Galatians 1:10-21 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus. Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days. I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother. I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. Then I went to Syria and Cilicia. I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” And they praised God because of me.
The believers in Galatia were jeopardizing their salvation by adding on works to be right with God. Some people, probably Jews, were telling them that to be acceptable to a righteous God, they must be circumcised to indicate a separation from a sinful world. Of course, circumcision has its companion and that is the Law and its regulations. Law was creeping into the soundness of God’s plan of salvation for people to be right with God. God’s plan of redemption is the work of Jesus on the cross. The cross and the blood of Jesus cleanses mankind from sin through faith in him. No other work or animal sacrifice was required by God to be right with him. Salvation was a gift of God given to men and women freely, without any other deeds required by him. Salvation came through faith in the works of Jesus, not the works of men and women. The father of faith was Abraham, for he accepted the irrevocable words of God. Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. (Romans 4:3) What God speaks is true and cannot be altered. God promised Abraham a son coming from Sarah’s dead womb. Abraham believed God’s word was irrefutable, unchangeable, and cannot be questioned. THIS IS FAITH! What God says, He does. Abraham did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. (Romans 4:20-25) No other work but faith in God’s plan is needed to create new life. God's plan of redemption from sin was in the heart of God from the beginning of time. He made humans in his likeness, in his freedom and nature of freewill. With this attribute of freewill, mankind was always in danger of altering God’s will for him. In Genesis we see the devil entering the picture of existence. He is an enemy to God’s unalterable word. He knew what God says will be done. He also knew that Adam and Eve were made in God’s image, with freewill. So he comes to Eve to exploit her freewill nature. He is crafty and knowledgeable, so he uses words that might entice Eve to exercise her freewill in eating forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge. “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5) Eve knew she was doing wrong when she partook of the tree, but not understanding completely that God’s words are permanent, unalterable. The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” (Genesis 3:2-3) Because of her waywardness to God’s words, Adam and Eve were removed from from the Garden. They would no longer exist forever, they would die outside of the Garden in a harsh world. Paul in this letter to the Galatians is wrestling with the believers about them not wishing to follow God’s perfect plan of salvation, instead, desiring to place works in this redemptive plan of God. Of course, he knew the origin of this deception was the scheme of the devil. The devil knows God’s words cannot be messed with--death always follows.
Men and women often skew the plan of God by adding tidbits of the law within it. But Paul is adamant about the plan of God, for he received it directly from Jesus. Jesus told him the truth of the cross. In Christ, believers are dead with Christ and are raised with Christ from death to a new life. However, adding the ideas of others to God’s perfect plan of salvation will bring damnation, not a born again life. Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. (Colossians 2:20-22) The Galatians were inserting circumcision as a necessary addition to the Good News. But this addition has only death in it, not a new life. The devil told Eve if you come up with your own plan, you will be like God. But that is a huge deception, for there is only one God whose words must be obeyed. He is not just an authority figure, He is God. He created everything through Jesus Christ, known as the Word, the unchanging, unstoppable Word of God. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5) What the Word says, will come into reality. Paul knows that only the Word, Jesus Christ, can restore the Galatians to God. The plan of God through the Word WILL HAPPEN, it is irrevocable. “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.” (John 12:47-50) Jesus spoke only the unalterable words of God, and what He says will not be changed in any way. If God says Jesus is THE WAY to eternal life, then He IS THE WAY; Jesus is the only way to be right with God. For Christians that should bring us great joy, for the word of God is written in stone; it will not be changed or erased. But for the unredeemed it brings sorrow. God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:16-18) God’s words cannot be altered, for they will stand unchanged: whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. However, whoever does not believe stands condemned. The believers receive eternal life with God; the unbelievers receive eternal judgment. God’s words are irrevocable so they will be done.
In the Old Testament we see the results of disobeying or obeying God’s words. King Saul ran across the reality of God’s unaltered words when he failed to carry out his instructions about the Amalekites. He was to destroy everything they owned. He was to kill all of them, not allowing even a baby to escape his sword. Saul failed to carry out this command. Saul as Eve used his own God-given freedom to save some of the better animals to sacrifice to God, and he also saved the life of the Amalekites’ king. But, because he disobeyed God’s eternal word and substituted his own ideas about what he should do with the King and the better animals, God judged him harshly. “Tell me,” Samuel said. “Does the Lord really want sacrifices and offerings? No! He doesn't want your sacrifices. He wants you to obey him. Rebelling against God or disobeying him because you are proud is just as bad as worshiping idols or asking them for advice. You refused to do what God told you, so God has decided that you can no longer be king.” (1 Samuel 15:22-23) In Saul’s mind he was doing the right thing. Samuel tells Saul, your arrogance in disobeying God's word cost you your kingdom. Saul thought he was dealing with just an authority. You can disobey an authority, but he was dealing with God. You cannot disobey God and get away with it. In the Old Testament we see the children of Israel dealt with harshly. Finally they were dispersed from Canaan, living in other lands as slaves. They thought they could live in Canaan based on their free wills and not in obedience to God’s demands on their lives. They did not consistently take care of the poor, the disabled, the destitute, the orphans, and the widows. They were cold-hearted to the needy. However, God’s commands were unchangeable. They were unwilling to have the goodness and justice of God in their society. As King Saul found out, there are consequences for not following God’s commands. Judgment will always follow when freewill trumps God’s words. Moses could not enter into the Promised Land because he struck a rock, the presence of God that was always with them as THE ROCK. He struck the rock out of anger rather that speak to it for the water it contained. He was angry with the people so he did what his freewill could, strike the rock out of anger. However, God demanded Moses to follow exactly his instructions. Jesus said He always did what God told him to do. Because Moses disobeyed, he was not holy, but because Jesus always obeyed the irrevocable word of God, He was completely holy. Noah found favor with God because he obeyed God in building an ark exactly as God demanded. I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. Noah did everything just as God commanded him. (Genesis 6:17-18 & 22) He and his family were saved from destruction. He knew by faith God’s words are inalterable. They must be followed exactly. We around this breakfast table have taken God’s words seriously. We are saved because we believe IN THE WORD: Jesus Christ. Through the Word all things were created and through him, light came into existence. Jesus said He is the light of the world. We are lights too because we reflect his light. Paul was struggling with the Galatians because their lights were being dimmed because of adding works to God’s salvation plan. Good works to know God will kill the light. Knowing God comes only through believing the irrefutable plan of God. Paul was astonished that the Galatians were deserting God’s irrevocable Plan of salvation, substituting their own ideas about salvation. Paul tells them the truth; their plans are really no gospel at all. Dear friends, do not add anything to the perfect grace of God. What God has done through his son, Jesus, is enough: perfect! Jesus said on the cross, IT IS FINISHED. Love, Dad and Mom
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