Galatians 1:15,16 “ But when it pleased
God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His
grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among
the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood,”
This is an introduction Paul gives about himself to the
Galatians. He mentions about his strong commitment to Judaism and how this
faith led him to persecute Christians. But, God had different plans about Paul.
God wanted Paul to preach Jesus among the Gentiles by revealing Jesus in him.
God is pleased
The first lesson we learn is that God was pleased to reveal
Jesus in Paul. This event did not happen when Paul was strong in his
traditions. God was pleased when two of God’s required events happened. When
Paul was separated from his mother’s womb and when he was called by the grace
of God. This chosen from the mother’s womb can also be read in Jeramiah 1:5.
This was the first word that came to the prophet at his youth and he agreed
immediately. Paul is boasting here that
God who had chosen and called him, is pleased.
Image of His Son
In the OT, separation was not for everybody, but as per Rom
8:30 this separation is there for every Christian. When we read verse 29,
we can understand that predestination, calling, justification and glorification
are all meant for the purpose of conforming to the image of Jesus. This is the
purpose of Jesus’s arrival and suffering. Jesus is perfectly holy, but He
requires a family of who He should appear as the firstborn. We read the
emphasis on this in verse 28 where this conformation is His purpose.
This is the order of Christian salvation: foreknowing,
predestination, calling, justification and glorification. There are some
lessons we learn here.
1. God is pleased when we are progressing in this order. If we accept the calling towards glory, God is
pleased with us and he gives us the ultimate blessing of Numbers 6:25
which is His face shining upon us. God looks at tiny details in our life. We
always have believed that we are good person in overall. Small and tiny
mistakes have been fatal in many biblical incidents. Here, as soon as Paul has
decided to follow Jesus, God is pleased.
2. Accepting a call is the only action that is expected from
us. Apart from this the whole responsibility is of God. This acceptance is
displayed with one characteristic based on verse 28 : Loving God. If one have
really honored this call, he would love God immediately. We do not accept by
claiming, but by loving.
3. The start of ministry does not provide or require
glorification. Paul was just chosen and then called and immediately God is
pleased and makes him a minister for the Gentiles. This ministry was the
highest responsibility in all Christianity. Justification and Glorification are
parts of a person’s ministry or growth in Christ. Most of us take a different
stand here and delay doing God’s work because we are not grown up as the other
seniors are. Paul and Jeremiah both started their ministry at a very early stage.
Ministry
The start of ministry requires Jesus to be revealed in us. If
we try to show ourselves and our talents off in ministry, then we are faking
and providing a different perverted gospel. Again glory or the final prize is
the face of God shining upon us, but as soon as we are saved, Jesus starts
revealing in us. If this hasn’t been experienced, we haven’t accepted our
calling and God is still not pleased with our commitment with Him.
Human Intelligence
The model Paul uses for his initial steps at Ministry is
that he did not confer with flesh and blood. Planning with flesh and blood
means that he did not make human decisions at all. Paul gives an emphasis that
he did not even look for senior opinions in this regard. This directs us
towards looking for God’s training and decisions in everything. Human
intelligence does not help in God revealing in us. We should strongly pursue
God’s revelation. Also we understand the personal interaction God gives us. We should not use anybody as a medium for our
relationship with Him.
Traditions
The word Judaism is mentioned only in verses 13 and 15 in
the whole bible. Paul has placed this as a religion which is against anything
that pleases God. Jesus cannot be revealed in us if we do anything
traditionally. Paul says that all his education did not help anywhere in his relationship
with God. We should always ask God for revelation in our prayers. This revelation
was first given to us and then happens in us.
Glorifying God is us
In verse 24, we see the result when Jesus starts revealing
in a person. People who were scared were glorifying God because of the change.
Our transformation should be evident before the universe and should be
encouraging to fellow believers.
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