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Galatians
BC Weekly Digest Monday, June 21 1999 In this issue: Galatians 1:18-24 Galatians 1:8 Galatians 1:6-9 Galatians 1:1 Galatians 1:8 Galatians 1:18-24 Galatians 1:18-24 (OPV) 18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to make the acquaintance of Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles, except James, the Lord's brother. 20 Now in the things I am writing to you, behold, before God, I am not lying. 21 Then I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was unknown by face to the Judean churches in Christ. 23 They had only been hearing: He who once persecuted us, is now preaching the faith he formerly devastated. 24 And they were glorifying God in me. === *1:18 "After three years" It is uncertain whether this is three years after he returned from Arabia or three years after his conversion. Nor do we know how long he remained in Arabia. *1:18 "I went up to Jerusalem" In Acts more details are given: "And when he was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: and they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. And he was with them going in and going out at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord: and he spake and disputed against the Grecian Jews; but they were seeking to kill him. And when the brethren knew it, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus" (Acts 9:26-30 ASV). *1:18 "To make the acquaintance of Cephas" Cephas is the Hebrew name of Peter. Jesus had given him this name: "Jesus looked upon him, and said, Thou art Simon the son of John: thou shalt be called Cephas (which is by interpretation, Peter)" (John 1:42 ASV). It is understandable that Paul, after being forced to flee from Damascus, might wish to get acquainted with the Christians at Jerusalem, now as a brother, rather than as a persecutor. In Galatians Paul emphasizes that his teaching came directly from Christ and not from or via others. But he also shows that there is no conflict between him and the other apostles. *1:18 "I stayed with him fifteen days" Although he made Peter's acquaintance, this was not sufficient time for him be indoctrinated, especially when we notice in Acts that he was busy preaching the gospel! The brethren in Jerusalem had an opportunity to hear the message Paul preached. How long Paul intended to stay, we do not know. But soon after fleeing from Damascus, he also had to flee from Jerusalem to save his life. The persecutor became the persecuted. He gives more details in Acts. "And it came to pass, that, when I had returned to Jerusalem, and while I prayed in the temple, I fell into a trance, and saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem; because they will not receive of thee testimony concerning me" (Acts 22:17,18 ASV). "Depart: for I will send thee forth far hence unto the Gentiles" (Acts 22:21 ASV). *1:19 "But I saw none of the other apostles, except James" Some have imagined a conflict between this and Acts 9: "But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles" but this can refer to the apostles who were in Jerusalem at the time and need not include all the apostles. It has been suggested that two separate trips might be under consideration, yet both accounts seem to refer to Paul's first visit to Jerusalem after becoming a Christian, and his departure to other regions afterwards is mentioned in both cases. Paul's teaching did not come from the other apostles. He had been with Peter for only two weeks, and for many years had not even met any of the others, except James. *1:19 "James, the Lord's brother" "Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas?" (Matt 13:55). At one point during Jesus' ministry, His brothers did not believe in Him (John 7:5). This changed, however, considering this verse, and also Paul's mention of "the brothers of the Lord" in 1 Corinthians 9:5. The letter of James was probably written by the same James mentioned here, and the letter of Jude was evidently also written by one of the Lord's brothers. Since James was a common name at that time, there is some question about which James is being referred to at times in the New Testament. Since this James is called an apostle, some have suggested that he might be James the son of Alpheus, who was a cousin of Jesus. In that case the word 'brother' is understood as meaning 'kinsman'. In addition to the specific sense referring to the twelve and Paul, however, the word 'apostle' (which in Greek means 'one sent') is also used in a more general sense to refer to missionaries (Acts 14:14; Rom 16:7). Although James, the brother of Jesus, was not one of the twelve, he could still be called an apostle in the sense of a missionary. *1:20 "Now in the things I am writing to you, behold, before God, I am not lying" Since Paul's apostleship was being questioned, he goes to great lengths to substantiate the facts by giving concrete details. He wanted to remove all possibility of misunderstanding relative to his commission or his integrity. We notice this same desire as he writes to the Corinthians: "for we take thought for things honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men" (2 Cor 8:21 ASV). *1:21 "Then I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia" Tarsus, the city of Paul's birth, was in Cilicia. He went there when he left Jerusalem: "And when the brethren knew it, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus" (Acts 9:30). While Paul was in Cilicia, Barnabas came and asked him to come to Antioch which was in Syria (Acts 11:25,26). *1:22 "I was unknown by face to the Judean churches in Christ" Although Paul had visited Jerusalem for fifteen days, he had not become acquainted with the other congregations in Judea. The concept of being 'in Christ' is prominent in the New Testament. By being buried with Christ through baptism, we are united with Him (Rom 6:4,5). We are baptized into His body, the church (1 Cor 12:12,13; Eph 1:22,23). "For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ" (Gal 3:27 ASV). "So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and severally members one of another" (Rom 12:5 ASV). Thus, being in the church of Christ is not simply being a member of a religious group, it is being a functional part of the body of Jesus Christ, and having all the blessings which are 'in Christ'. "Wherefore if any man is in Christ, [he is] a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new" (2 Cor 5:17 ASV). "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death" (Rom 8:1,2 ASV). This gives us liberty in Christ (Gal 2:4). "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: that upon the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Gal 3:13,14 ASV). "Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly [places] in Christ: even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love: having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will" (Eph 1:3-5 ASV). "But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly [places], in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus: for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; not of works, that no man should glory. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them" (Eph 2:4-10 ASV). "And [it is] from Him [that] you are in Christ Jesus" (1 Cor 1:30 OPV). "Thanks be unto God, who always leadeth us in triumph in Christ" (1 Cor 2:14). "Peace be unto you all that are in Christ" (1 Peter 5:14). *1:23,24 "They had only been hearing: He who once persecuted us, is now preaching the faith he formerly devastated. And they were glorifying God in me." Imagine the reaction when they heard that Paul the persecutor had become a Christian! At first they would not believe it, as when he first went to Jerusalem: "And when he was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: and they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple" (Acts 9:26 ASV). But how they would rejoice when they were convinced that it was true. They would know that only God could accomplish a conversion such as that! Roy Davison ------------------------------ Galatians 1:8 Galatians 1:8 (OPV) 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach any gospel to you other than what we preached to you, let him be accursed. === The question has been asked: Is this statement by Paul an open condemnation of the Mormon church and its doctrine? === The formal name of the church founded by Joseph Smith is 'The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints'. In addition to the Old and New Testaments (which Mormons claim are not reliable) they have 'The Book of Mormon'. Joseph Smith claimed that The Book of Mormon was an inspired translation of certain plates that were delivered to him by an angel on 22 September 1827. The present English edition of the Book of Mormon contains many changes from the original edition published in English in 1830. The Mormons claim that these changes relate only to the correction of spelling and grammar. This is false. In Alma 29:4 the present edition omits a clause that was in the 1830 edition "yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable". In 1 Nephi 11:18 the present edition has "Behold the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God" whereas the 1830 edition had "Behold, the virgin which thou seest, is the mother of God". The same change was made in verse 21. In Mosiah 21:28 the present edition has 'King Mosiah' whereas the original edition had 'King Benjamin'. In the present edition 'The Testimony of Eight Witnesses' has also been changed. In the 1830 edition Joseph Smith is called "The Author and Proprietor of this work" whereas the present edition has "the translator of this work". Changed testimony is invalid, and tampering with testimony is a serious offense. The "Latter Day Saints" teach many things that are different from the teachings of the first century saints as recorded in the New Testament. In The Book of Mormon in Alma 46:13-16, which is supposedly dealing with happenings in 73 BC, mention is made of "Christians" and "true believers of Christ, who belonged to the church of God". That was about a hundred years before Jesus said in the New Testament "I will build my church" (Matthew 16:18) indicating that the church was not yet established. And in Acts 11:26 we read: "And the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch". The appearance of anachronisms in a work (things represented as happening or existing at a wrong date) is one of the most common ways of exposing fraudulent historical documents. In The Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 2:22,23 it is stated that if Adam had not sinned, he would have had no children. (This verse also makes the ridiculous statement that they could do no good before they knew sin!) In the Bible, in Genesis 1:27,28 which is before the fall, Adam and Eve are commanded: "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it." In The Book of Mormon in 1 Nephi 13:24,28,29 it is stated with reference to the New Testament "they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away." Jesus said: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away" (Matthew 24:35 NKJV). According to the New Testament we are to "contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3 NKJV). Once and for all, is once and for all. This verse shows that all alleged "latter day" revelations and supplements to the gospel are fraudulent. Above we have mentioned only a few of the many doctrines of the "Latter Day Saints" which contradict the word of God. Whatever the source of such false doctrines, even if they had come from some angel, they who preach them are under the condemnation of God in accordance with the warning given by inspiration through Paul. Roy Davison ------------------------------ Galatians 1:6-9 Galatians 1:6-9 The question has been asked: The tone of Paul's letter is serious and abrupt. Why did he write this way? === In addition to his harsh words for false teachers in chapter 1, Paul also says "O foolish Galatians!" in chapter 3, and he closes his letter with the statement: "Hereafter, let no one trouble me; for I bear branded on my body the marks of Jesus" (Gal 6:17). This harshness is motivated, however, by genuine concern for the well-being of his readers. The letter was written to deal with an emergency situation. Souls were in danger. Once when I was driving in Sarnia, Ontario an elderly lady on a bicycle almost rode right in front of my car. But a man in a truck hollered at her: "Lady, look out!" which may well have saved her life. An emergency warning must be loud and urgent! In this letter Paul is saying to the Galatians ... and to us: WATCH OUT! Roy Davison ------------------------------ Galatians 1:1 Galatians 1:1 The question has been submitted: Why was it important that Paul establish his credentials? === The Lord used Paul to pen a large portion of the New Testament. False teachers often try to prop up their wobbly doctrines by rejecting certain portions of Scripture (or even ALL of the Scriptures). In our time too there are false teachers who try to play Paul against Peter, or who claim that the New Testament writers do not accurately record the 'real' teaching of Jesus. In various passages Paul emphasizes his authority as an apostle. "If any man thinketh himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him take knowledge of the things which I write unto you, that they are the commandment of the Lord" (1 Cor 14:37 ASV). Peter verifies that Paul's writings are holy Scripture: "And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given to him, wrote unto you; as also in all [his] epistles, speaking in them of these things; wherein are some things hard to be understood, which the ignorant and unsteadfast wrest, as [they do] also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction" (2 Peter 3:15 ASV). As God commanded, the glorious gospel of salvation goes forth to all nations by means of prophetic writings, many of which were penned by Paul: "Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed and through the prophetic writings is made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith -- to the only wise God be glory for evermore through Jesus Christ! Amen" (Rom 16:25-27 RSV). Roy Davison ------------------------------ Galatians 1:8 This question has been submitted: What is the difference between the church of Christ and the so-called International Church of Christ? Why did Kip McKean start his own church? Do they preach a different gospel? === The church of Christ was established by Christ on the first Pentecost after His ascension. It is composed of all repentant believers who have been baptized for the forgiveness of sins, and whom the Lord has added to His church: "Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" ... "Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them." ... "And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:38,41,47 NKJV). The International Church of Christ is a sect established by Kip McKean in the 1980's. Although some of the congregations of the ICOC resulted from splits caused in churches of Christ (usually by the infiltration by a youth minister), their distinctive doctrines and practices did not originate among churches of Christ. The ICOC is merely a spin-off of a larger movement in the denominational world based on a false theory of discipleship which results in an authoritarian pyramid form of leadership. This theory involves an extremely high level of mind and life control. For a discussion of the basic errors of this movement you can consult my article 'Errors of Hierarchical Discipleship' at this web address: http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Davison/Roy/Allen/1940 Roy Davison