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Galatians

Zondervan

Chapter One

A MESSAGE FROM A LEADER

In every culture or setting, someone is seen as being in charge. In most African societies, a father is in charge of a family and an elder is in charge of a community. The elders have chiefs over them, and the chiefs in turn report to a district officer, who reports to a provincial commissioner, and so on all the way up to a president or prime minister. People may take turns being the one in charge, but no two people ever equally share one position of authority. (True, in some families authority is shared by the mother and father, but trouble sets in unless both agree on some delegation of authority.)

The person in authority may be appointed by God (as when he appoints the husband to lead the family), by a human authority (as when provincial commissioners appoint chiefs), by voters (as when they elect a president), or by circumstances (when the founder of an organization continues to run it). Once someone is given authority, anyone else who tries to operate at the same level of authority in the same organization at the same time causes confusion. When this happens, the original leader has to decide whether to give in and resign or to assert his or her authority. The choice may be determined by the importance of the issues at stake. Some things may be too important to allow for any compromise.

Paul views his authority in relation to the churches of Galatia as something that cannot be compromised. He does not feel this way because he wants personal gain but because of his concern for the welfare of the Galatians. With the Lord's help, he has led the Galatians into a safe place. Those agitating to replace him are luring the Galatians to jump off a cliff! So Paul treats the matter with the seriousness it deserves and asserts his authority.

Paul the apostle

The first step in asserting his authority is to remind the readers of the letter of who he is. When we write letters today, we do this by using our full names and titles (for example, I would sign a friendly letter as "Sam", but a formal one as "Prof. Samuel M. Ngewa, Ph.D). Paul signals that this is an important letter by signing it with his name and title. He is Paul, an apostle (1:1).

He does not start all his letters in this way. He begins 1 Corinthians and his letters to the Thessalonians with just "Paul", and his letters to the Romans, Philippians and Titus with "Paul, a servant". Thus his decision to use his official title here suggests that all is not well in Galatia.

In the course of the letter it becomes clear that some Galatians are questioning both Paul's authority and the accuracy of his message (see, for example, 1:7; 3:1-5; 4:12-20). So Paul feels it necessary to remind them that he is an "apostle", a title that in Greek means "one who is sent". But he is no ordinary messenger. He is like the Hebrew shaliach, a messenger who spoke and acted with the authority of the one who sent him.

We are still familiar with this situation today. We know that someone sent to speak to us by a school principal does not have the same power as someone sent to us by the president of our country. So who was it who sent Paul? By whose authority does he speak?

Not sent by other people

Paul's opponents seem to have been saying that he received his message from human sources - either the apostles who had been with Jesus when he walked the streets of Palestine for three years or the church in Antioch, which commissioned him (Acts 13:1-3). They were saying that he represented a human group.

Paul insisted otherwise. He had not come with a human commission, or, more literally, his authority was "not from men" (1:1a).

Paul's opponents may have responded that, even if he had not been commissioned by some group, he had still received his authority through the agency of a human being. So Paul explicitly rejects this possibility too, saying that he did not receive it by human authority. It is possible that the person who was suspected of commissioning him was someone like Ananias (Acts 9:15-18) or Barnabas (Acts 9:27, 12:25), for these men had encouraged Paul early in his ministry. Alternatively, his opponents may have been thinking of some individual speaking on behalf of a group like the original apostles or the church at Antioch. Paul is adamant that no such person was involved in his call to be an apostle.

To understand why Paul stresses this point, think of a time when you went to hear a prominent speaker. Maybe it was a bishop, a president, or a famous preacher. You waited and waited for the speaker to arrive, and then someone else stepped onto the stage. He announced that the speaker could not come, and he was to deputize for him. How did you feel? Were you disappointed? Did what was said feel less important because the important person was not there? Did some people leave without waiting to hear what the substitute had to say? Even if the meeting continued and achieved its general purpose, your level of satisfaction was probably far lower than it would have been if the leader you wanted to hear had been present. Paul is aware of this psychological reaction, and that is one reason why he stresses that no one sent a representative to bestow on him the authority he exercises.

After dismissing the human possibilities, Paul uses a strong but to introduce the contrast: his authority was given to him by Jesus Christ himself.

Sent by God

But it was not just Jesus who commissioned Paul. Rather, his apostleship comes from Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead (1:1b). Jesus Christ met Saul (also known as Paul) on the road to Damascus and then commissioned him to preach to the Gentiles, as Paul recounts when he stands before King Agrippa (Acts 15:9-17). God the Father sent Jesus into the world (John 3:16, 17:3; Acts 3:20; Rom 8:3) and "raised him from the dead". If God had not performed this miracle, Paul would not have had a gospel to preach or any apostolic authority to exercise (1 Cor 15:17).

While Paul can speak of Jesus Christ and God the Father as separate beings, he does not consider them separate agents. In the mystery of the Trinity, they share one will and purpose (John 6:44; 17:4; see also Matt 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14). They only differ in terms of function. The Son submits to the Father (John 17:2) and carries out the Father's plan of redemption. Thus Jesus Christ and God the Father are both the source and the agents of Paul's apostleship. They work together in perfect harmony.

Paul's team

Jesus and God the Father are the joint source of Paul's apostolic authority (1:1) and of blessings for believers (1:3), and they are joint agents of our redemption (1:4). They work together, not in isolation. In the same way, Paul does not see himself as acting in isolation but as part of a team, and so he sends this letter to the Galatians from himself and all the brothers and sisters with me (1:2). These may have been members of the church he was with at the time of writing, or fellow-missionaries who were travelling with him.

Not only is a leader without followers not a leader, but neither is a leader without associate leaders. Teamwork is needed if any of us are to achieve our goals. Senior pastors should not be so focused on their seniority that they do not recognize the contribution of those who work with them. If they do not acknowledge this, they may shine for a few days but will eventually fail. The same principle applies in other situations, including our homes. A husband who misunderstands Paul's statement about the husband being the head of the household (Eph 5:23; 1 Cor 11:3) and ignores his wife's ideas and involvement in family affairs is running a race he will eventually lose.

When we lead, we must encourage each member of our group to share the same motivation and to work hard to achieve our common goal. Every player must regard the victory as their own. We see this illustrated every time we watch a soccer match, but we often forget to apply it in our own lives. Remember, a player who plays alone may put on a short-lived show but will rarely score! It is the team that coordinates its efforts and treats every player as important that performs well.

Paul's Prayer

In Paul's day, Jewish people typically greeted one another with shalom, which means "peace" (Ezra 4:17; 5:7), while Greeks used charein, which means "greetings" (Acts 15:23; 23:26; Jas 1:1). But Paul modifies this greeting, changing charein to charis, to imbue what would normally be a mere greeting with theological significance. He prays that the Galatians may receive grace and peace (1:3a).

We all need grace. We need it to speak words that build others up. I have heard people say, "In my culture we speak the truth", and then express the truth in words that totally alienate their listeners because they speak without grace.

We also need grace to listen to strong words that are spoken for our good. The Galatians will need God's grace not to react defensively when Paul calls them foolish (3:1). It is very easy to take criticism personally. A gracious spirit will enable us to listen, carefully evaluate what is said, and take action as prompted by the Holy Spirit.

Grace will prevent criticism from disturbing our peace and leading to enmity. That is also why Paul prays for peace for the Galatians. He does not want his words to destroy their inner peace or the harmony between him and them.

Given our fallen natures, it is difficult for us to consistently accept and offer constructive criticism. Doing this requires the grace and peace that comes from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (1:3b). God is the giver of the grace that can receive any criticism and communicate any truth in a manner that builds the listener up. He is the giver of the peace that can withstand any word, deed or circumstance.

Africa has seen many bad leaders. And we have often criticized them from the pulpit and in newspapers, and also while riding in buses and taxis and so on. But have we given this criticism in a gracious way that will correct and mould these people? It is all very well to say that bad leaders will not accept criticism graciously, but that does not relieve us of our responsibility to offer it graciously. This is true in the church as well. I know of a pastor who says he was fired because he "criticized immorality", but there is clear indication that he did not do so using words that were gracious as well as honest.

May the Lord help us to reach the point where we can speak words of grace even to those who hate us most. May he also help us as listeners to reach that point where even the strongest words to or about us do not take away our peace - peace within ourselves and peace towards those who criticize us.

Paul's Gospel

Paul cannot end his greeting without summarizing the core of his message, namely what Christ did when he gave himself (1:4). This giving was costly, for he had to leave heaven, suffer the hardships of earthly life and endure the cross. Paul briefly spells out why this gift was needed, Christ's purpose in offering it, and the motives of the giver.

The need

The need that led Christ to give himself was our sins (1:4a). He came in response to our sins and died as our representative, even our substitute (see 3:13).

Sin was also the reason why Paul needed to preach the gospel, and why we still need to preach it. Like him, we must begin by acknowledging that sin exists and that it must be dealt with. It festers within us, for we do not always love others the way we should. And it is all around us. At times, it manifests itself in terrible ways such as attacks on someone's character or in murder and rape. Christ died to deal with all sin, and has made available all that is needed to change the worst of characters into the best of characters.

The purpose

The purpose of Christ's coming was to rescue us (1:4b). We deserved God's judgment because of our sins, but through his death, Jesus rescued us from judgment and put us into a right standing with the holy God.

Paul describes what we are rescued from as the present evil age. Jewish teachers at the time spoke of two ages: the present age (in which we await the Messiah) and the age to come (after the Messiah has come). Christian teachers like Paul announce that the Messiah, Christ Jesus, has already come, but that we still live in an evil age in which the devil keeps us from living as we should. Yet Christ is already at work in our lives, rescuing us from this evil age and preparing us for the new age in which he will rule in perfect purity and happiness (see Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30).

In African traditional beliefs, any calamity signalled that a sin had been committed or a taboo violated. The response was to urgently seek for some remedy to rescue people from the consequences of their actions. Surely we should be equally urgent in seeking to rescue men and women from sin, which kills? If believers saw life from this perspective, we would see more urgency and involvement in proclaiming the good news of salvation in Christ.

The motive

Christ gave himself according to the will of our God and Father (1:4c). He did not seek to benefit himself but voluntarily conformed to the will of the one who is both the great and majestic God and also the loving and kind Father. It is to this great and loving God that Paul attributes glory in 1:5.

As human leaders, we should model ourselves on these divine leaders. Christ did not seek to enrich himself or to cling to power, but sought only to do what his Father wanted. At the same time, the Father is not so caught up in his great power that he ignores those who serve him. When human leaders focus on power and ignore the needs of those they lead, they are falling far short of the example that God has set. Many African political leaders have failed in this matter and have become dictators, so determined to maintain power that they eliminate any threat to their power, even if they have to commit murder to do so. The danger of clinging to power is also present in the church, where power struggles are sadly not unknown.

The type of leader of whom God approves is one who follows in his footsteps, and comes alongside his people. In the Old Testament, God is referred to as both Elohim (the Almighty) and Yahweh (the Covenant God). He is both transcendent and immanent; on the throne and on the streets with his people. This became literally true with the coming of Jesus, who is "Immanuel, which means, 'God with us'" (Matt 1:23). The true leader, the true pastor, the true bishop must be both "up there" and "down here", simultaneously, a person of power and also a person of the people. It is a requirement without which one cannot pass the test of leadership in God's examination.

God exercises his power as a loving father who seeks to rescue his children from the danger into which they have fallen. This is where God's heart is, and where Paul's heart was. Paul's mission should now be our mission. Working with this perspective will keep us from being easily discouraged by our circumstances. When we are working to fulfil the mission of God, we can be assured of the Lord's presence.

Thank God for those churches in Africa that have missionary boards and send missionaries to unreached areas. They are carrying out the same rescue mission that led Christ from heaven to earth. At times, the task may demand that we leave a comfortable place to work in a difficult situation, but any rescue involves risks - many men and women have lost their lives while rescuing those they love.

Whether in a foreign or familiar setting, rescuing lives is what we are doing as believers on this earth. Many are still lost in sin and are heading towards eternal death. We should not spare any effort as we seek to rescue them.

Questions for discussion

1. As team leaders or team members, we may be tempted to try to outshine others or to gain personal recognition. How would being a team player who submits to God's authority change our attitude? What impact would this have on our church staff, our families or our colleagues?

2. Think about how you receive and communicate criticism. Share an example from your experience in which those involved did or did not use grace. How did graciousness, or the lack of it, affect the results?

3. How would you carry out an urgent rescue mission? How does this compare with how you have participated in the rescue mission of the gospel? Have you supported the work as best you can? Share how you could improve your participation.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Galatians by Samuel Ngewa Copyright © 2010 by Samuel Ngewa. Excerpted by permission.
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