The Apostle

I realize I'm skipping some text, but I'll go back to it. These are the first thoughts that have come to mind, so they're the first I'll share with you.

Beginning in v13 and on to v24, it might appear that Paul is somehow defending himself. Without considering the entire context of the letter, it would be easy to get this impression. Taken as a part of the larger context, though, what I find is that he is making preparation for the rest of the letter. I’d remind you that this man was an apostle, and had been for a very long time. His life and teaching were a direct result of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He had empowerment from on high which we do not have today. He’d raised men from the dead, healed the sick and blind, been miraculously freed from prison (yet remained within). When he first came to cities of Galatia, it was with this same divine power. There was no need for him to defend himself or his standing as an apostle.

The need here is for the apostle to set the stage for the things he is about to say. Remember, we’re talking about a master of logical reasoning. Certainly the Holy Spirit had directed him regarding what to say, but I imagine that Paul had it all organized in his mind before he set it down on paper.

There are a couple of things I want to point out, though, before we get too deep. First, although Paul recounts his discipleship under the ministry of the Holy Spirit, he never recounts the actual details of his calling on the road to Damascus.

Now, that event bears some striking resemblance to another call that I want to discuss – The call of Moses.

Both of these were well educated men, one raised in the house of Pharaoh, the other in the temple at Jerusalem. Each was personally called by God in a miraculous way, called aside from the way, by the very voice of the Almighty. The path of life was changed and a new one, directly guided by God, was laid before each of them. Both were taught personally by the Most High.

Moses was called to lead the people from physical bondage in Egypt into the spiritual bondage of the Law. Bondage? Absolutely. See what Paul says in Galatians 4:24-25. Contrariwise, Paul’s ministry was to set the gentiles free from the universal law of sin and death, and to keep them from being entangled in the snare of the Law of Moses and brought into bondage. In order to do this, he had to educate Jews about this new liberty that had become available through Jesus Christ. (This last part was more along Peter’s line, but sometimes it became Paul’s job, also. As we get into that section, I want to explore a bit about Peter’s ministry after the vision of the sheet.)