The Book of Galatians -- Episode Three: ”Paul’s Conversion, Visit to Jerusalem, and the Gentile Mission” (Galatians 1:11-2:10)

Paul was well-known to the Galatians.  He came into Galatia preaching the gospel revealed to him by Jesus Christ.  The Galatians knew Paul.  He stayed with them for a time.  He lived with them, he ate with them, prayed with them, and preached to them.  When he fell ill, they nursed him back to health and once he had recovered, they sent him on his way.  No doubt, they prayed for Paul and encouraged him when he left Galatia to continue his work elsewhere as Apostle to the Gentiles.

But after Paul left the area, a group of false teachers, known to us as the Judaizers entered the area and began attacking Paul’s gospel – Paul, they said, was denying that obedience to the law was required of God’s people, and he was teaching that Gentile converts need not submit to circumcision or produce “works of law” to be numbered among the people of God.  The Judaizers resented the freedom enjoyed by these new Gentile converts.  The Judaizers even sought to spy on their liberty–to see if the Gentiles who were following Paul demonstrated sufficient zeal for obedience to the law.

But the Judaizers also attacked Paul on a deeply personal level.  They claimed he was an apostate from Israel, that he was a religious huckster trying to attract a group of followers unto himself, that he was not doing the Lord’s work, but was leading the Galatians astray.

Paul must defend himself and his apostolic call to people who knew him well, and but now came to question his motives.  He must prove that his gospel is the same as that preached by the other apostles, the Twelve, and that he and his companion Barnabas, had received the blessing of all of Jesus’ disciples as well as the Jerusalem church.

As Paul does so in Galatians 1:10-2:11 (or text for this episode), we learn a great deal about Paul and his own personal biography, as well as learning more about the gospel Paul has been preaching.

For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/