Paul explains to the people of Galatia that he didn’t learn about the gospel through any human, he was called by God. He was a devout Jew who was a crusader for the law of God, fighting for the church. But as he was walking along one day, he talked to a man who revealed the truth about who Jesus was. He came as scripture had foretold and had been sacrificed to cover our sin. A bright light shone and God had revealed the truth through revelation. He knew in his heart that what had been revealed was truth and he must preach it to the Gentiles.
11 I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
13 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. 14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles. I did not consult any man, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.
Galatians 1:11-17
He was the one who had been known for killing the Christians because the Jews believed Jesus was a heretic. Paul thought he was doing the right thing to destroy that which was against God. But when he realized the truth, he had to make an about face in his faith. God had called him to be the one to spread the word and he immediately began doing so!
If we look again at verse 15, we see that God set Paul apart from birth and called him by His grace, and was pleased to reveal his Son in him. This is how we know that this was a revelation. Paul was given the knowledge through divine intervention. He went from killing Christians because of Jesus to preaching the truth about Jesus.
I believe that we can see an about face in our lives when we finally see the truth about who this Jesus is and why he came to earth. The sacrifice Jesus made for us was done out of love. This is the way we can overcome the sins that have separated us from God.
We’ll explore more about Paul’s letter to the Galatians in my next post. Until then, prayerfully consider how your life has been affected by this truth. Have you begun to share the gospel as Jesus commanded? Maybe you need to know more. Open your Bible and see the Good News!
In Faith,
Pam
Where God Leads 