The Divine Character of the True Gospel, Part 4

Galatians 1:11-24

February 22, 2004

 

            Throughout history many people have claimed to have received revelations from God. Even when the apostle John wrote 1 John, he told us that many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 Jhn 4:1). A question that someone seeking truth might ask is, “How can I tell which are the false prophets and which are the true prophets?” In fact, the Galatians might have been asking that very question when Paul wrote his letter to them. Teachers had come to them teaching another gospel than the one that Paul had preached to them, and they were being deceived by these false prophets. Paul, then, is endeavoring to prove to the Galatians that his gospel is the true gospel, and that his revelation from God is authentic.

            How does Paul go about proving this? The main argument that Paul uses for the gospel is a transformed life. The Apostle Paul puts forward his life as proof of the divine character of the gospel. His changed life, beyond a shadow of a doubt, proves the divine character of the gospel. As I was studying this week, a question came to my mind. I began to think about other religions and the leaders of those religions who claimed to have revelations from God. And as I thought about this, I asked myself, “What was the effect these so-called revelations had on these other religious leaders?” I wondered if they, like Paul, could give testimony to their revelations because of a transformed life. Would it be possible for these men to ‘prove’, in a sense, their revelations like the apostle does here in Galatians 1?

            The answer I came to is, No, it is not possible. Let me show you this for a minute. Let’s look at three of the world’s major false religions this morning. We’ll start with the false religion of Hinduism. This is an ancient religion that goes back hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, and its history is a bit cloudy. In fact, there is no real consensus on when the writings that govern Hinduism were finally written. Scholars suggest a span of 800 years, from 400 BC to AD 400, when the writings were written down. Now, this does not mean that they were composed as the Bible, by several different authors over 800 years; what this means is that no one can nail down an exact date as to when these writings were penned as a unit, a whole, but many estimate around AD 100. The founder of Hinduism is unknown, to me, at least, but a quick overview of its teaching will quickly show that Hinduism has no teaching that would change a person’s life or transform him. In fact, to the Hindu sin is to violate your caste, meaning the position in which you were born. That means that if you were born a warrior, it would be sin not to kill. Everything is relative based on what status you inherit from birth, and sin basically is to violate this hierarchy.

            The Apostle Paul would not have made a good Hindu. He violated the traditions of his fathers when he became a servant of Jesus Christ, utterly abandoning his former position. Hinduism would teach that Paul sinned by becoming a Christian and leaving the status in which he was born. There is no room for transformation in Hinduism, and this is one reason why there is so much suffering and poverty in India to this very day. So we see from the fruit of Hinduism that anyone who would have claimed to have had this revelation could not back up that claim by a transformed life, since a transformed life violates everything Hinduism teaches.

            What about Buddhism? Siddharta Gautama founded this religion, which today has many forms. He claimed to have received a revelation, or an enlightenment, from God. What does his life show? If we look at Gautama’s life, we learn that he abandoned his wife and child while they were sleeping, never to return. Moreover, he taught that man should not try to seek God too much, which is a great escape for a man who abandoned his family. Gautama, also called Buddha by his followers, was deified by them, yet his life is one of utter selfishness and godlessness. He never showed any remorse or repentance in his life, but rather promulgated a teaching that only served to cement him in his sin.

            Lastly, let’s look at Mohammed and Islam. This is, of course, a hot topic in our post-9/11 world. What can we say about Mohammed, a man who claimed to be the last prophet of God? Mohammed, following his revelations, became a mass murderer. He mandated that anyone who refused to follow his revelations ought to be put to death by the sword. Islam quickly became known as the ‘religion of the sword.’[1] Daniel Fuller, speaking of Islam’s rapid spread across the world, wrote, “This use of the sword was one reason why, after only a century, Islam reigned from Spain to India.”[2] Mohammed was a merciless, self-willed, wicked tyrant who killed anyone who got in his way. He was completely devoid of any love and was utterly ignorant of the true God. For Mohammed, his revelations transformed him well enough, but they transformed him into a monster. He had no transformed life to certify his so-called revelations, but rather became only more wicked and utterly rebellious against Almighty God.

            The transformation of the Apostle Paul is a unique transformation. His revelation changed him in a way that no so-called revelation has ever changed a man outside of biblical Christianity. And the reason that this is so is because Paul received an authentic revelation from the true God, not a phony revelation or a delusion from Satan and his demons, which is what Mohammed and all other false prophets receive. It is the transformed life of the Apostle Paul that he uses to back up his claims to have received a revelation from God. It is his life, so radically changed into a life of love, devotion, and service to God that blessed humanity and glorified God, that establishes beyond any doubt that the gospel is God’s only message to the human race.

            We have already looked at four of Paul’s seven proofs of the divine character of the gospel. First, he proved it by his former manner of life. He was a persecutor of the church who was advancing in Judaism beyond many of his contemporaries. His life course was not one that would be easily changed, and it would not be changed at all into a Christian life unless God intervened and changed Paul’s heart. And that is exactly what God did. Paul tells us that in his second proof – his divine calling. Saul of Tarsus was not looking for God, but Jesus sought him and found him on the Damascus road, and God caused light to shine Saul’s heart that transformed him into a Christian and that made it plain that he was called as an apostle. Paul’s divine calling shows that God works in and through the gospel, and only the gospel, to change a man’s heart. Third, Paul showed us his conversion’s purpose. The purpose of his divine calling was so that he might preach Christ among the nations, the Gentiles, a group that Paul would have despised before his conversion. It would never have entered Paul’s mind to be a missionary to Gentiles! Yet this is exactly what he became, and we who are Gentiles should praise God that Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles and that we are heirs according to promise. Fourth, Paul showed us his isolation from the other apostles. Paul did not receive his information about the gospel from the other apostles. Not at all! Rather, he was isolated from them and from others in Arabia, and then afterward he went to Damascus, where he began to preach the gospel! So we see that Paul received a divine revelation concerning the person and work of Christ, and that he soon after began to proclaim this message, even to the Gentiles. This morning let’s look at the final three proofs of the divine character of the true gospel.

 

#5 – Paul’s Integrity about His Visit with Peter (vv. 18-20)

 

            The fifth proof Paul gives is in verses 18-20. He writes, Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days. But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. (Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying.) In these verses I see a fifth proof, and that is Paul’s integrity about his visit with Peter. Paul’s integrity about his visit with Peter.

            Someone may have objected to what he was saying, and said, “But Paul, you did go up to Jerusalem after Damascus!” To which Paul here responds, “Yes, that’s true. Three years after my conversion I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter, and I stayed there for 15 days.” If Paul was lying, why would he mention this visit? In fact, Paul swears before God that he is telling the truth in this account of what actually happened. What exactly happened on this Jerusalem visit. You can read the account in Acts 9:26-30. I won’t go into that description of it this morning. Let’s just look at what Paul says here in Galatians. First, this visit was three years after his conversion. The Greek indicates that this is the next major event that Paul is describing. The first major event was his conversion and subsequent travels. The second major event followed the first event by 3 years. During these three years Paul had already been persecuted for preaching the Gospel in Damascus. In fact, the Jews in Damascus wanted to kill Paul, and he escaped by being lowered out of the city in a basket! By the time Paul made it to Jerusalem, the gospel was cemented in his mind. He did not need to go there for information at this point. He had already been persecuted for the gospel. Why did he go to Jerusalem?

            He tells us that it wasn’t to obtain information, but to become acquainted with Cephas, or Peter. The purpose in Paul’s journey was to get to know Peter personally. Certainly he knew of Peter before his conversion, and it seems normal that he would want to become acquainted with this apostle who had walked with Jesus. The verb in Greek does not signify that Paul went for information, but that he went to get to know Peter on a personal level, to become acquainted as the NASB translates it.

            Notice, also, that his visit was only 15 days. It was not a long stay. Certainly this was not a long enough visit for him to be taught the gospel extensively, and that was not his purpose in going.

            Finally, he didn’t meet any of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. This is, of course, the same James mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:7. The Lord had half-brothers, and they did not believe in Him during His earthly ministry, but we see that James later became an apostle. Jesus made a post-resurrection appearance to James. We don’t know much about it, but we do know that it was a private appearance, and it would seem that it was at this time that James became an apostle.

            Finally, Paul backs up his claims with an oath before God! He is utterly serious about the truthfulness of what he is saying. He writes in verse 20, Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying. We don’t know the background of this statement, but it appears that the false teachers must have been circulating reports about Paul’s post-conversion visit to Jerusalem that contradicted what he has written to the Galatians. So Paul backs up his claim with a solemn oath before God of the truthfulness of his claim.

            How, then, is this a proof of the divine character of the gospel? I think the proof is found in Paul’s perfect integrity in handling this situation. He does not avoid this visit; he does not pretend it didn’t happen. Rather, he faces it head-on. The fact that Paul went to stay with Peter could have been evidence against Paul’s claim to have received a revelation, but rather hide from what might have been, and surely would have been, damaging evidence if hidden, the Apostle has nothing to hide. This visit in no way impugns his character or position as an apostle. It was for the purpose of Christian fellowship, and Paul gives this fifth proof, showing us his spotless character and integrity in discussing this visit.

 

#6 – Paul’s anonymity to the Judean churches (vv. 21-22)

 

            The sixth proof that Paul puts forward of the divine character of the gospel is found in verses 21-22. He writes, Then I went into the regions of Syrian and Cilicia. I was still unknown to the churches of Judea which were in Christ. What is the evidence here for the divine character of the gospel? The evidence is Paul’s anonymity to the Judean churches.

            After Paul’s brief visit with Peter, he immediately left for Syria and Cilicia. Where was this? Syria and Cilicia were regions to the far north of Judea. They were regions north of Samaria, Galilee, and Phoenicia. In fact, you would have to travel through these three regions from Judea to get to Syria and then to Cilicia, and a mountain range stood in the way of the journey! This region was not anywhere near Jerusalem or Judea, and in Paul’s day communication with those in these regions would have been rare and nearly impossible without making a long journey. Why is this important?

            The reason this is important is because it shows the incredible humility of the Apostle Paul following his conversion. What was Paul like before his conversion? He was advancing beyond his contemporaries, and he was before men righteous! He studied in the finest school, and lived in the center of Judaism. After his conversion, Paul was content to go and live in an insignificant region away from the center of Christianity. If he was worldly, and if the gospel he had received would have been for his own benefit or to meet his own ends, do you think Paul would have gone to live in a place that was nowhere near the main center of Christianity of his day? This was not prestigious. There was nothing glorious about Paul’s location.

            What makes it even more significant is that he was personally unknown to the churches. He had never personally met the Judean Christians. He says, I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ. If they saw Paul walking down the streets of Judea, they wouldn’t have known who he was! They wouldn’t have been able to picture him. He was virtually unknown to them! What incredible humility! This man, who was a leading Pharisee, into utter obscurity for the sake of the gospel! Paul was a talented man with many gifts, and yet he went away to work in a region that was utterly insignificant at that time. It would become significant because of Paul’s evangelistic work there, but the real center of the Christian world was Judea and Jerusalem, yet this beloved apostle was unknown by sight to all these churches. His humility, seen in his anonymity to the churches of Judea, is another evidence of the divine character of the gospel.

 

#7 – The Effect of Paul’s Ministry (vv. 23-24)

 

            Lastly, the seventh proof is the effect of Paul’s ministry. The effect of his ministry. What effect did it have in the world? The effect of someone’s ministry is a good way to gauge how biblical it is, and how true to the gospel it is. So Paul plays what is perhaps his trump card here. The effect of his ministry is found in verses 23-24. He writes, But only, they kept hearing, “He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.” And they were glorifying God because of me. The effect of Paul’s ministry was that the Christians glorified God because of or, more literally, in him. Notice how this happened.

            First, the reports about Paul were continuous. It was unbelievable what had happened in this man’s life. The disciples in Judea kept hearing, and this means an ongoing, continuous hearing. Paul’s ministry was not small news in the church. The reports about it continually circulated throughout Judea. What was this report?

            The report was that the man who was continually persecuting the faith was now continually preaching the faith. He who once persecuted us means, “He who once was continually persecuting us.” The verb persecuted is in the present tense in the Greek, and that signifies continuous action. Here it is translated in the past tense, because there really is no adequate English way to represent the Greek tense meaning here. The point is this: Paul went from a continual persecutor to a continual preacher of the faith.

            This terminology Paul uses, the faith, is very significant. What it shows us is that early on, the body of doctrines that Christians believed in common already constituted the faith. It is the same idea found in Jude 3, where Jude writes, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. The faith in this context is not the idea of believing. It is a body of doctrine that the early church all held in common. Paul was preaching a coherent message that was the Christian proclamation. This is significant for many reasons, but perhaps the most important reason is because it shows us that the New Testament did not come about to determine the Christian faith and doctrine, but it was written down to preserve what was already believed. People make arguments that the New Testament teachings contradict, or that Paul and Jesus didn’t agree on the gospel message, or that there is a Pauline Christianity and a Jewish form of Christianity. The point of this phrase the faith is that this body of belief already existed. Did every church know everything that would come to be the faith? Probably not, because Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:9, For we know in part and we prophesy in part. Some of the revelation was known, some of it was still being given through New Testament prophets, but even at this very early date, the body of doctrine was established. It was a faith that was once for all handed down to the saints and preserved by the Spirit-inspired New Testament writers. Some churches may have needed prophesy to fill in some gaps in their understanding or to give them practical direction in their theology, but the faith was already an established fact. Today, we have the New Testament, and we don’t prophesy in part. Now we know fully because we have God’s Word completed, and the faith is contained in our Bibles in its entirety, being complete for everything we need. That’s another sermon, though. The point here is that Paul was preaching continuously this faith, this body of truth, that he once had tried to destroy. The truth of God was something Paul had tried to eliminate, and now he was engaged in trying to spread this truth continually. What was the result of this radical transformation?

            Verse 24. And they were glorifying God because of me. God was glorified in Paul’s life and ministry. This is the ultimate proof of the divine character of the gospel. Not only did it have a profound impact on the Apostle Paul himself, but it also brought great glory to God through other believers praise of God! Paul’s salvation was not a personal thing only, but it encouraged and profoundly affected believers in other parts of the Roman world. It even caused them to glorify God because of Paul.

            This ought to end the debate. Was Paul’s gospel authentic? Was it true? Absolutely, and it brought great glory, not to Paul, but to God. It was a God-centered gospel from start to finish. God began the work, and the work God began resulted in glory going back to God because of His great work in the life of the Apostle Paul.

            What can we learn from these 7 proofs? I think there are at least four things we can draw from this. Four practical applications from these verses.

            First, proclaim the gospel with boldness. Proclaim the gospel with boldness. Do you believe that the gospel is the power of God to salvation for all who believe? Do you have the confidence that Paul had that the gospel you believe is the divine gospel? Then proclaim it with boldness and confidence in love! Don’t hesitate to state that the gospel is the gospel, and there is no other gospel. Paul was not hesitant about this. Did he delight in these types of polemics? It doesn’t seem like he did, but he had to state the truth for the sake of the Galatians and for the glory of God. The eternal well-being of others is at stake in the gospel, and most importantly, the glory of God is at stake in the proclamation of the gospel. God’s glory will not be fully magnified in the preaching of the gospel if we do not preach the full gospel. So, proclaim the gospel with confidence and the authority of God’s Word behind you, recognizing from this apostle’s testimony that there is no other gospel.

            Second, prove by your life that the gospel is true. If you’re going to proclaim the gospel with boldness, you better have something to back up your proclamation. Your life needs to reflect the transformation the gospel claims it will make on a person’s life. Now, someone might say, “Well, my life doesn’t reflect the gospel that well, so I guess I shouldn’t proclaim it, since I don’t have anything to back it up with.” That is not the right response. The proper response to this, if you feel like your life is in some way contradictory to the gospel, is not to be quiet about the gospel. The solution is to get on your knees before God with an open Bible and ask Him to transform your life so that you can back up the gospel with your life. The solution to a life that you feel is inadequate as an example of the gospel is not silence about the gospel. It is to be filled with the Spirit so that your life does reflect the gospel. So, if you feel like you’re just not good enough to proclaim such a divine message, or your life just doesn’t cut it, then, if you’re serious, go before God, and plead with Him to transform your life so that you love Him more than your sin. Don’t just be quiet about the gospel; pray that God would fix your life, and then get up, and, believing that God will answer, live like a Christian.

            Third, when your life backs up the gospel, proclaim that the gospel changes lives. Let people know that faith works! The gospel is not a static thing. Paul did not believe the gospel and then three years later begin to obey the gospel. When Paul believed, he was transformed! Now, was he perfect? No, he wasn’t, just like Peter wasn’t perfect, and just like you won’t be perfect. But was he a different man? Was he a transformed man? Absolutely. The true gospel always changes lives. If a life doesn’t change, then the faith that is professed is the faith of devils, and it will not save on the day of judgment. So, demonstrate with your life that the gospel changes lives, and then preach that the gospel changes lives. And if the gospel has not changed your life, then this is a warning to examine yourself, because the gospel changes lives. You may not be in the faith if nothing has happened to you as a result of believing the gospel. I think I can say with confidence that if nothing has changed in your life at all since you believed the gospel, then you didn’t really believe the gospel. You may have believed a gospel, but you did not believe Paul’s gospel, which was Jesus’ gospel. So proclaim that the gospel changes lives, and that is good news.

            Finally, praise God for godly leaders who proclaim the faith. The emphasis in that statement should fall on the word “God.” Praise God for godly leaders! Don’t praise the leaders! Don’t be focused on men. Give God glory because of His gifts to the church, and make sure that in all your discussions about men that God is the one being glorified in His saints, not the saints. What an awesome thing it is that the Judean church could be encouraged and strengthened by the reports about Paul and his ministry, and that they could discuss it to edify one another, and at the same time not glorify Paul, but bring glory to God! In America our society and culture puts us in the dangerous position of making celebrities out of preachers. O, may we be careful that the name that is famous because of godly men is the name of Jesus. May we praise God for His precious gifts to His body, the Church, but may we praise GOD for these gifts!

            How? How do you practically do this? You make God the subject of your sentences about men. “God really convicted me today in a message I heard by John MacArthur.” Or, “God really encouraged me today through a sermon I read by Jonathan Edwards.” Look what God has done through clay pots, through earthen vessels that are here today and gone tomorrow! May God be glorified because of this book, or because of this sermon, or because of this hymn! Praise His glorious name, and give Him the glory in the church both now and to eternity. Let’s pray.

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