Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER ONE (Lesson XXXV)

Medieval commentator Haimo of Auxerre points out that there is a difference between listening to the Gospel and learning the Gospel. When someone hears the Gospel, that person can accept the Gospel by faith. But when a person learns the Gospel, however, they comprehend the spiritual meaning of those things contained within the Gospel; what the Lord offered in mysteries and parables; whether it comes by way of divine revelation or human instruction. In other words, Paul was not just spouting off about what he heard but was rightly dividing the truth that he was given.¹ As a trained Pharisee, Paul discovered the art of manufacturing one’s own philosophy about God and what God wanted people to hear.² However, he learned that truth can come by way of manifestation as he sat in the house where Ananias was sent to find him in Damascus.³

Also, Medieval commentator Bruno the Carthusian adds to this when writing that Paul is trying to tell the Galatians that everything he knew about the Gospel came from Jesus the Anointed One who revealed it to him plainly, rather than speaking through parables as He did to teach the other Apostles. That was during the time He was still mortal and in the flesh and their understanding was still weak. So Paul did not learn it from a human being before the Anointed One’s death but after His resurrection.⁴ When we examine how the original disciples reacted to our Lord’s death, we can see that it took a great effort on the part of the Holy Spirit to get them to believe. But when Paul met the resurrected Lord he believed immediately.

Thomas Aquinas notes Paul’s insistence that his revelation did not come to him over a long period of time by way of a fellow believer, but instantaneously from the resurrected Anointed One. This was a two-fold operation. First, that he did not receive from man the authority to preach, but from the Anointed One. As he told the Romans: “And how shall they preach unless they are sent?”⁵ This was part of the message God sent to Paul through Ananias: “This man is to me a vessel of election, to carry my name to the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel”⁶ This is similar to Isaiah’s calling: “1 have given you as a light to the Gentiles, as a covenant for the nations.”⁷

Secondly, he did not receive a full understanding of the Gospel with the help of one or two individuals. It came by way of direct revelation from Jesus the Anointed One. The Anointed One clearly showed him everything he needed to know: “But God revealed them to us.”⁸ Paul could say like Isaiah, “Adonai has given me the ability to speak as a man well taught, so that I, with my words, know how to sustain the weary. Each morning He awakens my ear to hear like those who are taught. Adonai has opened my ear, and I did not resist or turn away.”⁹ Now this revelation was made to the Apostle when he was raptured up into paradise, where “he heard secret words which it is not granted to man to utter.¹⁰”¹¹

John Bunyan (1628-1688) takes a personal interest in what Paul says here about how he received the enlightenment and understanding of the Anointed One and His Word. Bunyan tells how he never endeavored to, nor did he try to, make use of other scholars writings so as to commit plagiarism.¹² Although he doesn’t condemn those who quote other authors. But for himself, he found by experience that what he was taught him by the Word Himself, through the Spirit of the Anointed One, could be preached, maintained, and supported due to a sound and well-established conscience. He chooses not to go into all that at the moment of his writing because he doesn’t want to get into all the details at the moment. Yet, his experience sparked more interest in that text of Scripture than many of the men who came before him. So Bunyan too could say with the Apostle Paul that the Gospel he preached is not of human origin. He did not receive it from any man, nor was he taught it to him by other men. Rather, he received it by revelation from Jesus the Anointed One.¹³

British statesman Baron George Lyttelton (1709-1773), in a letter to his friend Esquire Gilbert West who lived in the town of Wickham, in the county of Kent, just outside London, emphasizes the fact that there was too much against the Apostle Paul for him to be a fraud or Apostolic pretender. As Lord Lyttelton sees it, there is no way Paul could have successfully carried out any such deception. For how could anyone become an expert in explaining the secrets of a religion they never belonged to with any authority, let alone be an accepted Apostle among others who were part of it from the beginning? Logic tells us, says Lyttelton, he would naturally depend on them for his special understanding about Yeshua the Anointed One, someone he persecuted as a bitter enemy. It must have come another way, and by his own account, he makes it plain by what he says here in verse twelve.

Lord Lyttelton goes on to point out that if Paul did fabricate his story of conversion, he certainly would have located it in a place so remote or hidden that there were no witnesses to refute his claims. Lyttelton then cites as an example Joseph Smith and the mysterious golden plates of the Book of Mormon. Instead, the miracle of Paul’s conversion, with its great light from heaven exceeding the brightness of the sun, is placed in the public highway near Damascus; at noonday when the senses of his companions could not be deceived. Were to there to have been any shadow of disproof, how promptly the Jews in Damascus would have nipped the falsehood in the bud by the testimony of the witnesses who were present with Paul at the time. Nor would he be able to point to Ananias as a first- hand witness to his conversion and commissioning.

Furthermore, says Lord Lyttelton, when the Apostle stood on the castle steps of King Agrippa palace and told the whole story, why did not the Jewish authorities silence him at once and forever by showing that nothing of the kind ever took place, and proved it was not true by the abundant evidence of the competent witnesses who were with him? It was an event that took place before the eyes of the world and would be made at once a matter of the strictest scrutiny. And the truth of the matter is that it was so incontestably established that it became a matter of common knowledge. The Jews said the utmost they could against Paul before the Roman court, and yet Paul appealed directly to King Agrippa in presence of Festus as to his own personal knowledge of the truth of the story.¹⁴ In fact, the Jews tried to hide the truth about the resurrection of our Lord by calling the disciples liars, but they made no attempt to silence Paul as a liar. They have been forgotten, but Jesus and Paul are remembered and talked about to this day.

James Haldane (1768-1851), points out that this importance of Paul’s conversion and his commission as the Apostle to the Gentiles was so vital that it is recorded three times in Scripture.¹⁵ But rather than this leading to Paul being venerated and lifted up to a high position in the church, which was later claimed by the church for Peter’s sake, Haldane tells us to look at Paul’s calling as being connected to another aspect of his life he shared with the Corinthians.¹⁶ There he talks about being in prison, whipped, beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, long tiring trips, confronted by robbers, sleepless nights, hungry, thirsty, left out in the cold, and not having sufficient clothes. For Paul, that should be reason enough for anyone to accept the fact that without his receiving a divine calling directly from the Anointed One, none of those things would have been tolerated.¹⁷

Greek Bible scholar Maria Mavromataki sees the divine intervention which occurred in the life and activities of Paul as truly beyond the comprehension of human reasoning, which finds it difficult to understand how a fanatical enemy of the Christians could so suddenly accept the word of Christ and, moreover, subsequently become the most tireless herald of it. Paul himself describes his conversion here in verses eleven to seventeen as a miracle from God: “I must make it clear to you, my friends, that the Gospel you heard me preach is not of human origin. I did not take it over from anyone; no one taught it to me; I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ … But then in His good pleasure, God, who from my birth set me apart, and who called me through His grace, chose to reveal His Son in and through me, in order that I might proclaim Him among the Gentiles …”¹⁸

John Brown (1800-1874) must have encountered some situations where ministers’ egos got in the way of their calling and began to promote themselves rather than the One they served. As far as he is concerned, this is a sign of someone with an enlarged mind and shrunken heart.¹⁹ One of the things ministers must always keep in mind is that they will most often be judged, not by their preaching, but by their character. Ministers are not just independent representatives of the Gospel, they are also privileged to hold their office as one of God’s chosen, and sent out as a special messenger with the Good News of His Kingdom.

Brown feels that there is something inconsistent and distasteful about a person whose mind ought to be habitually employed with the glory of God’s Character; the order and stability of the God’s kingdom; the restoration of a ruined world to purity and joy; the incarnation and sacrifice of the Son of God; the transforming and comforting influence of the Holy Spirit; the joys and the sorrows of eternity; and whose focus should be to bring all of these things in their reality and importance to the attention of their fellow believers. But somehow they only have time for themselves, their personal interests, and promoting their particular ministry.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER ONE (Lesson XXXIV)

I was privileged to teach in Bible Schools and theological seminaries in the Europe and Asia, I often heard the term “Contextualize” concerning how to get the Gospel across to people not acquainted with Americanized forms of messaging, evangelism, and church planting. I saw that the Europeans were deductive reasoners, so I started with what they believed and helped them broaden their view and understanding of how it worked, why it worked, and what it worked to accomplish. Asians were mostly inductive reasoners, so I took all the various points of view and collated them so that we could start with one basic understanding to see if all those point of views were valid or not. That’s why, what they built up from there would then be a solid structure.

When I taught in the USA, to some degree, my American students were reductive reasoners so I needed to add back what they put aside, and take out what they put in, and show that without it the whole range and perspective of the Gospel could not be achieved and made relevant to their culture. Paul was doing a little bit of all these things with the Galatians who needed to be reoriented by keeping the truth in focus. Oft times I would hear one of my students say, “But my daddy didn’t preach it that way.”

There was an element of truth in the Judaizers’ suspicion of Paul, which he later admitted when writing to the church in Corinth.¹ That was because Paul’s own understanding of the Law was earlier based on what he learned from the great Jewish teacher, Gamaliel.² Yet, even though he was willing to make cultural concessions related to lifestyles and religious practices, he was adamantly against making any concessions with regard to the Gospel he preached that both Jews and Gentiles are saved by the same grace.

As I ministered around Europe and Asia I discovered there were certain no-no’s that minister’s needed to be aware of. In one country where I went to preach, I found out that the brethren there wore suits but without neckties because they considered it worldly attire. So out of respect I took off my tie and discovered that my messages were just as anointed without it as they were with it. Was I being a hypocrite? No! I never taught that a preacher must wear a tie in order for his message to be powerful.

On another occasion, one well known American healing evangelist I knew was preaching in India and spoke about “Standing on God’s Word” as our foundation. To illustrate his point he put his Bible down on the platform and stood on it. He then invited his Indian interpreter to do the same but the interpreter was horrified and would not comply. I found out later that all the ministers felt insulted that this evangelist did a dishonorable thing to God’s Holy Word.

1:12 No one just handed a manuscript to me, nor did I take notes while attending some teacher’s class. Instead, I received it directly from my teacher our Lord Jesus the Anointed One Himself.

To make his point even stronger Paul states emphatically that he did not sit under the tutelage of any man, not even the disciples to be taught the Gospel. To the Corinthians he wrote, “Am I not an Apostle; have I not seen Jesus our Lord?”³ When speaking of the resurrection and of the appearance of the Anointed One to the disciples and others, he says, “Last of all….he appeared to me also.”⁴ In other words, Paul asks incredulously, do you think I’d be such an idiot as to change or alter the Gospel I received straight from the Anointed One?

What Paul went through was not for him only. After all, several apostles experienced a revelation, such as Peter on the housetop with regard to Gentiles receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Would they be willing to question Peter’s integrity as to the validity of his revelation and whether or not it came directly from God through the Holy Spirit? But as for Paul, I like the way one version puts it: “I was not taught it or commissioned to preach it by the Apostles in Jerusalem, nor indeed any man. For the Good News that I preach was revealed to me by Jesus the Anointed One himself, who commissioned me to proclaim it. I did not receive it from any human.”⁵

In his travels around Galatia and Greece Paul often visited synagogues, and also on Mars Hill in Athens, challenged the local philosophers to debates over the true God. Perhaps he heard or even saw the inscription in the temple of Apollo at Delphi where the Lacedaemonians placed one of their most famous sayings that became part of everyone’s language, and considered as the first-fruits of their wisdom which simply said: “Know yourself.”⁶

In another ancient document they explain this saying as follows: “…the proverb is applied to those whose boasts exceed what they are, and also serves as a warning to pay no attention to the opinion of the multitude.”⁷ In other words, be sure of yourself; don’t have any doubts about who you are, whose you are, what you are, and how you became what you are. If anything, Paul wanted the Galatians and Judaizers to know that he was absolutely, positively, unequivocally sure about what he received his Gospel from the Anointed One first hand, no matter what others might say.

It’s time to recognize that every Christian is gifted by God for their special mission in life. Few, if any, claim to have received an extraordinary revelation similar to Paul’s. But each Christian is uniquely gifted by the Spirit and called to serve God in some exceptional way. In my travels throughout Asia I often found it necessary to contextualize my good news message, while not diluting the Gospel in the process. I tried my best to learn what Asians loved and hated; what made them happy and what demoralized them; what complemented them and what insulted them. The Gospel can address all these issues if explained properly. But you do not need to rewrite the Gospel just because it speaks against something that a particular culture accepts.

Let me illustrate this in another way: Consider life’s journey like a map, and the Gospel is a compass given to us upon our encounter with the Anointed One in our new birth. We are all headed in the same direction toward the same goal. But some may go by sea, some by land; some slosh through water, some through snow; some endure rain, some hail, some sleet, some fog; some climb mountains, some through valleys; some tolerate heat, some cold; but all are kept on course by the same identical source – their Gospel compass. We don’t change the Gospel’s direction; the Gospel changes our direction.

When Paul refers to his revelation from Jesus the Anointed One, he is making a clear reference to his Damascus Road experience where he encountered the risen Anointed One, from whom he received his commission to go to the Gentiles. This revelation convinced Paul to accept the inescapable reality that the Crucified One was the Anointed One. According to Luke, Jesus “appeared” to Paul for this very purpose.⁸ Paul didn’t see a mere angel, but the Lord Jesus Himself. To describe his experience as a “revelation” tells the Galatians that he was having more than a dream, vision, or trance.

While few, if any, will ever experience their “revelation” of who the Anointed One really is in a similar manner such as Paul, we all have experienced our own revelation. It came through the Gospel; and it is just as real, and just as dynamic as that of Paul. It changed our lives. When we tell people how we came out of the darkness of ignorance about salvation into His marvelous Gospel light redemption, and how we became a new creation in the Anointed One Jesus, they may try and convince us that it’s all a fantasy; a hallucination, something we’ve been duped into believing. However, we know better. We know it is real because we were there; we felt the burden of sin lift off of our shoulders; we experienced the dramatic change, we felt the joy and love of God flood our hearts upon being forgiven.

In Paul’s case, what he once hated he now loved; what he once spoke against with all his vigor, he now preached with all his strength. Jesus told Paul to take this message of salvation to the Gentiles, and in spite of the difficulties he encountered, Paul was not about to change course and adopt the Gospel as espoused by these legalistic teachers. If you go back and read the sermons of early Methodist, Baptist, and Pentecostal preachers, and compare them to what we hear today you’ll see that many have changed course and soften their stance on worldly living and worldly lifestyles, heaven and hell. If it took old fashion, Spirit anointed, sound gospel preaching to bring revival and evangelism in the past, it will take the same for it to happen again. Let us not mistake numbers and popularity for revival, but how society is fundamentally changed because of the number of people who have been transformed by the power of the Gospel.

An early church leader of a local church in Cæsarea and great Bible scholar, named Pamphilus, made the point that Jesus proved He was not an ordinary human by doing what He did when He confronted Paul on the road to Damascus, therefore, there is no doubt that He was divinely human.⁹ And Chrysostom adds that when people who are fierce and hot tempered in their opposite to any cause, require time and much ingenuity for their conversion. But since Paul was so suddenly converted and was rendered clean and sober at the very peak of his madness, he obviously received a divine vision and teaching.¹⁰

And Theodoret Bishop of Cyr believes that it was very shrewd of Paul to mention that he received this message of the Gospel by revelation. The Lord Jesus already ascended into heaven and was no longer visible to all.¹¹ But to Paul He appeared on the road and made him worthy of the ministry of proclamation.¹² So Paul takes this as a defense against the slander of the Judaizers showing that in this too he did not fall short of the other Apostles. For just as the Galatians received the Gospel from him, so likewise he received it from the Anointed One by way of revelation.¹³

“The will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare to win.” This is a quote from pro football coach Vince Lombardi, arguably the greatest football coach of all time, by basketball coach Bobby Knight who won 902 NCAA Division I men’s college basketball games, the most all-time at the time of his retirement. Knight is best known as the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers from 1971 to 2000. So I will take them both at their word that making yourself ready for the contest is more important than the contest itself. Knight goes on to say that, “The actual game, test, or project is just the end of a long process of getting ready.”

But there are others who share this same philosophy. Idowu Koyenikan, an internationally acclaimed organizational consultant, said that “Opportunity does not waste time with those who are unprepared.” And German Kent (born Evelyn LaShawn Palmer), an American print and television journalists, noted that “Your strength doesn’t come from winning. It comes from struggles and hardships. Everything that you go through prepares you for the next level.” And Matshona Dhliwayo, Canadian based Philosopher, entrepreneur, and author, shared that “You don’t have to remind a flower when its time to bloom is near; it has been preparing for it all of its life.” And Lailah GiftyAkita tells us that “Every action in the present prepares us for the future.”

Michael Banks, Software Engineer at Polecat Intelligence, in his article on why preparation is important to your success, said that we should think of preparation as a mustard seed. When you plant the seed, it takes a few years to become a tree. A tree in itself is an embodiment of purpose that seizes the opportunity to provide shelter for birds and people. Actually, opportunities are only identified in the place of preparation. When you apply yourself to developing your craft through knowledge and skill acquisition, you gradually begin to notice the void around your craft. A desire to fill that void grows until you seize that opportunity. I hail from a country with one of the largest crude oil reserve in the world. Prior to when this commodity became a worldwide necessity, no one saw this product as a wheel of change to global energy.

But the Bible is not silent on this subject. King Solomon said that we should first get your fields ready, next plant your crops, and then build your house.¹ He also warned that a smart person foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them, but the average person goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.² But one of Solomon’s best messages on the need for preparation is when he said that people might plan what they want to say, but it is the Lord who gives them the right words. People think that whatever they do is right, but the Lord judges their reason for doing it.³ I would suggest that everyone read the rest of what Solomon said.

Believe it or not, there are some people who wait for an opportunity to come and then prepare for whatever it demands of them. Without being dismissive, I would venture to say that since they don’t know what opportunities may be given to them, they really aren’t sure how to prepare. Having been a teacher, I subscribe to the idea that education is what prepares a person for the future. However, from what I’m hearing today, many schools, colleges, and universities are teaching students to expect what they want from the future and demand that it be given to them when they go out into the workplace.

I learned that the key to success was to start early preparing for the future. I did not know what I would grow up to be, or where life’s path would lead me after high school and my military service. But the more I read, studied, learned, and allowed myself to be tested on the humanities, sciences, and philosophies at the time, the clearer it became to me the direction I felt God wanted me to go. And I can say with all humility, He allowed me to serve in positions of leadership I never dreamed would be mine. When I asked why they chose me for such an important position, their answer was that I seemed to know what I was doing and did it well.

So why not take the words of these successful people and the Word of God and commit yourself to get better at what you’re doing now without waiting for the right opportunity to come. You’ll find that when it does arrive you feel a whole lot more prepared than if you did nothing up to that point. Furthermore, unless you are willing to prepare, the opportunities may never come at all. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEVER LET THEM GO

A young lady named Lauren graduated from college in Duluth, Minnesota and moved to start graduate studies at Bethel, a Christian University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Most of her friends were still up in Duluth, with only a few in the city area, so Lauren decided that she wanted to meet different people, with her top priority being finding a man that loves God.

Since Lauren was in school and surrounded by the same thirty people every day, she signed up on the Christian Mingle web site. Lauren was on the site for only four days before a man named Luke sent her a message saying, “Your profile looks amazing, but you are just a little too young for me.” For everyone who knew Lauren, she is wasn’t very happy with people who judge others by their looks. So she responded by saying, “Excuse me sir. Age is just a number and I believe it is all about maturity.”

In spite of that beginning, Luke and Lauren met at a coffee shop and chatted for awhile. After they made sure the other was who they said they were, Luke already made plans to invite her on a date at the Walker Art Center. This date went really well, and the rest, well, it’s one of the world’s best love stories. They wanted to have a future together with keeping God as the foundation of their marriage. They both prayed that God would work it out for them to be together and keep God at the center of everything that they did!

As Luke and Lauren continued to discover and grew to know one another on a deeper level, there was an immediate connection. Problems that seemed to be issues in other relationships did not appear to be complications in their relationship, and well, it felt rather easy to sort through misunderstandings. They realized that their relationship was God-orchestrated and it was His perfect timing that brought them together.

When asked by other couples what made them so right for each other, Luke’s advice was not give up if things don’t work out right the first time. He had to keep postponing their wedding because of issues with his work that caused them to be separated on different occasion, some separations were longer than others. But he knew he found the right woman, and waiting was completely worth it. He also said to stay completely satisfied in your relationship with the Lord, and if He chooses to give you the right partner, then be open to His plan for making it happen!

When asked the same question, Lauren’s advice was to always keep God number one in your life. Pray, pray, pray for absolutely everything going on in your search of finding the right match. Be still and listen for God’s direction and continue to put your faith, hope and comfort in Him as He is the only one that can bear the weight of your desire. Often, what is missing in your relationship with the Lord is what is missing in your relationship with the one you want to marry. Once you find the one you’ve been looking for, remember to love them for who they are, and never try to change them, only offer them a form of new management.

As I read this story it reminded me of one of my favorite movies, “South Pacific,” and the title song that I still sing from time to time because it fits my own situation and the woman I love so much as well. For me, it’s the love story of my own life. It goes:

Some enchanted evening, you may see a stranger, You may see a stranger across a crowded room, And somehow you know, you know even then, That somehow you’ll see her again and again. Some enchanted evening, someone may be laughing, You may hear her laughing across a crowded room, And night after night, as strange as it seems, The sound of her laughter will ring in your dreams. Who can explain it, who can tell you why? Fools give you reasons, wise men never try. Some enchanted evening, when you find your true love, When you hear her call you across a crowded room, Then fly to her side and make her your own, Or all through your life you may dream all alone. Once you have found her, never let her go, Once you have found her, never let her go. Richard Rodgers

This story may not represent the exact way you met your spouse, why and how you fell in love with them, or what you went through before and after you were married. But there is one principle that should be taken from this love story. It can either be that you went out and got your spouse based on your own wants and wishes, or, you have your spouse because you prayed to God and He gave them to you. That’s why, once you have the one meant for you, never, never, never let them go. They’re God’s gift to you, so He is trusting you to do all you can to take care of that gift. So every time you look at your spouse’s wonderful face, see their smile, or hear them laugh, say, “Thank you, Lord, for Your precious gift to me!” – Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER ONE (Lesson XXXIII)

George B. Stevens (1854-1906) views what Paul says here in verse eleven from a different angle. Not only was Paul aggravated, disappointed, and surprised by the sudden turn the Galatians made from the Gospel he brought them after days and days on the road, in bad physical condition, and putting up with some handicap that he called a “thorn in the flesh,” but now it looked like all that he went through to bring them freedom from sin and the Law, was no longer appreciated. Today we might illustrate this with seeing someone walking along a highway on an extremely hot day carrying a large suitcase, having to stop every few steps to rest, and you offer them a ride. You lifted the heavy suitcase and put it in the trunk, made them comfortable by adjusting the passengers seat, turned up the air-conditioning to cool them down. But when you got to their destination of over 75 miles down the road, pulled out a $100 bill and press it into their hand after you got their heavy suitcase for them out of the trunk they don’t say “Thank you.” And as they turned and walk away don’t even say, “Goodbye.”

You can almost feel the desperation in Paul’s heart, says Stevens, as he begins writing this part of his letter when he writes, “Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand.”¹ The Complete Jewish Bible renders it, “Let me make it clear to you brothers.” Stevens believes it should read, “I would impress it upon you.” That sure sounds like someone speaking to another person who apparently didn’t get the point they were making or the instructions they were given. But, apparently, says Stevens, this may not have been the first time the Apostle Paul’s efforts were unappreciated. In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul needed to recall for them the value of the Gospel message he brought them.² And in his second letter, he felt led to let them know how grateful and graceful the believers in Macedonia were when he did the same for them.³ This certainly should add to our understanding of what Paul was going through upon hearing the bad news about how these Galatians were now abandoning everything he taught them.⁴

As Benjamin Wisner Bacon (1860-1932) sees it, the beginning of verse eleven in the Authorized Version (KJV), which reads, “But I certify you,” is too rough and would make the Galatian believers defensive. He prefers the Revised Version which renders it as, “For I would have you know.” This better reading of the R.V. connects the argument begun with verse ten. Paul’s Gospel tolerates no supplementation in principle because it is not composed by human intellect which needs constant updating. This conviction is the basis of Paul’s never-say-die attitude and reverend authority, which in verse twelve is emphatic, “I neither received… neither was I taught.” Paul then points out in verse thirteen that he was, in fact, a former persecutor of such teaching and doctrine.

When Paul wrote Timothy He spoke openly about his unique personal experience, which, to his mind, was susceptible of no other explanation than the miraculous intervention of God.⁵ Paul, much like Peter, also received his manifestation of the Anointed One by revelation from God and not from “flesh and blood.”⁶ The fact that this revelation about Jesus being the Son of God was given to Peter by God was fully substantiated when Jesus rebuked Peter for not knowing the will of God.⁷ Both Peter and Paul were taught by a “voice from heaven.” In Peter’s case it was before the resurrection and ascension of the Anointed One, and in Paul’s case it was after.⁸

Robert Gundry sees Paul’s insistence on making sure they understood that what he taught them came directly from God was important. When Paul said: “For I did not at all receive it from a human being, nor was I taught [it by a human being]” really means “it isn’t in accordance with human thinking or point of view.” Then when Paul says: “Through a revelation of Jesus the Anointed One” he identifies the means by which he received the Gospel he proclaimed to the Galatians. The contrast with receiving the Gospel from a human being suggests that it came “through a revelation of Jesus the Anointed One,” as it was when the Galatians received it from Paul. It means that God revealed Jesus the Anointed One to Paul directly. Verses fifteen and sixteen confirm this meaning.⁹ Since the Gospel that Paul proclaimed to the Galatians came to him by divine revelation, they ought to reconsider where they are going. In other words, by turning away from the Gospel as preached by Paul, he wants them to know that it wasn’t his Gospel, but the Gospel given to him by Jesus the Anointed One Himself. So they were not just rejecting Paul’s message, they were rejecting God’s message.

According to Messianic commentator Thomas Lancaster, it’s important to remember that most scholars believe that the non-Jews who were part of the congregations in Galatia were previously converts to Judaism, which were historically called “God-fearers.” So this second step from the Jewish synagogue to the Christian church was not as drastic or dramatic as some scholars make it out to be. That’s why their acceptance of circumcision was only a passive act of obedience to Jewish law in order for them to become authentic Jewish proselytes. But this suggest that this subject should have never come up? To the contrary, since Paul was called to the Gentiles he no doubt ministered among the non-Jewish population as well as the Jewish congregants at the local synagogues in whichever city he visited. It was Paul’s intention to combine the two so that there would no longer be Jews and non-Jews, but both would be called Christians – namely, followers of the Anointed One.¹⁰

So it was the visit by these false teachers that caused a division because the non-Jewish converts were misinformed that they needed to take the route of first becoming a God-fearer in order to be called a genuine Jesus-follower. So this Epistle is more directed to them as a rebuke of these false teachers and an admonition to the Galatians for so quickly being drawn away from what Paul preached to them, namely, that salvation comes solely through faith in Jesus the Anointed One as the Savior of the World. Lancaster goes on to say that he hears Paul saying that this “Judaizer’s gospel” is in fact a “false gospel,” even a “corrupt gospel,” and, therefore, a “worldly gospel.” His point was to differentiate between the way that he became a believer and the way that people ordinarily became believers in that day, He also wanted to differentiate between his Gospel message and the other gospel that others were preaching in his day.

Lancaster goes on to say that in Paul’s day, which may apply to the areas of Judæa and Galilee, people who became followers of Yeshua of Nazareth were mostly Jewish. Such were the Apostles themselves, who went out and told other Jewish people about Yeshua: His miracles, His teaching, His messianic claims, His death, His resurrection, His ascension, and His imminent return. That’s how people were converted from Judaism to Christianity. Lancaster points to this as “a gospel preached by men.” In other words, it was the good news brought by someone they trusted, and that’s how they became followers of the Anointed One. Lancaster says: “It was mostly a Jewish phenomenon.”¹¹ But because Paul preached about the same Messiah and the same things to the heathens, it can be called “a Gentile phenomenon.” However, both received it from the same source, Jesus the Anointed One Himself.

Ronald Fung points out that the different tenses in verse eleven reveal that, according to Paul, the Gospel given to him as a result of God’s revelation of the Anointed One, which he preached to the Galatians in the beginning, is the same as that which he still preaches at the time of this writing and to which he is now calling the readers to return to.¹² This, as the content of the entire letter will attest to, is none other than the Gospel of Justification by faith.¹³ Thus, according to these verses, it was the Gospel of justification by faith which came to Paul as the result of a direct revelation of Jesus the Anointed One.¹⁴ Unfortunately, some of the Jewish preachers were adding Justification by Works to make their message complete. It was the case of mixing lieberty with legalism.

But when we read what Paul goes on to say in the next verse, it appears that the Apostle has more in mind when he refers to the teaching of these false apostles as “man’s gospel.” Paul knew that most of the Jews in those Galatian churches clearly understood the difference between what the Torah said and what the Rabbi’s were saying. The Torah contained the Law as it was given by God to Moses and the Prophets. The Rabbis’ teachings merely added details to these laws. Unfortunately, when Jesus came most of the Pharisees, Scribes, and other Jewish leaders ascribed to the Rabbis’ teachings instead of to the teachings of the Torah. They felt justified because they said that the Rabbis’ teachings were grounded and built upon the Torah. But for Paul, the Torah was from God and the Rabbis’ teachings were from man. So in the same sense, the Gospel that Paul brought to the Galatians was given to him by Jesus the Son of God. But these false teachers were now adding their version of what the Christian Rabbis told them to what Paul taught.

The Judaizers accused Paul of contextualizing the good news of the Anointed One that he preached to the Jews and then to the Gentiles; that he modified it to fit the practices and customs of his listeners. However, what he contextualized was how the unchanged, pure Gospel of the Anointed One could be learned by the Gentiles comprehending it from their perspective, not that of the Jews. With the Jewish believers Paul took the aspects of salvation as obtained through obedience to the Law and broke it down into the Anointed One’s fulfillment of the Law and, thereby, bringing it to completion. This made it possible that by believing in the work of the Anointed One would be fulfilling all of the Law. As to the non-Jews, Paul endeavored to dispense with their many gods and idols and help them focus on One person, Jesus the Anointed One. As such, they were not to worry about pleasing all their gods because by pleasing the One True God who is above all through His Son Jesus who our all in all, they need not fear any punishment or retribution.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER ONE (Lesson XXXII)

James Haldane points out that Paul clearly pronounced a curse on anyone, human or angelic, who preached another gospel other than the one he brought. How could any human invent things that the eye has not seen, nor has the ear heard, nor has it every crossed their minds, that is a part of God’s great truths that can only be revealed by the Holy Spirit?¹ Mankind can only reveal the things they come to know by learning and experience. They cannot read God’s mind nor know what’s in His thinking.² Neither does speculation nor preconceived notions meet God’s standards of divine revelation. That’s what confused the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees about Jesus’ teaching.

So who, in Paul’s day, would have ever dreamed about representing the God of the Law, Judgment, and Punishment as being a loving, caring, and forgiving justifier of those who accept His offer of forgiveness and cleansing through the life, sacrifice, and resurrection of His Son? No such thing would have ever entered the human mind. No wonder this became a stumbling-block to many Jews until they were born again and were able to see the kingdom of God in all its glory.³

Peter Lange (1802-1884) sees Paul’s point about his not receiving the revelation of the Gospel from a human, nor through a human, as another way of saying that it was not composed by any human nor did the revelation of the Gospel come by way of human explanation. It only involved the question of whether God used another human being to deliver it to Paul or not. This applied to the origin and the character of the Gospel message. In fact, this was the Gospel that all the Apostles preached. How else could what they preached be compared to what others preached in order to determine which came from God other than its simplicity and power to save?⁴

Sir Robert Anderson, called the Gospel Detective, focuses on where Paul talks about the Gospel he preached as “My Gospel.” Paul uses this phrase only three other times,⁵ so it was an unusual expression even for him. He explains more fully what he means by “My Gospel” to the Ephesians and Colossians.⁶ But here in Galatians, Paul declares in very explicit and emphatic terms that the Gospel which he preached among the Gentiles was the subject of a special revelation peculiar to himself. Not only was he not taught it by those who were Apostles before him, but he went to Jerusalem seventeen years after his conversion from Judaism for the specific purpose explaining it to them.⁷

It is certain, therefore, that his testimony was somewhat distinct in character and scope from anything we find in the ministry of the other Apostles. And this, he declares, they themselves acknowledged. “They saw,” he says, “that the Gospel for the Gentiles was put in my hands, and the Gospel for the Messianic Jews was given to Peter.”⁸ Peter’s Gospel was a promise according to the Scriptures of the prophets; Paul’s Gospel was a proclamation according to the revealing of a mystery kept secret from eternity. But now it was open for all to hear, just as the prophets prophesied it would be.⁹

So what can be taken away from Paul’s claim that he was given a specific Gospel for a specific part of humanity? He didn’t say, “another gospel,” but “The Gospel” designed to meet certain needs of the Gentiles. In the three churches I pastored – one in Germany and two in the USA, it was clear to me that even though I sometimes preached from the same text in all three places, the Holy Spirit helped me craft my message to impact that particular congregation I was pastoring. It wasn’t a “different Gospel,” or “another Gospel.” It was from the same and only Gospel I knew to be part of Scripture. But the Holy Spirit knew what I didn’t know. He knew the spiritual level of my flock, the problems and challenges they were dealing with – one congregation was in a town in Germany, another was in a medium size city, and the other out on the prairie surrounded by farm land. That’s why when I prayed for a message from God through the Spirit, I needed to be very sensitive to His leading. This is, more or less, what Paul is saying about “His Gospel.”

William O’Conor points to the fact that Paul now proceeds to illustrate how the manner in which he received the Gospel kept him from preaching what pleased his listeners, and made him the servant of the Anointed One. This was because the Gospel which he held and preached, was characterized, not by others, but by the Anointed One. He did not receive it from men; he was not taught it by a human teacher; and so it was not accompanied with pleasantries so it could be passed from hand to hand. It was not wrapped in the soft coverings with which successive teachers disguise it to render it easier to swallow, first for themselves, and then for their disciples. This was the full-strength, unadulterated Word from God Himself.¹⁰

Bible scholar Alvah Hovey prefers the English Revised Version’s rendering of verse eleven: “For I make known to you, brethren.” This helps us see the connection between Paul not wanting to preach something that only pleased people and being a faithful bondservant of the Anointed One. The Gospel he preached was received from the Anointed One Himself and so expresses His will, not Paul’s will. Hovey also notes, Paul now addresses the members of the churches of Galatia as “brethren.” They are not, then, in his estimation, apostates from the Anointed One. They have not rejected the Gospel of the grace of God. But they are in danger of doing this, for they are looking in the wrong direction, allowing themselves to be taught a dangerous error, and involved in a movement which, if continued, will separate them from God. And the whole object of his Epistle is to stop this movement in its tracks and bring them back to steadfast confidence in the Anointed One as their sole and sufficient Savior.¹¹

J. B. Lightfoot makes note that Paul is assuring the believers in Galatia that the Gospel he preached to them did not come from attending classes and through painful study. It was like a flash of lightning out of heaven. In fact, it came when he was least prepared to receive it. He was on his way to persecute those who believed what Jesus taught. So no matter what those Judaizers were saying, he did not want the Galatians to be ignorant of the truth. His Gospel came from the Anointed One who preferred Grace, while their gospel came from those who anointed them that preferred Law. Theirs was “man-made.” His was “God-made.”¹²

Charles Spurgeon preached on this eleventh verse and said a lot, of which we cannot fully reproduce it here in its entirety. But in the practical theology portion of his message, Spurgeon told his audience that they too did not receive the Gospel from mankind, but from God. So he encourage them to continue to receive truth by the divinely-appointed channel of faith. He asked if they really wanted to gain the full understanding the truth of God? With most people, the understanding is like a narrow secondary gate to a fortified city, and the great things of God cannot be so cut down so as to be brought through that small entrance. The door is not wide enough. But our city has a great gate called faith, through which even the infinite and eternal may be admitted.

So get over the hopeless effort of dragging into the mind by efforts of reason that which can so readily dwell in a person by the Holy Spirit through faith. Spurgeon said that we that speak against rationalism are ourselves apt to reason too much; and there is nothing so unreasonable as to hope to receive the things of God by reasoning them out. Let us believe them upon the divine testimony; and when they try us, and even when they seem to aggravate the sensibilities of humanity, let us receive them anyhow. We are not to be judges of what God’s truth ought to be; we are to accept it as the Lord reveals it.¹³

Thomas W. Griffith (1797-1838) a Prebendary, (a senior member of the clergy) of St. Paul’s of London, notes that the greater part of our knowledge must always rest on the authority of others. No single individual is able to ascertain for themselves the innumerable facts, in all the various fields of human investigation, out of which alone a personal conviction can grow. Nor can we always reason out the conclusions that we accept on other people’s testimony. We must accept them by faith. False teachers in Galatia attempted to weaken Paul’s authority by asserting that he, having never been a personal disciple of Jesus, and not, therefore, included in the original commission, was to be looked on as no more than a self-appointed proclaimer of a self-invented doctrine, or as the agent only of other persons who employed his zeal and talents to diffuse their error, or perhaps as the ignorant perverter of the truths which he at first was taught by the Apostles at Jerusalem, and from which he went astray. Paul here refutes these accusations and insinuations with his personal testimony.¹⁴

Philip Schaff (1819-1874) points to the opening verb “make known” (KJV), “want you to know” (NIV), in verse eleven is gnōrizō in the Greek text. Out of the twenty-four times it is used in the Final Covenant, sixteen of those the KJV translates as “to make known.” Strong, in his Concordance, says that it should be understood as a transitive verb. In other words, Paul was not just reminding them or even informing them of something, he wanted them to recognize and acknowledge this something being given to them and where it came from. For instance, it you ask someone, “Would you please go to Starbucks and bring me back a Cappuccino?” you are asking for a specific object to be transferred from one place to another. So it is used here by Paul. He wanted the Galatians to understand that the Gospel he transferred from himself to them was not something he just dreamed up. It came directly from God. That’s what he wants them to know and recognize. That way, they should easily recognize that the so-called gospel the Judaizers brought with them came from another source and, therefore, was not genuinely sent from God through Jesus the Anointed One. This he makes crystal clear in verse twelve¹⁵

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER ONE (Lesson XXXI)

1:11 Mark my words, brothers and sisters, the message of salvation that I preached to you was not invented by some human being.

The Gospel that Paul brought to the Galatians was certainly new to the Jews and foreign to the Gentiles. But Paul’s explanation to the Corinthians made it plain as to where it came from. He told them, “The Holy Scriptures say, ‘No eye has ever seen or no ear has ever heard or no mind has ever thought of the wonderful things God has made ready for those who love Him.’ God has shown these things to us through His Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit Who looks into all things, even the secrets of God, and shows them to us.”¹ This is the teaching from the Lord² that Paul was bringing to them for their salvation.³

Paul presented a similar revelation to the Ephesians when he wrote them, “In a special way, God showed me His secret plan. When you read this, you will understand how I know about the things that are not easy to understand about the Anointed One. Long ago men did not know these things. But now they have been shown to His missionaries and to the early preachers by the Holy Spirit. Let me tell you that the Good News is for the people who are not Jews also. They are able to have life that lasts forever. They are to be a part of His church and family, together with the Jews. And together they are to receive all that God has promised through the Anointed One. God asked me to preach this Good News. He gave me the gift of His loving-favor. He gave me His power to preach it. Of all those who belong to the Anointed One, I am the least important. But this loving-favor was given to me to preach to the people who are not Jews. I was to tell them of the great riches in the Anointed One which do not come to an end.”⁴

Here we get a glimpse of the gossip being spread throughout the Galatian churches. Paul’s critics suggested that whatever Gospel he received from the original apostles, he customized to fit his audiences; that it was all in his head; an hypnotic form of persuasion. But Paul did not stand back and let such garbage go unchallenged. The Gospel he preached was not home-made, custom-made, or man-made, but God-made – divinely organic. In other words, he’s not making this stuff up.

As Augustine of Hippo (351-430 AD) made clear, human beings are anointed and sent to deliver the Gospel, and when they claim that the gospel they bring is of their own invention, then consider it false. In other words, if anything they say differs from what God said in His Word then it is to be considered a lie. The truth is not found in mankind, it is only found in God. Mankind does not invent the truth, what truth they do preach is sent to and through them by God’s Spirit.⁵

One of Augustine’s contemporaries, the great preacher Chrysostom, tells us to take a look at how insistent Paul was that they understand that he was taught by the Anointed One Himself; who, without human involvement, came down to reveal to him all he needed to know in order to preach the Gospel. And if someone were to ask Paul to prove that God Himself revealed all these indescribable mysteries to him, all he needed to do was point to his former life, arguing that his conversion would not have been possible, or so sudden, were it not for Divine revelation. For when people are zealous and eager in their opposition to some other point of view, their conversion will not come overnight. It will require much time, ingenuity, and patience.

It is clear, therefore, that Paul, whose conversion was sudden, and who was brought to his senses while at the very height of his madness, was only possible by a Divine revelation and teaching in order for him to regain complete sanity. On this account, he is obliged to relate stories of his former life and to call the Galatians as witnesses of past events. He wanted them to know that the Only-Begotten Son of God Himself spoke to him from heaven. And even those who were not present at the time, and did not know what happened, were still very much aware of what a persecutor he was of the Christians. In Paul’s words: “For my violent persecution even reached your ears.⁶ And seeing that the distance between Palestine and Galatia is so great, no such report would been breaking news if it wasn’t for acts of persecution that exceeded all expectations with great impact.⁷

An unknown scholar given the name Ambrosiaster (366-384 AD), in honor of Aurelius Ambrosius, better known as Saint Ambrose, who was also in the peer group of Chrysostom and Augustine, proposes that at this point in his letter Paul begins to explain the underlying principles of his message to the Galatians. Ambrosiaster feels that Paul wanted to make it very clear that he did not learn what he was teaching from other disciples or Apostles, even though it may cause some people to doubt what he was teaching them. Nor did he devise his preaching style just to suit their own religious thinking, which would make it seem unworthy of having divine authority. Rather, Paul insisted that he learned it from the Son of God by way of revelation since after the resurrection Jesus was already in heaven, and the things which Paul learned fit well with the will and majesty of the Anointed One from whom he said he learned them.

Ambrosiaster goes on to say, the things Paul was sharing with the Galatian believers were spiritual principles, that, if believed, would find favor with God. It was an attempt by Paul to show those who were still enamored with the Law of the First Covenant, and continued to observe them necessary, they would neither earn merit or demerits from God. However, if they considered them still valid, then they would certainly receive the punishment outlined because they were not all kept. That was the curse of the Law that Paul tried to show them what the Anointed One freed them from. Did they not understand that keeping the commandments of the old Law was a burden, not a blessing?⁸

The well-known Catholic theologian, Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), sees a connection here between what happened to Paul and what happened to Isaiah, and points to where the prophet said: “The Lord God gave me the ability to teach, so now I teach these sad people. Every morning He wakes me and teaches me like a student. The Lord God helps me learn, and I have not turned against Him. I will not stop following Him.⁹”¹⁰ In other words, the truth and revelation from God being transmitted to man was dispensed through many means, either by God’s voice, by an angel’s voice, by dreams or visions. But that message must then be communicated to others by way of human vessels that receive it. So in Paul’s case, he experienced an on-the-spot revelation from Jesus that he was being called to go preach the Gospel to the non-Jews, but he also received further information from Ananias in Damascus. Now he delivered what he heard and learned to the believers in Galatia. But the source still remains the same, it all came directly from God.

Reformer, Martin Luther comments about his own experience. He says that when he first took over the defense of the Gospel, he remembered what Doctor Staupitz said to him.¹¹ Staupitz told him that he liked what Paul was doing, and that the doctrine which he proclaim gave glory to God alone and none to man. For never can too much glory, goodness, and mercy be ascribed to God. These words of the worthy Doctor comforted Luther. The Gospel is true because it deprives mankind of all glory, wisdom, and righteousness, and turns over all honor to the Creator alone. It is safer to attribute too much glory to God than to mankind.¹²

Reformer John Calvin puts his stamp on this concept by pointing to those who objected to Paul’s claim of direct contact with the Anointed One. They believed he actually received his revelation from Ananias who was his teacher while in Damascus.¹³ But Paul kept ready an easy answer to give them. His divine instruction, communicated to him by divine inspiration, did not make it any less valid just because God used another human being in teaching it to him. Calvin pointed out earlier that Paul received a direct call from God by revelation, and ordained by the votes and the solemn approval of brethren in Antioch and Jerusalem. So these statements that it came directly from God and through one of His ministers are not inconsistent with each other.¹⁴

The outstanding theologian of the Wesleyan revival era, Adam Clarke (1760-1832), believes that Paul was being insistent that the Galatian believers understood that the Gospel he preached to them contained “not a spark of human invention in it, nor the slightest touch of human cunning.”¹⁵ No doubt, Paul was hoping that the brethren in these churches would see that when it came to the teaching of the Judaizers, that’s exactly the problem with their Gospel. In a way, they tried to crossbreed the seed of their thinking with the pure divinely organic seed of God’s Word brought by Jesus, the Son of God from His Father in Heaven, and that was an unforgivable error. In other words, we could put this in modern terms by saying that the gospel by these false teachers was genetically modified seed. It could also be represented as taking some of the words of Moses and mixing them with some of the Words of Jesus and coming up with a “fusion gospel.”

Ernest DeWitt Burton (1856-1925) points out that Paul’s opening here suggests that he was making a somewhat formal or solemn assertion that he is more than willing to back up what he claimed with evidence.¹⁶ This should be a model for all of us to follow when we declare any doctrine as being genuine and stamped with the approval of the Holy Spirit. If we are not totally convinced and strongly believe that the Word of God is true, and that the message we preach is not because of who we are, but because of whose we are, then don’t expect any who hear what we preach to be convicted and come to Jesus the Anointed One for salvation?

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER ONE (Lesson XXX)

William Ramsey (1861-1939) quotes a Professor William Locke about how the Apostle Paul often handles the taunts and criticism launched against him by the Judaizers. He does so by putting these phrases between commas in the text. One example is found here in verse ten with such phrases as “persuade men,” “seek to please men.” Such people should not be considered servants of the Anointed One.”¹ This helps us see better what Paul was being accused of in the Judaizer’s attempt to discredit him in the eyes of his converts. But mentioning these provocative accusations was not enough. Paul goes on to give his explanation of why they could not be more wrong. He starts by saying in verse sixteen that God’s Son was to be seen in him. He did this so he could preach about the Anointed One to the people who are not Jews. When this happened, he did not consult with other apostles.²

But Paul makes another point, and that was to show that his loyalty was to God first, not people. That’s why he could not claim to be a servant of the Anointed One with anything less than complete loyalty to God the Father who sent Him. I like the way verse ten is paraphrased in one version: “Do I sound to you like someone who is wishy-washy, someone who isn’t clear about what he believes, who suits his preaching to the whims and desires of his audience, as some claim I do; that to Jews I preach obedience to God’s Law and circumcision, and to non-Jews I preach faith and free forgiveness; or instead, do I sound like someone that is trying to please God? Or am I trying to seek human approval? If I were adulterating the truth of God for the sake of conciliating men and winning their favor, I could never be a slave of the Anointed One.”³ Yes, Paul stresses his independence from the original disciples, but leaves no doubt about his dependence on the One who sent him, and the message He gave him to preach. How insightful this is for every minister of the Gospel.

Paul reminds us of something many Christians have forgotten today. Our first obligation, responsibility, and duty is to the Anointed One. Perhaps, after we have done all that we can possibly do for Him; and after we have exhausted every possible way to please the Anointed One; if we do have any time left over at the end of each day, then maybe, but just maybe, we can appreciate worldly people’s acknowledgment that what we’re doing is good. But how many of us even accomplished our basic duties for Jesus – which, in Paul’s opinion came as an inherent motivation to follow Jesus, and not something a believer acquires after long thought or consideration – let alone done anything above and beyond the call of duty. Someone might say, “But I serve the Anointed One through the church.” I would disagree. We serve the church through the Anointed One as a member of His body. Over the years I’ve seen many who thought they backslid from the Anointed One, when in fact they backslid from following the church’s requirements, some of which even the Anointed One did not require. By putting the Anointed One first it helps us to deal with these other issues much easier.

Duncan Heaster throws some light in what Paul may be thinking of when he talks about seeking the applause of the audience. He tells us that in the first century AD, it was common for philosophers and orators to present themselves to others by means of what was called an “encomium,” which means “praise by another person.” In other words, one’s résumé. This speech usually consisted of five sections, clearly defined in the various manuals of rhetoric which have survived, and something Paul surely would have learned. The purpose of this encomium was to demonstrate how worthy a person was of being respected for their expertise.

Jewish writer Avi ben Mordechai first points out that he believed that Paul fully understood what it meant to be a true servant, especially a servant of Yeshua. Jesus made it very clear that any servant of His must do things His way because He will always be there watching them.⁴ In like manner, Mordechai speaks to converted Jews today by telling them that if they continue to submit to the authority of the Rabbis or Jewish leaders in any community whose doctrines replace the authority and teachings of Moses in the Written Torah, it means that we are taking what they say and adding to the Word of Yahweh. If the Word of Yahweh is added to, it is thereby His Word that is being altered.⁵ How could anyone do that and still claim to be a servant of Yahweh and His the Anointed One, Yeshua?⁶ They will end up being called liars, and, therefore, do not qualify to be called servants of Yahweh.⁷ Not only that, but they place themselves under a curse,⁸ as well as in violation of what the Anointed One Yeshua Himself said⁹.¹⁰

Some scholars of this letter to the Galatians have detected these sections of the encomium in the first part of Paul’s letter. There are as follows: I. Opening: Paul’s Gospel – 1:10-12; II. Lifestyle: Persecutor of the Church and preacher of the Gospel – 1:13-17; III. Achievements: Deeds of the body – 1:18-2:10; IV. Comparison with others: Paul and Peter: Paul and the Jews – 2:11-20; V. Conclusion: Paul and grace – 2:21. But instead of using the encomium as an instrument of self-praise, Paul almost mocks it by using its elements to show how radically different are the standards of thinking and behavior for a Christian communicator.¹¹

I like the way commentator N. T. Wright finishes this section. In his summary, the opponents of Paul suggested that he got his apostleship, and the message that he preached, from other early Christians, not from Jesus himself. By contrast, they got theirs from Jerusalem, from the original Apostles such as Peter and James, the brother of Jesus. But Paul objects. His apostleship, his commission to build this new family, came from God Himself, and from Jesus the Anointed One. Paul’s vision of Jesus on the road to Damascus is absolutely central for him and his work. So too is the Gospel.

For Paul, this isn’t an alternate system of salvation, or a new way of being religious. It’s the announcement that Jesus, the crucified, the Anointed One, is exalted as Lord of the whole world. Therefore, he is calling into existence a single worldwide family. This is the true Gospel, so beware of illicit imitations. Indeed, shun them; they are a curse, not a blessing. Paul’s apostolic aim to build a single Jesus-based family by announcing this Gospel has been designed for both Jew and Gentile alike. However, it’s as much a challenge in our day as it has ever been. In the wider world, ethnic rivalry and religious hostility continue unabated. Isn’t it time for the church to rediscover the Apostolic Gospel, and to live by it?¹²

And Grant Osborne gives us an excellent summation of what Paul was attempting to say here in this first part of his letter to the Galatians. The opening of this letter, while following ordinary letter-writing protocol, goes far beyond to highlight both the authority of Paul’s apostleship (speaking with authority from God) and salvation by the Anointed One alone via his death on the cross (not by the law). In the Anointed One the new age has arrived, and with Him this world moves toward its intended destiny. The glory of God is paramount, and God’s people must center upon that which leads to the praise and pleasure of God and the Anointed One rather than of self or others. Based on the Galatians’ surrender to the false views of the Judaizers, they failed miserable in doing this. In our day, too, we must make certain that we do not allow false theology to destroy our usefulness to God and endanger our relationship with Him.¹³

So Paul starts out this section with the heartbreak of finding out that all the seeds of the true Gospel he planted were not being dug up and a new crop of modified seeds were being planted in the hearts and minds of the Galatians, and he ends with his declaration that whether they accept his admonition or not, his goal is not to please them but to please the One who sent him. He did not seek the accolades of mankind because in so doing he ran the risk of becoming an unworthy servant of the Most High God. So his motto was pure and simple, stick with the pure gospel through thick and thin because in the end it’s the only thing that will survive in order to bring salvation and eternal life.

I like what Pastor Phil Newton of Memphis, Tennessee says about this subject of being a person-pleaser. He asks, how do we fall prey to this danger of being men-pleasers with the gospel? When our focus is on impressing others with our evangelistic prowess, then we’ve begun to curry the favor of men. When we can water-down the message of the gospel with the rationale that we are trying to be more “seeker-friendly,” we are seeking the favor of men and not of God. When we can eliminate or gloss over the cross of Christ and its centrality in the Gospel message, placing our emphasis in salvation upon what a person prays or upon some outward profession, then we are seeking to please men. Plenty of sinners will be glad to do anything you ask of them in terms of outward response, as long as they do not have to abandon themselves to the grace of God alone revealed in Jesus Christ and His atoning work. But leave them shut up with the Gospel alone and the power of God revealed in the Gospel alone, then you will have them running for the cover of self-righteousness, until the Holy Spirit graciously regenerates them.¹⁴ Paul wasn’t afraid to tell it like it is when it came to the Gospel and salvation, so why should we?

British Sunday school teacher J. L. Nye, collected stories from all around the world to illustrate what was being said in the Bible. So here in verse ten where Paul speaks of not speaking to please men but his Lord Jesus the Anointed One, Nye tells about the great preacher Charles Spurgeon. Spurgeon was invited by a lecture committee in America to come and give a series of twenty lectures. All of his travel expenses would be paid plus a $1,000 stipend given to him. Spurgeon’s response was, “I have no time for lecturing, I am a minister of the Gospel, and if I ever do come to America no one shall pay a penny to hear me preach.”¹⁵

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER ONE (Lesson XXIX)

John Calvin interprets Paul’s statement that he is doing very little, if anything, to please people as a remarkable sentiment. What Paul is really saying is that ambitious persons, that is, those who hunt after the applause of their fellow believers, cannot be serving the Anointed One by doing such a thing. That’s why Paul quickly declares for himself, that he willingly renounced seeking the flattery of others in order to devote himself entirely to the service of the Anointed One. In this respect, he contrasts his present position with the one he once occupied during an earlier period in his life. He was regarded back then with the highest esteem, and he received from every quarter loud applause. Therefore, if he had continued to please his fellow Pharisees, he would have never found it necessary to change his condition. That’s why it must become a standard that those who resolve to serve the Anointed One faithfully, must also have the boldness to dismiss the idea of seeking the favor of what the world has to say about their mission.¹

Puritan John Trapp (1601-1669) offers some insight into trying to please people instead of pleasing God. He is convinced that people-pleasers who seek favor with everyone, and do not want to be thought of as a persona non grata to the world, lose a real friend in God. Neither do they keep their popularity for long with those they are doing everything to please. Emperor Constantine once admonished a preacher who was so bold as to call him a “blessed man” to his face, thinking that by doing so the two of them would become best friends.²

In fact, Theodoric the Great, king of the Arians who migrated to Rome from the north during the 3^rd and 4^th centuries and became King of all Italy, really impressed a certain deacon of the East Orthodox Church with his kindness. The deacon, thinking to please King Theodoric better and get preferential treatment, became an Arian believer. When the king heard about it, his admiration for the deacon changed to anger, and ordered his head to be struck from his shoulders. Also, Erasmus, by seeking to please both sides, was neither esteemed by the Roman Catholics nor honored by the Protestants. He was too much of a coward and people-pleasing who other than that, did the Church a very good service.³ So we learn that when you try to please everyone you will end up being hated by everybody.

Brother Lawrence, whose real name was Nicholas Herman, (1614-1691) was a monk in the Carmelite monastery in Paris, France. In one of his conversations with an unnamed writer, Brother Lawrence talked about praising, adoring and loving God continually because of His infinite goodness and always doing what was right. No one should be discouraged about speaking to God on account of their mistakes. Rather, they should pray for His grace with a total confidence based on their reliance on the infinite merits of our Lord. That God never failed offering us His grace at each instance; that Brother Lawrence perceived and never failed to recognize it except when his mind let his thoughts wandered from a sense of God’s Presence, or he forgot to ask His help.

Another thing that Brother Lawrence said, was that God always gives us understanding concerning our doubts about what we did right or did wrong, especially when we wanted nothing else except to please Him. That our sanctification did not depend upon changing how we did it but in doing it for God’s sake. That it is distressing to see how many people mistake the means for the end, addicting themselves to certain works which they performed imperfectly by reason of their human or selfish desires. The most excellent method Brother Lawrence found in going to God was by doing what Paul says here in verse ten. That we do not do our work for God with any view of pleasing others,⁴ and, as far as is possible, purely out of love for God.

Brother Lawrence then adds, that we ought, once and for all, to heartily put our whole trust in God and totally surrender of ourselves to Him, being secure in knowing that He will never deceive us. That we ought never become weary of doing little things out of love for God who doesn’t regard the greatness of our work but the love with which we performed it. That we should not wonder if, in the beginning, we often fail in our endeavors but that should never stop trying, which will naturally produce more things we want to do for Him without any worries and bring us exceeding great joy.⁵

Matthew Poole focuses on Paul’s use of the word “now” to imply that he must have held a different opinion before. Poole believed that Paul is referring to when he was a Pharisee before he became a Christian. Back then, he thought like a Pharisee who was influenced by the unwritten teachings of the Rabbis from the past. But now that he’s a Christian, he isn’t interested in what people say is the truth but what God says is truth. That’s why Paul did not preach to get the applause of others because of his wit or wisdom. Everyone knows that it is the duty of inferiors to please their superiors. Other Apostles were all human beings like Paul was, they were not his superiors. His superior was none other than Jesus the Anointed One, the One who called him, the One who sent him, and the One who gave him his message.⁶

Frederic Rendall (1840-1906) makes an interesting point here in verse ten that will help us decipher the exact intent in what Paul is saying here to his critics. The KJV translates it: “For do I now persuade men, or God?” The NIV renders it: “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?” When put either way it still leaves a cloud of doubt over what Paul means. Why would he try to persuade or win the approval of God? The Complete Jewish Bible uses the Western way of thinking instead the Eastern way looking at it when he said in Greek: “Now does that sound as if I were trying to win human approval? No! I want God’s approval! Or that I’m trying to cater to people? If I were still doing that, I would not be a servant of the Anointed One.”

So, instead of it being an attempt to win the approval of both people and God, it is either getting the people’s approval or God’s approval. Rendall thinks that it would be helpful if we take the Greek particle “ē” (which means “either” or “than”), and change it to the English adverb, “rather.” So Rendall would have Paul asking the Galatians: “Am I now persuading men rather than God?”⁷ This must certainly be the goal whenever a person preaches, sings, leads praise and worship, or prays, etc. That was Paul unchanging focus and purpose for going through so many heartaches and physical torment in traveling thousands of miles on ship and foot to get out the Good News about the coming of the Anointed One to set free those impounded by Satan, sin, and the Law so they can worship God in freedom and in spirit.⁸

For Joseph Beet (1840-1924), what Paul says here about doing things to be received favorably by others was not easy for him. As a Pharisee, that was his main aim and purpose. When a person does not have the Anointed One in their life then their happiness and self-esteem depends more or less on those around them. That’s why they will do almost anything to get close to those at the top as possible. No doubt, Paul being conscious of this bondage to the wishes of those on whom a person depends for support caused him to be adamant in his condemnation of that kind of allegiance to anyone but the Anointed One. The greatest reward for a servant after a job well done is the Master’s smile. And as servants of the Anointed One we should not be in a hurry to receive the applause of those around us before we are sure that we are pleasing the Anointed One, our Lord, and Master.⁹

Methodist scholar G. G. Findlay (1849-1919) is convinced that Paul calculated these words beginning in verse six through verse ten to startle the Galatians out of their stupor. He meant them to be like a lightning-flash to show these deluded believers that they were standing on the edge of a precipice. It was to enlighten them about the unending severity of the controversy between Judaism and Christianity; the profound gulf that lay between Paul and Judaizers. He is more or less declaring war on these false teachers who’ve come to kidnap his precious children. He did not hesitate to throw out a challenge in defiance to those who are enemies of the cross. With all his tactfulness and stern handling of the situation he was ready to confront the susceptibility of the Galatians to be easily fooled and their tendency of turning ant hills into mountains, even though they were sincere in the consciences. But in this case, Paul found no room for compromise with the Judaizers here.

He knew the sort of men he was dealing with. He was fully aware that the whole truth of the Gospel was at stake. Not circumstantials, but essentials; not his personal authority, but the honor of the Anointed One, The Doctrine of the Cross was involved in this act of desertion by the Galatians. He must speak plainly; he must act strongly, and at once; or the cause of the Gospel is lost. He made that clear when he said here in verse ten, “I am not trying to please you by sweet talk and flattery; no, I am trying to please God. If I were still trying to please men I could not be the servant of the Anointed One.”

Paul was determined to stand strong against these weak opponents who came to charm these Galatians into switching sides. To consider even looking at this “other gospel” would have been an act of treason for him. There is but one tribunal before which this quarrel can be decided. That was by “the One who called” the Galatians “to live in the grace of the Anointed One.” It was the same One who by the same grace called the Apostle to His service and gave him the message he preached to them. So it was in God’s name and the authority conferred upon him, and for which he must give account, he denounces these troublemakers in verse eight with strong words, “anathema.”¹⁰ They are sworn enemies of the Anointed One, and by their treachery they should be forever excluded from God’s kingdom.¹¹

Many years ago, country singer Tex Ritter sang song about a soldier who didn’t have a Bible to read, so he always pulled out a deck of cards to serve as his Bible. I heard this story back when I was in the Army but my wife was unfamiliar with it. So she thought it would be a good Memorial Day tribute to our troops and I agree. So here it is, I hope you enjoy it.

One Sunday, he and some of his fellow soldiers went to the chapel to attend the Sunday morning service. When the minister asked everyone to take out their Bibles, this young lad didn’t have a Bible, so he pulled out a deck of cards. Later, a sergeant asked him how he could say that his deck of cards was his Bible. Here’s what the young soldier told him:

“You see, Sir, when I look at the Ace it reminds me that there is but one God. The two reminds me that the Bible is divided into two parts; the Old and New Testaments. And when I see the three I think of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. When I see the four I think of the four evangelist who preached the Gospel. There was Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And when I see the five it reminds me of the five wise virgins who trimmed their lamps. Ten of ’em; five who were wise and were saved; five were foolish and were shut out. And when I see the six it reminds me that in six days God made this great heaven and earth. And when I see the seven it reminds me that on the seventh day God rested from His great work.”

“When I see the eight I think of the eight righteous persons God saved when he destroyed this earth. There was Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their wives. And when I see the nine I think of the lepers our Savior cleansed , and nine of the ten didn’t even thank Him. When I see the ten I think of the Ten Commandments God handed down to Moses on a tablet of stone. When I see the King it reminds me that there is but one King of Heaven, God Almighty. And when I see the queen I think of the Blessed Virgin Mary who is Queen of Heaven. And the jacks, it’s the devil. And when I count the number of spots on a deck of cards I find three hundred sixty-five the number of days in a year. Fifty-two cards, the number of weeks in a year. Four suits, the number of weeks in a month. Twelve picture cards, the number of months in a year. Thirteen combinations, the number of weeks in a quarter. So you see, Sir, my pack of cards serve me as a Bible, almanac, and prayer book.”

So we don’t always need a Bible to remind us of our great God and His presence with us here on earth. There are many things that can make us aware that He left a lot of evidence that He is in us and all around us. The stars in the sky reminded David the shepherd boy of God’s wondrous handiwork. So do the mountains, valleys, oceans and seas. But there is no better evidence that we can have than God’s Spirit living in our hearts. As the blind man in the Bible told the Pharisees that he was healed in an instant, the former blind man said he wasn’t sure exactly who it was that healed him, all he knows is that once he was blind, but now he could see. – Dr. Robert R Seyda