For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ (Gal. 1:10).
Not a people pleaser
Apparently, the false teachers had told the Galatians that Paul was “watering down” the gospel to get “decisions for Christ.” They not only attacked Paul’s message of justification by faith alone, but also his motivation. Paul rejects this charge in the strongest way. A minister of the gospel must make a decision to either please men or please God. Paul makes it clear that if he were still trying to please men, he would not be a servant of Christ. Instead, he would be that Pharisee, who was rapidly advancing in prestige among his peers. As he said in Galatians 1:14, “I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions.”
As a former pastor, I can attest to the strength of the temptation to please men. As I review my ministry to several congregations, I realize that “pleasing men” not only applied to people in my congregations, but, more importantly, in the Adventist church to “the conference brethren” (see Ratzlaff, Truth Led Me Out, for a number of examples). I was counseled time and again to fall in line with what the leaders of the church were promoting. As an intern, I was taught that when my supervising pastor “said jump,” I should ask, “how high?” without questioning. Pleasing men was the formula for advancement.
For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:12).
A new revelation
This is a vitally important statement for several reasons. First and foremost, it places Paul’s gospel on a firm foundation—it came directly through a revelation from Christ. It was not something that Paul thought up. It was the antithesis of Paul’s former life in Judaism.
Not from men
Second, the fact that Paul did not receive his gospel “from men” rules out the eleven Apostles as the source. Here, too, is a significant insight. The “gospel” taught by the eleven Apostles between the resurrection and the church council in Acts 15 was faith in the Resurrected Christ and obedience to the old covenant law, even some ritual laws prescribed in the Torah. If we try to read back into the early days of Christianity the gospel of justification by faith alone, we are not being honest with the record. Consider the following:
On the day of Pentecost, Peter’s message was twofold: Jesus was the promised Messiah, and God raised Him from the dead.
And so, because he was a prophet and knew that GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SEAT one OF HIS DESCENDANTS ON HIS THRONE, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY. “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses (Acts 2:30-32).
Furthermore,
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:36-38).
Initially, no change in the function of O.T. Law
Outside of these facts, there is no mention of any change regarding the Old Testament law being a continued requirement. Thus, the concept of faith in Jesus’s resurrection plus obedience to at least portions of the law was the “natural” way the early Jewish Christians would have described the “gospel.” Yes, at this stage in salvation history, it was a saving gospel because it was centered on the belief in the death and resurrection of Christ. However, it was not the mature gospel given to Paul to which we are to give adherence. At the Jerusalem Council—which we will study in greater detail in future lessons—we find this record:
But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses” (Acts 15:5).
Years later when Paul was at Jerusalem, we read,
And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. After he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. And when they heard it they began glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law; and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. “What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. “Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law (Acts 21:18-24).
At this time, late in the ministry of Paul, the Jerusalem leaders, specifically James and the “elders,” appear to be Torah observant.
New truth needs repetition
Paul’s conversion and enlightenment are recorded in Acts 9. The next two chapters in Acts give the detailed, supernatural experience of God teaching Peter, along with six “brethren”, to accept the Gentiles as fully Christian without their becoming Jews. This means that Gentiles do not come under the Old Testament Law. Chapter eleven, but for a few details, is almost a repeat of chapter 10. This “new truth” needed repetition.
Paul’s gospel based on historical facts
From Galatians 1:13 through 2:21, Paul gives us his most extended autobiography. This takes up nearly one-fourth of the letter, showing its importance to Paul’s thesis: “My gospel was given to me as a revelation from Christ and was not in the least way influenced by any man.”
For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it (Gal 1:13).
Doubtless, Paul had considerable knowledge of the early Christians. He was present at the stoning of Stephen and witnessed Stephen’s godly example of forgiving those who were in the process of killing him. Paul probably knew of other Christians who had been persecuted for their unwavering faith in Jesus as the Messiah. Considering these claims to be false, Paul, fallowing Old Testament law, set out to kill as many Christ-followers as possible and “to destroy the church of God.” His goal and motivation were to keep the purity of the Jewish law and traditions intact.
The early proclamation of the Apostles angered the Jewish leaders
This Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power (Acts 2:23-24).
To proclaim that the Jewish leaders put their Messiah to death, who was resurrected on the third day, and ascended to the right hand of God a few days later, was indeed maddening to the “deep state” of Judaism of whom Paul was a shining example.
We should remember that in the early days of Christianity, believers were not known as Christians. That name was first ascribed to the believers in Antioch (Acts 11:26). Therefore, from Paul’s perspective, he did not see the early Christians as a separate entity but as a rogue faction of Judaism which was undermining Jewish tradition.
I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions (Gal. 1:14).
We know that Paul was a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee and was under the tutelage of Rabban Gamaliel I, who was a leading authority in the Sanhedrin in the early first century.
God’s sovereign act
But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me, so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles.
Here we find one of the most persuasive examples of God’s election, foreknowledge, and sovereign grace. Paul was chosen from his birth (or before). Years later, Paul was called to the very ministry to which he had previously been chosen. At that point, he was given a revelation of Christ.
The phrase “was pleased to reveal His Son in me” is most likely a reference to Paul’s Damascus Road experience. “In me” can be understood in two ways. First, it could be a subjective or mystical revelation given personally to the mind of Paul, much like a vision. However, I believe “in me” refers to the objective, real experience Paul had. He saw with his own eyes the glory “brighter than the sun” of the Risen Christ and was blinded by that encounter. Writing to the Corinthians, Paul said, “Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?” (1 Cor. 9:1). Paul not only saw the Risen Christ, but he also heard him speak in his native tongue ( And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 26:14). Paul even gives us the time and place of this revelation: on the Damascus Road about noontime. The gospel Paul proclaimed was not a mystical, “new age” gospel, but was based upon historical facts.
To reveal
Even though there are many Old Testament examples of righteousness by faith in God’s declaration (See Romans 4 for the examples of Abraham and David), the revelation of the gospel of justification by faith alone without reference to the law was, indeed, a new understanding for Jews of Paul’s day. Timothy George in The New American Commentary, Galatians, p. 121, lists six aspects of Paul’s gospel—the gospel we proclaim today.
First, the gospel is a revelation, the unveiling of good news which was previously unknown. This revelation given through Paul was God’s gracious act to rescue sinners.
Second, the gospel is a dynamic force in human history. It is not good advice or a code of ethics to be memorized and obeyed.
Third, the gospel is not merely a personal testimony, but a life-changing message leading one to worship and praise Almighty God.
Forth, the gospel had a normative role in Paul’s ministry. This can be seen in His adamant denunciation of any who would compromise its purity. This is one of the articles of Christian faith which must be defended all costs.
Fifth, the gospel of Christ preached by Paul, while truly a new unveiling, was not developed through mysticism or pulled out of thin air. It is based upon historical realities.
Sixth, the gospel Paul proclaimed was universal in scope. It is free from the Old Covenant markers given to Israel. No longer do food, drink, feast days, sabbaths, and special clothing have a place in this new proclamation. No longer do people of one culture or geographical place have a monopoly on God’s blessing. The good news is designed to be proclaimed to every culture, to every language, to all the world.
I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus (Gal. 1:15-17).
For Paul, the Damascus road event was a sovereign act of God’s grace. His assigned mission was to preach Christ among the Gentiles.
Assignment
- Read Philippians 1:12-18.
- Do some online research on Kanye West and Joel Osteen in their joint church services.
- Research what Franklin Graham had to say about this union in general and Kanye West specifically.
Discussion Questions
- Can you think of pastors/churches who are “watering down” the gospel to get “decisions for Christ?”
- Is it better to have pastors proclaiming a “watered-down gospel” than no gospel at all?
- Have you ever been tempted to be a “people pleaser”? If so, share your experience with your discussion group.
- Comment on the following statement. The Billy Graham organization has been instrumental in the saving of thousands, if not millions of people. In the process, they have partnered with many questionable organizations that may not, in themselves, proclaim a pure gospel. Yet both Billy and his son proclaim a true gospel.
- Can a person be a “people pleaser” to build relationships and then later, proclaim a pure gospel?
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