses eighteen through twenty-four that serves as a summary of Paul’s message and mission. Here’s the way Stevens puts it:

After my conversion, my course was such as to prove my independence of human teachers. For three years I did not see Jerusalem and the authorities of the church there. At the expiration of that period, however, I went there to interview Peter, but my visit was a brief one. I saw only one other apostle. I solemnly assert the truth of these statements. I next returned through Syria to my native province. My brief stay in Jerusalem and Judæa brought about, indeed, a new interest and rejoicing at my conversion, but I was not there long enough so that the congregations of believers at large even knew what I looked like.8

We should all be humbled by Paul’s example of standing true to God’s calling and God’s Word. At the same time, we should all be proud that the Holy Spirit gave us such a model to emulate by inspiring Paul to write these words. But none of this means anything if we do not dedicate ourselves to adopting the same attitude and action in standing up for the Gospel of Jesus the Anointed One. Otherwise, by reading these words we will be like the person who saw themselves in a mirror, realized what a weak and helpless person they were, but then turning away to go down the same old path they were following. They apparently concluded, that the image they saw the mirror was a part of their imagination, or, that it was a defective mirror that did not show their true self.⁹

But one thing is for sure. One day we will all stand before the judgment seat of the Anointed One, and what He sees will determine whether or not we go through the gate into everlasting life, or are thrown down into the pit with Satan into everlasting damnation. The choice is not His, it is ours.

THE END OF CHAPTER ONE

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CONGREGATIONS OF BELIEVERS

CHAPTER ONE (Lesson LVIX) 

John Edmunds (1801-1874) takes note of how in verses twenty-one through twenty-four Paul describes to the Galatians the reaction among the congregations of believers scattered outside of Jerusalem in Judæa. It was another way of saying that he was popular everywhere else except in Judæa. Many of them never saw him or heard him teach. But they had heard about him, and why not? He may have been famous elsewhere, but he was infamous in Jerusalem and Judæa. As we can vouch for today, what people hear about you depends entirely upon whose telling them about you. So we can imagine that Paul was ready to accept the news that he was still persona non grata, and that would be understandable. Edmunds points out that the Thessalonian brethren became so famous that it was a high commendation to compare Judæans with them.¹

Now, it is most likely that Paul did not persecute any of those in these outlying areas of Judæa. Many sprung up so quickly after Pentecost and grew rapidly there wasn’t time to visit them all. Nor did he visit any of them on his quick stops in Jerusalem. That’s why they were only hearing about him.² As the New Living Translation puts verse twenty-three, “All they knew was that people were saying, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!” Then comes the real surprise in verse twenty-four, “And they praised God because of me.” That’s the difference that the Anointed One makes in a person’s life. No matter how bad the notoriety of their past life, once Jesus moves in and the Holy Spirit takes up residence it’s the wonderful restoration taking place that has everyone praising the restorer for turning something headed for the trash pile of broken dreams into a treasured heirloom in God’s Hall of Faith.³

Johann P. Lange (1802-1884) points out that by Paul saying that he was unknown among the congregations of believers throughout Judæa is further proof that he was never a disciple of the Apostles. If he studied under them, they most certainly would have taken him with them when they visited these congregations of believers. Based upon Paul’s testimony, he walked for years in the footsteps of the Pharisees, but now he was walking in the footsteps of the Anointed One, Jesus of Nazareth. Before he was headed for everlasting destruction, now he is headed toward everlasting life. He was also once bound to his religion as a form of obligation, now he is yoked together with the Anointed One in the form of faith. Because of God’s grace, the prosecutor became a preacher. What a wonder, it was as though a dead man was raised to life. This shows that God is more interested in saving His enemies than destroying them.⁴

J. B. Lightfoot (1828-1889) points out that Paul did not go directly home to Tarsus. He stopped in Syria for a while. This is where the congregation of believers in Antioch was. Perhaps he got acquainted with the brethren there and that’s why they later sent Barnabas up to Tarsus to persuade him to return to teach. He no doubt would have visited the congregations of believers in Judæa were it not for his being suddenly hurried off from Jerusalem to Cæsarea just to save his life. Lightfoot also points out that the congregation of believers became synonymous with the Gospel. In other words, it is not the name over the door, the membership, the type of building being worshiped in, but that it is the loudspeaker of the Gospel that makes it a Church – No Gospel, no Church!⁵

After reading this, Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) was inspired to say: “Brothers and sisters, may you and I so live that Christian people may glorify God in us! May they often wonder at the mighty grace which has wrought such a change in us; and as they see us zealous and fervent, may they marvel at the amazing grace of God which has brought us to be so consecrated to the Anointed One!”⁶ In the same vein we can see a correlation between the spirit of King Saul and Saul of Tarsus. King Saul heard about the deception with which the Gibeonites tried to fool Joshua just to save their skin.⁷ So when Saul became king, he decided to pay them back. He thought so much of the sons of Israel that he took revenge on them for lying and slaughtering many of them.⁸ So it seems that Saul of Tarsus shared the same feeling about Jesus and His disciples, especially Stephen. They were lying and deceiving the children of Israel. King David remembered what Saul did and tried to make recompense. Now Paul was trying to repay God for his foolishness as Saul of Tarsus.

Frederic Rendall (1840-1906) in looking at the translation of verse twenty-two feels that it is not correct in explaining what Paul was saying about his reputation among the congregations of believers in Judæa. Instead of the way the KJV and NIV translate the Greek verb agnoeō as “unknown,” it should be “I was becoming unknown.” By the time Paul wrote this letter, because of his absence from Jerusalem his name was no longer familiar to the believers in Jerusalem, let alone out in Judæa. Rendall also suggests that certain Greek manuscripts describe the believers in Judæa, Samaria, and Galilee were considered as one congregation of believers in multiple locations.⁹ In fact, the Greek verb agnoeō is translated as “be ignorant” and “ignorant of,” “not know,” “unknown,” or “ignorantly” twenty our of twenty-two occurrences.¹⁰

The key to understanding this is found in what Paul said earlier about how after the Council Meeting in Jerusalem he left and traveled to Syria and Cilicia, (where Paul’s hometown of Tarsus was located). And it appears that he did not go up through Judæa, Samaria, and Galilee because no one knew him personally and may not have welcomed him as warmly as he may have wished. But Paul did skip those congregations of believers with some assurance because he was told that once they heard the story of his ministry that was now leaking out of Jerusalem after the meeting, and rejoiced and praised God for what they heard. I can personally testify that when going to preach or teach in a church I’ve never visited before, it brought a different kind of smile to my face when someone came up and said, “I’ve heard some good things about you.” I can imagine that same type of smile was on the face of the Apostle Paul.

Current Torah teacher Andrew Gabriel Roth shows us that the Aramaic version of Galatians gives us a slightly different nuance on what Paul is saying here about praise going to God. His translation reads: “And they turned their praise to Elohim on my account.”¹¹ The translation from Aramaic by John Etheridge has: “And in me they glorified Aloha.” (in Hebrew it is, “Eloah.”). And James Murdock’s translation reads, “And they glorified God in me.” In the Contextual Bible it is rendered, “And they praise God because of me.”¹² When we put all of these together it is clear that Paul was saying that when they saw what God was doing through me they gave Him all the praise. That’s the way it should be for all of us.

Ronald Fung has another insight as to why the congregations of believers in Judæa rejoiced because of Paul’s conversion and the ministry God gave him. Not only was it because of what they saw in him that was truly attributed to God’s transforming grace, but because it also showed that the Gospel he was preaching was in harmony with that of the primitive congregation of believers. This caused the Judæan Christians to be cordial in their attitude towards him, and, therefore, the Judaizers whom he is opposing are both of recent development and out of harmony with the original Gospel and with the original attitude of the Judæan Christians. In other words, it was the Judaizers, not Paul, who deviated from the right path.¹³

Messianic scholar Lancaster explains that when Paul ended up in Antioch, it would have been very easy for him to begin teaching them about Judaism and guide them along the path of full conversion until they became proselytes. This is what the false teachers were doing in the Galatian congregations of believers. But Paul did not follow this model. Instead, he taught the new believers to remain as non-Jews as far as being circumcised was concerned, as well as the observance of the holidays and feasts.

Lancaster believes that Paul’s message in Antioch was the same as that he would share with the believers in Corinth: “But each one of you should continue to live the way the Lord God has given you to live—the way you were when God chose you. I tell people in all the congregations of believers to follow this rule. If a man was already circumcised when he was chosen, he should not change his circumcision. If a man was without circumcision when he was chosen, he should not be circumcised. It is not important if anyone is circumcised or not. What is important is obeying God’s commands. Each one of you should stay the way you were when God chose you. If you were a slave when God chose you, don’t let that bother you. But if you can be free, then do it. If you were a slave when the Lord chose you, you are now free in the Lord. You belong to the Lord. In the same way, if you were free when you were chosen, you are now the Anointed One’s slave. God paid a high price for you, so don’t be slaves to anyone else. Brothers and sisters, in your new life with God, each one of you should continue the way you were when God chose you.”¹⁴

Lancaster goes on to say that Paul wanted the Galatian believers to know that the Gospel he preached teaches that a non-Jew can become a full member of the body of the Anointed One without having to go through the Jewish process of first being a proselyte to Judaism with circumcision, and then accept Jesus of Nazareth as the true Anointed One. Lancaster concludes that Gentiles would not be present in the community of faith today, nor in any congregation of believers, if it were not for the revelation from Heaven that God granted His servant Paul. God set him apart before he was born, called him by His grace, and was pleased to reveal His Son to him, in order that he might preach the Anointed One among the Gentiles.¹⁵

Hans Dieter Betz raises a good question, why did Paul feel it necessary to confirm with an oath before God that he was telling the Galatians the truth? As we know, it is the function of such oaths, in speaking or writing, to offer proof to cover what others may have doubts about what is being said or written. For instance, the story we find in Actions of the Apostles about his first meeting with the Apostles,¹⁶ shows a different version of the same story than what Paul is telling here in Galatians. This may be the reason Paul wants to assure them that he has nothing to hide of what happened in Jerusalem. What we don’t know is whether his version in Acts of the Apostles may have included left out some of the stories that the Judaizers were telling the Galatians, making it look like he was trying to hide something. But Paul is adamant by saying, “I am telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God.¹⁷

Former President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, shared an eyeopening remark. He stated: “I don’t believe in a fate that will fall on us no matter what we do. I do believe in a fate that will fall on us if we do nothing.” In other words, you don’t take the time or effort to do what needs to be done, so you leave it up to chance. Well, both Fate and Chance are not good things to depend on for a good, predictable outcome. I like what King Solomon said, don’t wait for things to drop into your lap. It’s every decision God makes for you that counts.

Here’s what psychologist Adrian D. Parker tells us are four things we should never leave to chance. One, our relationship with our Creator. Two, our purpose in being created. Three, our responsibility as a spouse, sibling, or friend. And four, our vision of the first three.

He goes on to tell what happened in a conversation with his wife: She convinced him that he should have a vision for each of these priorities. No different from the strategic visions he authored for brands and clients, a vision for his priorities would provide self-inflected guidelines for deciding how, when and why to spend his time.

Based on that, Parker thought about including the following:

• Define what we believe and who we serve.
• What’s important and what’s not.
• How we budget our time, money and energy.
• How to argue and how to analyze.
• Love inputs that yield life outputs.
• Solidify what true success looks like.
• Thoughts on the legacy, values & traditions we want to create.

Love is too important to leave to chance, says Parker. It’s certainly not the sexiest conversation but it’s likely the most vital. So I’m going to power down the laptop and the cellphone for the next few days. My to-do list will be waiting for me when I finish talking to my wife about the items above. She’s much too precious and pretty to leave to chance. Hopefully, we’ll walk away with something worth sharing, protecting and celebrating.

If all of this is practical in a person’s life with their spouse, certainly it bids for our attention in our relationship with the Lord. Associate Digital Media Producer in Salt Lake City Ariel Szuch puts things in perspective concerning his life, something we can think about for our own.

What God’s plan isn’t:

I have a lot of “should” voices in my head. They say things like, “I should be married. I should be better at this dating thing by now. I should know what I want to be when I grow up. I should have a 5-year plan and a 401k and a perfect, step-by-step plan of how to get to my dream career—starting yesterday. Because if I don’t, I’m a failure.” God’s voice, unsurprisingly, does not agree.

What God’s plan is:

It’s interesting—with the clearest impressions I’ve ever received, such as the prompting I had to go on a mission, God has always made it just as clear that it is my choice whether or not to obey. He knows the deepest desires of my heart and He wants me to come back to Him, and so as I seek His guidance, He shows me how to achieve those desires. He is always trying to give me what I really, truly want. But it is always, always my choice.

Apparently, the wise man, Job, King Solomon, the prophet Jeremiah, and the believers in Ephesus and Rome were going through the same thing in trying to figure out what to do next. When Job was wondering how he was going to get through all the turmoil and tragedy that visited his life, he looked up to heaven and told God, “I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of Yours can be crossed out.¹ And King Solomon found that there are many plans in a person’s mind about their future, but only the purpose that the Lord has for them comes with any guarantee.²

As far as the prophet Jeremiah is concerned, it seems that everything he tried to do for the Lord only ended up being rejected by those to whom he was sent. But then God sent him a message to give those people: Said the Lord Almighty, I know the plans I have for you, plans being blessed and not for being cursed, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you.³

And the Apostle Paul knew the Ephesians needed some guidance as they faced persecution and hardships. So he reminded them that we are all part of His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should commit ourselves to do them.⁴ And to the Romans Paul declared: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.⁵ So you see, neither Fate or Chance have anything to do with who you are, where you are going, and where you’ll end up when you reach life’s finish line, as long as you stay in His Will, His Word, and His Way. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

ONE MAN WHO CHANGED THE COURSE OF AMERICA’S DESTINY

With the 4^th of July just a few days behind us, I’m convinced that most people celebrated it as a holiday, a day off from work, a time of outdoor barbecue and fireworks. But how many know the real reason we celebrate that day? Here is a story I read that gives some insight into just how close American came to never having a 4^th of July celebration.

The writer of this article, Charles Olivea, says that it involves certain insights concerning a decisive turn of events in American history from a biography of George Washington. It is found in volume two of, GEORGE WASHINGTON IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION (1775-1783), by James Thomas Flexner. We should all know about what Washington did that day before in interesting detail. What happened, reflects how the values of love and loyalty shaped our nation’s destiny.

The date was Saturday, March 15, 1783. The place was in Newburgh, New York, on the west side of the Hudson River. The action occurs in a “temple” built by Continental Army soldiers and used by them for worship on Sundays and as a dance academy on other days.

The issue concerned the discontent and bitterness of officers in the Continental Army under the overall command of George Washington as Commander-in-Chief. The officers had not been paid properly by Congress in years (along with the common soldiers), nor was any real provision being made for their retirement once the war was over. This produced a deep, bitter sense of rejection and insecurity that was perceived by them as an insult and financial injury for their loyalty by Congress and society at large. There was standing room only in the temple as they debated the question of whether or not the army should use its military power to take over Congress and establish some form of military dictatorship as a way to force Congress and the states in giving them what they rightly earned through service in the war. Many officers hoped the Commander-in-Chief would lead them and some tried to persuade Washington to become a new American king!

Although General Washington was not expected to come in person that day to this meeting, he showed up suddenly in the middle of their deliberations. They all sat spellbound as he reminded the men that he too struggled and suffered with them during eight years of war. He noted that their cause was righteous and just. But he warned them that only bloodshed would result from an assertion of military power over civilian authority. You will “open the flood gates of civil discord and deluge our rising empire in blood,” he said. Although the word “fascism” had not been coined at that time, Washington was really talking about the ugly prospect of a small group taking control of the whole nation. However, Washington and the leadership of his generation were fully aware of the Roman example concerning the destruction of the Roman Republic by generals who made themselves Caesars. He made it very clear to them that he would help them in every way his ability and prestige would permit within the normal political context of Congress’ authority over the military (this was the basic relationship from the beginning of the war). He also stated flatly that he would never lead a military takeover in America.

As they listened courteously and respectfully to their Commander-in-Chief, the officers in the audience were somewhat perplexed as to what to do next but were not moved as a group to step back from the abyss. Then, their General took out a piece of paper – a message from a member of Congress who was sympathetic with their financial plight, and promised to do something about it – and fumbled around as he could not read it, whereupon, he took out a pair of eyeglasses. (Very few of the men knew he wore them, so they were shocked and put them on.) Washington said, “Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in the service of my country.” When the General finished reading the short statement, and without any anti-climatic epilogue, he walked out of the temple, got on his horse and rode back to his headquarters.

In the words of biographer, Flexner, “This simple statement achieved what all Washington’s rhetoric and all his argument had been unable to achieve. The officers were instantly in tears, and…their eyes looked with love at the commander who had led them all so far and so long.” The impulse for military takeover dissolved and the officers drafted a new address to Congress expressing a willingness to trust the process that General Washington outlined.

In the end, it was not ideology or logic that won the day and prevented a dictatorship; it was the combination of affection and respect that comprise winning loyalty, so admirable in the human heart. I am reminded of the love for Jesus that, with one exception, kept the Apostles loyal to their Master through thick and thin.

Eventually, some financial restitution was made for the officers but not to the full extent necessary. Washington made good on his promise to work very hard on their behalf with Congress and the states. He was not satisfied with the final arrangements made for the officers but had, nonetheless, done the best he could do under the circumstances of the early 1780s in which the central government, Congress, and the primitive credit system of the thirteen states, did not allow the proper funding of the war effort. All this was before the establishment of the Republic we now enjoy.

George Washington’s decision that day 236 years ago demonstrates that power does not always corrupt, even absolute power. Washington could have gone in an entirely different political direction and destroyed what has proven to be one of the bedrock Constitutional principles of the United States: separation of powers – in this case, the civilian control of the military. The author, Thomas Flexner, concludes, and I agree with him, that “Americans can never be adequately grateful that George Washington possessed the power and the will to intervene effectively in what may well have been the most dangerous hour the United States has ever known.”

In Light & Life,

Charles Olivea

Retired High School History Teacher living in Santa Fe, NM.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER ONE (Lesson LVIII)

Here’s a somewhat hidden factor in Paul’s persecution of Christians. In order to oppress them, he needed to know what they believed and how it differed from the truth he believed. He wanted the knowledge and evidence required to prosecute them in front of the Jewish Councils. In other words, Paul already knew a lot about the Gospel and the Christian faith before he became a convert. So can it be that God used Paul’s education in learning about these Jesus People called “The Way,” to make him an even better defender of the very faith he once tried to eliminate? Isn’t God fabulous? No wonder that early church scholar Victorinus points out that instead of Paul bragging of how God glorified him, he wanted everyone to know that it was God being glorified in him.¹

I can remember attending a Pentecostal Servicemen’s Retreat in Berchtesgaden, Germany back in the 1960s and hearing a guest minister speak about neo-Pentecostals, a term I’d never heard before. He explained that clergy and members of mainline churches such as Catholics, Lutherans, Episcopalians, and others were receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues. They referred to themselves as “Charismatics.” Believe it or not, some very strict Pentecostals took this as a betrayal by the Holy Spirit, making them now look insignificant since the “big boys” received the same baptism in the Spirit. Yet others saw it as a fad that would soon die down and these denominations would go back to what they always were. And while others acknowledged the outpouring, they determined that they would only accept those neo-Pentecostals if they fell in line with traditional Pentecostal/Evangelical beliefs and practices of holiness. They insisted on this so they could continue to be seen as the true authority on what a Pentecostal was, and how they were supposed to live and worship. But as one Medieval commentator said of what happened to Paul, should have been the reaction of traditional Pentecostals to this spreading of the infilling of the Spirit. He says, that upon hearing that Paul was converted and was now preaching the Gospel, they gloried God and praised Him for His mercy.²

Paul’s experience in going from Judaism to Christianity gives us a better understanding of the difference between Religion and Spirituality. The word “religion” comes from a Latin word religio, that means “to bind” – and it seems to have maintained that definition by keeping people tied to specific creeds for centuries. It relates mostly to the physical and material world around us. All religions have evolved from someone or some group claiming a unique revelation from God, then passing that revelation along with accompanying rules and regulations. That’s how Judaism came into being. Moses received a revelation on Mt. Sinai and brought down his new knowledge and passed it on to the people of Israel. Such religious philosophies have developed and been refined for centuries and is almost exclusively designed to keep people from stepping out of line and prevent them from “erring” from the truth. Because of that, and the many variations of Biblical interpretation, multiple denominations, and church groups have been spawned over the centuries since the Day of Pentecost.

“Spirituality” comes from the root word “Spirit” with the suffix “-uality” which means “the state of being spiritually alive.” Therefore, it speaks of that pertaining to the world of the spirit. It refers to the acceptance of something or someone outside ourselves that affect the way we live, the way we think, and the way we behave. It also agrees that “good” and “evil” exist. These are things that cannot be directly perceived by our five physical senses, but something we accept by faith as existing such as love, peace, joy, kindness, goodness, patience, etc. So we could say, that “spiritual” is the term we use when referring to those things we cannot see or touch firsthand with our eyes and hands, cannot perceive directly with our senses, or know for sure by use of human logic or reasoning, but know that they are real.

When it comes to Christian spirituality, we can say the fundamental difference between spirituality and religion is that religion is based on impersonally LEARNING about God through intellect, while spirituality is based on personally KNOWING God through faith. This was the main argument Paul discusses with the Galatians. The Judaizers insisted that they establish an indirect relationship with God by following religious rituals and regulations. Paul wanted them to throw these things away and institute a direct relationship with God through Jesus the Anointed One, our Lord and Savior.

In response to Paul’s reception by the churches in Judæa who only knew of him, Reformer John Calvin accepts this as evidence that Paul’s ministry was approved by all the churches of Judæa. They expressed this approval by breaking out in admiration and praise for the wonderful saving power of God. This certainly shows that whatever opposition or criticism he faced before, that it did not keep the glory of God from shining in his ministry. This should remind us of the light in which the saints of the Lord should be seen by other believers. When we behold believers adorned with the gifts of the Spirit, why is it that some with corrupt thinking consider it superstition? Calvin’s words remind us that, on the contrary, to lift up our eyes to the Great Author or our salvation, and to ascribe to Him what is His own. At the same time, let it inform us that an occasion of offering praise to God was furnished by the change produced in Paul from being an enemy to becoming a minister of the Anointed One.³

Pastor Charles Simeon (1759-1836) preached a sermon on this subject, in which he finishes with a compassionate praise and a caring plea. He told his congregation that the conversion of Paul benefited the whole world. That it would be a blessing to millions through all eternity! And, although none of us can be compared with him, can anyone really estimate the good which the very least among us may be in affecting the world around us? The work of a believer does not end when their ministry does. It can go on affecting a whole country through those that it touched for ages to come. And the poorest person, by a word spoken, or by their life and conversation, may, like Syrian General Naaman’s maid, be the means of converting one whose influence may extend through a whole kingdom.⁴ Every addition, therefore, to the Church is a reason for rejoicing, and should inspire the deepest thanksgiving from all to whom the tidings of great joy are made known.

Simeon then finishes with this invitation to the unconverted: Never has anyone been given the occasion to glorify God on your behalf. On the contrary, there have been many reasons to weep over you endlessly, even to this present hour. You may not have been a persecutor of the Church like Paul, but you have been an enemy of God and His the Anointed One from your youth up. You, therefore, must be converted as much as Paul was. It is not necessary that you be converted in the same way as Paul, or in the same sudden manner. But converted you must be, or perish. You must believe as he did; embrace that very Gospel which he preached. O, I beg of you, May God count you worthy of this calling, and to fulfill in you all the good pleasure of His goodness, and the work of faith with power; that the name of our Lord Jesus the Anointed One may be glorified in you, and you in Him according to the grace of our God and of our Lord Jesus the Anointed One⁵.⁶

Adam Clarke (1760-1832) has a similar message, but his is for the believer. To Clarke, it was of great importance to Paul to defend and vindicate his Divine commission. Since those causing discord in Galatia said nothing good about him, it became necessary that he should be able to show plainly that his approval came from God. Paul was not brought into the Christian ministry by any rite or ritual used in the assembly of believers. Neither did any Bishop nor presbyter lay hands on him except Ananias who was doing what God told him to do. Paul’s top honor arose from being sent out immediately by God Himself: his conversion and the purity of his doctrine showed that it was God who called him.

Clarke then laments that many ministers since Paul’s day are far more anxious to show that they are legitimately appointed by Man than by God, and are fond of displaying their human credentials. These are easily shown; those that come from God are out of their reach. How ineffective and vain it is to boast any succession from the Apostles, while ignorance, intolerance, pride, and self-glory prove that those very persons have no commission from heaven! Countless times, ministers are sent out without God’s approval. No person has the right to preach, or administer the sacraments of the Church, whom God has not sent. It doesn’t matter how many lay their hands on an individual, God will never send an unconverted person out to convert others. The Lord will never send those who are proud, overbearing, intolerant, and impatient to teach meekness, gentleness, and patience. These are those in whom the Spirit of the Anointed One does not dwell and were never given His commission to preach the Gospel. They may boast of their human authority, but God will send no anointing upon them. On the other hand, let none who are called run before they are sent. And when they get the authority of God to go, let them be careful to take that which those over them in the Lord have given them.⁷

James Haldane (1768-1851) also sees the importance of our knowing what the phrase, “they glorified God in me,” meant to Paul. Those who rejoiced in what God did in Paul’s life were rejoicing in the great change they saw in his life. Just as we see green leaves sudden turn red, yellow, and brown, or look out the window a green grass in the afternoon and the next morning it is covered with a foot of snow. That’s the way it looked as believers saw the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, like a person plucked out of a burning building to save a lost and ruined sinner. What a strikingly beautiful illustration of the boundless riches of Divine grace. An able, talented, faithful, and zealous worker was turned around in the middle of the field and instead of destroying the harvest he was sent forth by the Lord to reap the harvest. No wonder, says Haldane, this display of the power of God excited much thanksgiving and praise, and was, consequently, highly beneficial to those who also come to the Anointed One through grace.⁸

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER ONE (Lesson LVII)

1:22-24 Now, my face was unknown to the churches in Judæa; all they knew was what other people were telling them: “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to wipe out!” In spite of that, they still praised God for what He was doing through me.

Luke tells us that the churches throughout all the provinces of Judæa and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace for awhile. The assembly of believers was made strong and was given comfort by the Holy Spirit. It honored the Lord. More and more people were being added to the assembly of believers.¹ It may be, that due to their being outside the walls of Jerusalem and quite far from Antioch and Damascus, they never saw Paul in person. But upon hearing that the most ferocious persecutor of the assembly of believers was now tamed by the Anointed One and was preaching the Gospel with the same fervor and dedication, they rejoiced in the news. It may have been brought by Philip who preached throughout this area.²

We are not sure how word got around in those days other than it being transported from town to town by word of mouth as people traveled and visited one another. It already reached the ears of Ananias up in Damascus even before Paul went there to carry out his sinister plan of persecution.³ In fact, before Paul ever went to Corinth other missionaries came there and no doubt told the Jews what was going on back in Jerusalem.⁴ That’s why when Paul returned to Jerusalem to tell the Apostles what happened on his missionary trips, they rejoiced in what they heard. According to Luke, by this time there were thousands of converted Jews and Gentiles now in the assembly of believers, and all because of what God was doing through Paul and his associates.⁵

In order to distance himself from any charges that he was merely a puppet of the Apostles in Jerusalem, Paul makes it clear that the Messianic congregations in Judæa never heard him preach or teach; in fact, they didn’t even know what he looked like. However, they heard what he was preaching and sent word that they were behind him 100 percent. I’m certain you’ve heard the familiar saying, “I’m not what I want to be; and I’m not what I’m going to be, but thank God I’m not what I use to be.” Can you imagine the believers in Syria and Cilicia when the announcement was made that this maverick from Tarsus, known to his Jewish friends by his Hebrew name, “Sha’ul,” (which means: “above others”) and to his Gentile friends by his Latin name, “Paulus,” (which means: “humble”) was coming back to preach this new Message of the Anointed One? No doubt some wondered why he changed his name. You only chose an alias when you earn a bad reputation, or you’re trying to evade the law. In reality, he didn’t change his name; it is simply that since he was called to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles he wanted to be known by his Latin name.

But Paul is gracious and tells the Galatians what the folks in Syria and Cilicia heard about his early life – now that is not something that any guest speaker may want the audience to know. I can hear Paul telling the Christians in Galatia, “Let me introduce myself. I use to hate people like you! As a matter of fact, I hated you so much I tried my best to kill as many of you as possible! But now I’m one of you! I would be willing to die for you! At this very moment, I preach the same Gospel I once tried my best to destroy and wipe off the face of the earth!” Yep! That ought to fill up the seats! What was Paul trying to convey at this point to the Galatians? As the venerated Augustine of Hippo surmised, Paul was trying to communicate that he absolutely did not please people for his own sake but in order that God might be glorified in him. Isn’t this what Jesus recommended when He said: “Let your works shine before others so that they may see the good things you have done and glorify your Father who is in heaven.⁶”

Augustine focuses on the fact that although the churches in Judæa heard of him, Paul says here in verse twenty-two that none of them ever met him in person. There were thousands in Jerusalem in the presence of the Apostles. Paul openly declared to the Ephesians that the Anointed One stopped the fighting between Jews and Gentiles by His death on the cross. Then, He made of the two groups, one new body for Himself. Now all of us can go to the Father through the Anointed One by way of the one Holy Spirit. So, from now on you are not strangers and people who are not citizens of heaven. You are citizens together with those who belong to God. You belong to God’s family. This family is built on the teachings of the Apostles and the early prophets.

Paul went on to say that Jesus the Anointed One Himself is the cornerstone, which is the most important part of the building. The Anointed One keeps this building together and it is growing into a holy building for the Lord. You are also being put together as part of this building because God lives in you by His Spirit And by being part of the building process as the Apostle to the Gentiles with Peter being the Apostle to the Jews, it was in their best interest to grow together. And tell the Galatians here that everything comes under the Anointed One because His power identifies Him as the head over all things in the assembly of believers.⁷ Furthermore, they are all part of this building because His Spirit lives in them to guide and comfort them as long as they are in this world. Could it be that by the Anointed One being the One who called Paul and now lives in him, that he could be looked on as part of the Cornerstone for the Jewish and Gentile believers in Rome.⁸

Chrysostom asks, “What soul could be more modest than this?” Here, Paul was openly admitting to things that brought shame and disgrace to him as a persecutor of the assembly of believers. But he narrates it with such compassion that he chooses not to follow it up with all the great things he has done for God.⁹ And early church writer Ambrosiaster points out that just as Paul was once a fierce defender of the Jewish faith, he now became an even fiercer champion of the very faith he once persecuted. Therefore, these Jewish believers should rejoice with him who previously oppressed them and give thanks that their persecutor now became the defender of their faith in God through Jesus the Anointed One. This should help them come to the realization that they were being led astray by the Judaizers to the point where, even though they claimed to be Christians through the grace Paul preached, they were actually professing the very legalism Paul rejected.

Ambrosiaster goes on to note, that they were circumcising the flesh, although the law of the Anointed One taught something quite different from Judaism. This circumcision of the flesh was to become circumcision of the heart. The Jews were tied to the elements and worshiped new moons and the Sabbath, but Christians truly worshiped God alone in spirit, because they worshiped with their hearts, not their hands. The Jews did this because of their tendency to sin, but Christians enjoyed the freedom which comes from the forgiveness of sins. There is, therefore, a huge difference between Judaism and Christianity.¹⁰

Martin Luther, a German Roman Catholic priest and theology professor, and John Calvin a French Roman Catholic trained as a lawyer, both went from their belief in God according to the teachings prevalent in the Roman Catholic Church at that time, to a reformed faith considered diametrically opposed to what they use to believe. They both expressed their appreciation for what Paul went through. Luther put it this way: “God did not call Paul out of darkness into His marvelous light because of his being a Pharisee, or on account of his prayers, fasting, ceremonial cleansing, ritualism’s and creeds, or because of his persecutions, oppressions, and zealousness, No! He called Paul by His grace.” Something Luther knew all too well. And John Calvin points out that God did not call Paul because of his accomplishments and his years of preparation dedicated to Judaism. No! He called Paul by as part of His predetermined purpose and will for Paul’s life.

John Bunyan has a couple of things to share about what the churches in Judæa were saying about this fanatic persistent persecutor, Saul of Tarsus, now being called a fiery Pentecostal preacher. This was further proof for Bunyan that when some well-known sinners get converted, they are usually the best help in church getting some of those who are still sitting on the fence to realize why God saved them and why He intervened in their lives when He did. What amazed Paul was that many of his former victims were now praising God for what He did in Paul’s life. But Paul wanted everyone to know that none of that praise and glory should for his being in God, and God being in him. ¹¹

Adam Clarke, who wrote during the time of the Wesleyan revivals in the 1700s, offers a very good summation on what Paul is saying in this chapter. First, it was of great importance to Paul that he defend and vindicate his divine mission received from the Anointed One Himself. Second, the apostle was particularly anxious that the Gospel he brought to Galatian not be corrupted so that the assembly of believers might end up being perverted because whoever or whatever corrupts the Gospel, subverts the assembly of believers. Thirdly, anyone who introduced the old Jewish rites, rituals, and ceremonies that promoted faith by works should be considered dangerous. Those listening to the minister must be receiving the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Clarke goes on to lament the situation in his own day. He questions why there are so many churches like those in Galatia in England? Is it not because, on the one hand, the simplicity of Christian worship was made complicated by adding improper rites and ceremonies, and on the other, corrupted the purity of Church doctrine by adding ideas invented by people? How does the Apostle react to such acts of subversion? “Let them be accursed.”¹² How confrontational is this! That’s why every minister who officiates as a pastor should take note of this. Their own soul is at stake, and if any of their flock perish through such ignorance or neglect, God will require the blood of the watchman as payment¹³.¹⁴

All I can say is, if Clarke could see the church he represented back then, I’m afraid his heart would not be able to stand the shock in seeing how far it has drifted from its original message and mission. The churches in England did not grow cold and indifferent because the Bible changed, nor because the truth of the Gospel changed, but because the whole truth of the Gospel was not being preached. If you want people to admire the reality of their salvation, preach about where they are going. If you want people to appreciate their salvation, preach about where they are not going.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER ONE (Lesson LVI)

1:21 After that, I went north to visit cities in Syria and Cilicia.

The country of Syria is in the news as much today as it was back in Paul’s day. It was first mentioned in Genesis as “Aram,”¹ one of the children of Shem, Noah’s son. But after the children of Israel crossed over into Canaan,² it is called “Syria” 67 times, in the First Covenant. It became part of the Final Covenant narrative when it tells us of how Jesus’ fame spread from Galilee throughout Syria,³ and when Cyrenius, the governor of Syria, ordered a census and tax be taken.⁴

Damascus, the capital of Syria, is mentioned about sixty times in the Bible, starting at the time of Abraham.⁵ And Antioch, one of its other main cities first comes to light in Acts of the Apostles.⁶ When in this sacred spot of God’s Kingdom World, He chose prophets for the First Covenant, and Apostles for the Final Covenant. We must continue to remember, Jerusalem and Damascus are the ancient centers of Bible history. So the fact that the Apostle Paul begins his ministry in this area should be of no surprise – not by his will but by the will of God.

It is also from this chosen middle east spot on the globe, God the Almighty caused it to become the cradle of the prophets and Apostles who spread the Word of God out into the world. His prophets reveal His love, so it is not a surprise that our Lord Jesus the Anointed One selected his twelve disciples from this area to follow Him and learn of the Gospel they would be sent out to share. There are many villages, towns, and cities that still exist and carry the same names as at the time of the Anointed One, like, Damascus, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jericho, and Magdal, the town of Mary Magdaline. There is also Ethra’e (Der’a today), the area, as some say, where Job lived close to his three wise friends. Still, many cities and towns in Palestine are also called the same as at the time of the Anointed One. We may consider Jerusalem as the center of the Bible World in Bible prophecies.

Paul also mentions going into the province of Cilicia. Tarsus was the capital city of the Roman province of Cilicia. Before then, it was a major linen and lumbering center during the time of the Greeks, and before that, it was the seat of the provincial governor during the time of the Persians. Tarsus was known for its wealth and for its great schools which are said to have rivaled Athens and Alexandria. Located in what is today southern Turkey, it was situated adjacent to the Cydnus River, about ten miles north of the Mediterranean Sea. Tarsus is mentioned by name only five times in the Bible, all in relationship to the Apostle Paul who was born there. It is located in south-central Turkey on the Tarsus River, about twelve miles from the Mediterranean Sea coast. If you look at a map of the missionary journeys of Paul, you’ll see how Tarsus and Colossæ, Ephesus, and Corinth line up on a major roadway that runs through Galatia.

The reason for Paul’s departure to this area is because of the overwhelming persecution he received after his conversion to become a follower of the Anointed One, both in Damascus and Jerusalem.⁷ Bible scholars reckon that Paul stayed about five years in his home town before Barnabas showed up to bring him back to Antioch.⁸ And after another year, this is where Paul and Barnabas received their commission to go out and do the work for which God called them.⁹ It is also worthwhile to note that some of the Jews that got into an argument with Stephen, leading to his martyrdom, were from Cilia. Luke does say, but Paul could have been counted among them since that was his home area.¹⁰

Paul continues his itinerary where his travels led him; after visiting Peter and James, the only two Apostles he saw during his visit to Jerusalem. He apparently did not hang around to visit or preach in any of the churches in Judæa, even though they were thrilled at his success among the Gentiles. This is so interesting because Acts of the Apostles tells us there were plenty of churches in Judæa, Galilee, and Samaria.¹¹ And if Peter, who was well acquainted with churches in Lydda and Joppa, wanted to introduce Paul to these brethren, he was given plenty of opportunities. Since Paul identified himself as a resident of Cilicia,¹² he was, in fact, going home. I’m sure that once he got there, he found out that word about his conversion spread like wildfire. After all, this former arch-enemy of Christianity who tried to kill them now became a champion ready to defend them. Why is Paul so intent on telling this story? Again, it was the pressure he felt from the doubters in Galatia on whether or not he could be trusted, and the Gospel he preached could be accepted.

Paul now further recounts what happened after his conversion. His course of travels went something like this: From Damascus to Jerusalem, from Jerusalem into Syria and Cilicia. “At Damascus, the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket; and when Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he decided to join himself to the disciples.”¹³ Afterward, when the brethren knew the conspiracy formed against him at Jerusalem, they brought him down to Cæsarea and sent him back to his hometown of Tarsus in Cilicia.¹⁴ This account in the Acts agrees with that in this epistle.¹⁵

Let’s get a better view of the role that Cilicia played in Paul’s selection of destinations. Theologian Robert Gundry points out that Syria was north of Israel. Even farther away was Cilicia, a province in southeast Asia Minor. So distance separated him once again from the Apostles in Jerusalem.¹⁶ But he was unknown by face to the churches of Judæa, which means, that the churches there hadn’t seen Paul, much less spoken to him so as to teach him the Gospel during his fifteen days in Jerusalem. He describes those churches as “in the Anointed One” to point up that their theological location outclasses their geographical location by virtue of their having been called “by the grace of the Anointed One” just as the Galatians were.

Their only hearing about the conversion of their former persecutor into a proclaimer of the Gospel reemphasizes Paul’s independence from them so far as the origin of his Gospel was concerned. He calls this Gospel “the faith” to prepare for an upcoming contrast between faith and works of the Mosaic law in the matter of gaining salvation. Faith means belief both in the sense of believing and in the sense of what is believed. “The faith” is such a part of those who have it that Paul’s having wreaked havoc on God’s assembly of believers now turns into his having wreaked havoc on the faith itself. And they were glorifying God in him shows that they, the early churches in Judæa, recognized that Paul’s case demonstrated the Gospel to be one of sheer grace. The Galatians should come to the same conclusion.¹⁷

More or less, those were the conditions Paul faced when he went into Galatia, and now some opposition members were bringing it up all over again. No wonder he sounded disappointed and disgusted. Why did he have to prove to them he could be trusted? That would be enough to drive anyone to their wit’s end. But Paul wrote this letter with a purpose, and by the time the Galatian believers read the whole thing they would be glad he did. Paul mentions that after his visits in Jerusalem, he went back to Damascus in Syria, and then across the mountains into Cilicia. Since that wasn’t too far from his home town of Tarsus, it would be a surprise if he didn’t drop by to see his family and relatives.

Messianic writer Lancaster goes on to say that Paul spent fourteen years in Syria and Cilicia. The first eight years he spent in his home town of Tarsus. He passed his time preaching the Anointed One in the synagogues there as he worked in the tent-making business and tailor shop, both which no doubt belonged to his father. It is also very possible that he engaged in many debates with the Rabbis there on how faith in Jesus the Anointed One compared to faith in the Law of Moses. Paul also may have searched through the writings of the Torah and the Prophets to confirm that indeed the word of the LORD – that the salvation of the Anointed One extended even to the Gentiles.

It was sometime in his eighth year at home that Joseph Barnabas, the disciple he knew from Damascus, showed up at his door looking for him. He explained that the Apostles in Jerusalem sent him to the new assembly of believers in Antioch, Syria to see how it was doing. Barnabas found out that a large group of non-Jews joined the assembly of believers and joined the Messianic Jews in their faith in Jesus the Anointed One. That’s when Barnabas remembered his friend Paul, the one whom the Anointed One called to minister to the non-Jews, and came to get him so he could come and help out in the ministry there in Antioch, Syria.

Imagine if today some atheist who openly and viciously opposed anything to do with Christianity; went around the country filing lawsuits resulting in clergy being jailed and recommending the death penalty for members because belonging to an assembly of believers was a crime, goes on a trip to persecute more Christians in foreign countries. Suddenly news reports come back that while on his way he saw a vision of the Anointed One, and claimed that Jesus gave him a revelation to preach the Gospel, what would you think? Not only that, but he stayed overseas in some Muslim country and did not come back until three years later claiming he did not need to submit to the authority of any denomination. If asked where he went to Bible School or Seminary, he responded that he graduated from the School of Learning Things the Hard Way and did not need any further training because God gave him all he needed through visions and revelations in order to preach the Gospel.

This dispute between Paul and the intruders from Jerusalem reminds me of when Socrates and Crito were having a discussion on principles and remaining true to one’s convictions. Socrates asks Crito, “Should we follow the opinion of the crowd because we fear them, or the opinion of the one man who has understanding, and whom we ought to fear and reverence more than all the rest of the world: and if we desert him we will destroy and injure that principle in us which may be assumed to be improved by more justice and less injustice? Surely, such a principle exists!”¹⁸

Paul knew the benefit of having majority support and having the assembly of believers leadership bestowing their favor on him. That would open many doors and put his picture on the wall as “Evangelist of the Year.” But he refused to go against the one Man from whom he received his revelation; the one Man who knew the truth and taught him all he knew about the Gospel. So, for better or for worse; for richer or for poorer; in sickness and in health, Paul was committed to remaining true and faithful to the One who loved him, gave Himself for him, saved him, and commissioned him to preach His glorious Gospel to all the world.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER ONE (Lesson LV)

1:20  Believe it or not, what I’m telling you in front of God that this is the truth, and I’m not lying.

These words to the Galatians were already on Paul’s mind when he defended himself to the assembly of believers in Rome: “I am telling the truth because I belong to the Anointed One. The Holy Spirit tells my heart that I am not lying.”¹ Not only that, but Paul felt obligated to tell the Corinthians twice that they should believe what he was saying.² This does not raise any doubts about Paul’s honesty, rather, it points to the hardheadedness of those to whom he was telling the truth.

Now Paul really gets to the heart of the issue. It appears that the Judaizers and other critics were passing the word around Galatia that Paul was a maverick who claimed to be accepted and respected by the original apostles, when in fact he wasn’t. They inferred that all Paul wanted to do was drop names in order to gain their trust and open doors for him; that Paul wanted all the credit for starting this new Jesus Movement. In fact, they charged that he was just short of being a heretic and could not be believed or depended on, to tell the truth, even though he knew what the truth was.

Augustine of Hippo has an interesting take on Paul’s oath here. If a person has to say, “Before God, I am not lying!” is undoubtedly taking an oath. And what is more sacred than this oath? But an oath is not against the Lord’s command if the reason the person feels obligated to make such an oath because the person they are talking to is more or less calling them a liar. We see that the Lord prohibited swearing if it lies within a person’s power not to do so. Unfortunately, many disregard this prohibition by our Lord, keeping an oath on their lips as if it were some great delicacy.

There can be no doubt that the Apostle Paul knew the Lord’s command, Yet he still swore an oath. Those who do not regard these as oaths are not to be taken seriously. For what will they make of this: “By your glory, brethren, which I have in the Anointed One, Jesus our Lord: I die every day!”³ which the Greek text clearly proves to be an oath. Therefore, the Apostle does not swear so far as it lies within in his power, for he does not resort to swearing because it gives him pleasure or enjoyment. It is more than “Yes, Yes” or “No, No,” and, therefore, comes from evil, but the evil lies in the weakness or unbelief of those who are not otherwise moved to faith.⁴

Perhaps the Judaizers were taking a cue from Plato where Socrates and Hippias are discussing the difference between lying on purpose and getting things wrong out of ignorance. So the question is asked: If someone unschooled and uneducated makes a guess at answering a question and gets it wrong are they guilty of lying? On the other hand, if someone schooled and educated also guesses at an answer, are they also lying? Socrates and Hippias concluded that neither one should make a guess, but admit that they don’t know the answer; otherwise, they are lying when they pretend to know, whatever their answer.⁵

Socrates then asks Hippias to answer another question: Since you are known for being such an honest and fair-minded person, tell me, if a person were to ask you what 700 times 3 equals; and you have the intellectual capacity to give the correct answer; and you know that the person asking the question will believe your answer no matter what you say, doesn’t this put you in the enviable position of being able to decide whether or not to give a truthful answer or knowingly tell a lie?

By the same token, if a man who does not know how to multiply decides to make a guess when he has no idea if it is true or not, is he also not considered a liar? It may be by sheer luck his answer may turn out to be right after all. However in your case, since you know the answer and are capable of giving a correct or incorrect answer, then you can knowingly lie on purpose anytime you want. Paul now invokes an oath that no one would dare use unless they were absolutely, positively, and unquestionably certain that what they claimed to be true, was true.

Today you might hear someone say, “I swear to God, I’m telling the truth.” I’ve even heard some say, “I swear on my mother’s grave.” But Paul gave a more dramatic assurance to the Galatians and the Judaizers that can be expressed today as something like this: “God will kill me if I’m not telling you the truth.” What Paul faced should not surprise us, we see a similar phenomenon today in our assembly of believers’ world of competing views over the Gospel of the Anointed One, similar to what Paul encountered in Galatia.

Many people today know John Bunyan (1628-1688) as the author of his famous work “Pilgrim’s Progress.” But Bunyan wrote many other books which you don’t hear much about today. It is quite remarkable that Bunyan became one of the most successful English writers in the days of Richard Baxter and John Milton. These men, who were well off, could afford to write because they didn’t need to earn a living. But Bunyan, a traveling tinsmith who made household utensils like his father, was nearly penniless before becoming a most famous author. His wife was also destitute. In those days, when women were selected for marriage, their families would show their joy and respect for the groom by giving her a dowry to take to her new husband. The only thing she brought were two books written by Puritans. But they were much greater in value than what they cost because it affected Bunyan’s life in a marvelous way.

Once he converted he began to preach and drew large crowds. But Bunyan was not part of the State Church of England, he began to worship and preach in the independent churches that sprang up in the spirit of the Reformation. But when Charles II took the reigns of government, he shut down these separatist churches and Bunyan was hauled off to jail where he sat for the next 16 years. But just like the Apostle Paul, Bunyan took the time to read and write. While in prison he wrote nine books. He was granted his freedom for a short while but was soon imprisoned again for six months. It was after that he wrote Pilgrim’s Progress.

In one of his earlier books, he dealt with the resurrection of believers. He stated emphatically that any persons who denied the resurrection of the Anointed One are worthless to Christianity and the Church. He was making reference to some churchmen in his day who did question whether or not the Anointed One was resurrected from the dead or was revived after being in somewhat of a coma for several days. Says Bunyan, they not only cause many believers to doubt and can lead to the destruction of the church. He calls them cankerworms. They are a caterpillar-like insect whose newly hatched larvae eat the soft tissue of young leaves at the tips of branches, giving them a skeletonized appearance. And the older they get the more destructive they become.

For Bunyan, it proved that such individuals were ignorant of God’s power, faithfulness, and His Word. He points to where God said to Abraham and his descendants that He would be their God ⁶ So we who are the spiritual descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, are counted as part of the living under a threefold consideration. First, being that they are in the Lord and He is in them; that He is the head and they are part of the Body of the Anointed One, all of the elect may be said to be alive in the Anointed One. They have been from eternity chosen by Him who also is their life, although possibly many of them yet unconverted. Yet it can be said that the Anointed One is their life, by the eternal purpose of God. Secondly, the children of the new covenant live here by faith, but in glory, they will live in the Spirit because of their eyes being opened and because of grace they remained in communication with the Anointed One since He was Lord of their souls.⁷

I remember hearing about ministers and ministries on the periphery labeled: “Independents.” They did not owe allegiance to any of the big denominations. Yet strangely enough, they seemed to be more successful and better known than traditional churches. Ministers from mainline denominations would debate over whether or not these people were genuine, while reluctantly admiring them for their success. Paul found himself in the same situation. He was “Independent” of Peter, James, and John as a minister of the gospel. No wonder the Galatians were leery of him and the Judaizers were distrustful as well. But Paul was adamant in demanding that they acknowledge his personal acquaintance with Jesus the Anointed One, rather than whether or not he made connections with the original disciples.

In other words, the Judaizers were telling the Galatians: Paul knows the truth but he just won’t admit it. And since he’s an educated man and has no excuse to tell anything other than the truth, then he is knowingly telling you a falsehood, and that makes him a liar. So don’t believe him, listen to us! In his letter, Paul shares how he coped with this, and it should give us great admiration for his willingness to be persecuted for defending his calling and the Gospel he preached.

As believers, there are times when we are asked why we believe what we believe. If we don’t know, then say so, and apologize because you haven’t made more of an effort to find out. This doesn’t make you a doubter of your faith or doctrine. And since you don’t know, then don’t pretend you do and give some answer that is more of a guess than solid truth. However, if you do know, then share it with confidence. But whatever you do, don’t purposely mislead them because you’re afraid your answer may offend them. Once you tell them the truth, and then they attack you anyhow, let them know that’s something they will need to settle with God, because you are at peace with your belief.

While pastoring in South Dakota I answered the knock on the door of my pastor’s office and saw a well-dressed young man with several magazines in his hand. A quick glance told me he was a Jehovah’s Witness. I welcomed him and told him how glad I was to see him. He seemed surprised by my cordial invitation to come. After he was seated, I told him I had a burning question for him. I reached for two books on my library shelf, the New World Bible and the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures Jehovah’s Witness. Everywhere else in your Greek Final Covenant, I pointed out, the word “kyrios” is translated as “Jehovah,” but here in Philippians 2:1 it is translated as “Lord.” It really should read: “And every tongue should openly acknowledge that Jesus the Anointed One is Jehovah to the glory of God the Father.” He wiggled in his chair and then picking up his material said he needed to go, but that he would send his superior to talk with me. I told him that would be fantastic because I want to learn more about their Bible. Nobody ever came.