Galatians 1 – Ministry of Grace Church

Category: Galatians 1

Galatians 1:24 – Glorify God

Posted on August 14, 2007 by admin

Galatians 1:24

And they glorified God in me.

Truth to Learn

Legalism glorifies self, but a life of faith is totally submitted to God and gives Him all the glory and praise.

Behind the Words

The word translated “they glorified” is from the Greek word doxadzō which is a form of doxa, meaning “to think properly about something” or “to recognize something as what it really is.” Hence, doxadzō means “to recognize, honor, praise, or invest with dignity.” It means “to give someone esteem or honor by recognizing his honorable position.”

The expression “in me” is translated from en emoi. These are the same words as Paul used in verse 16 where he said: “to reveal His Son in me.” Even though they are the same exact words, the sense in which they are used gives them a different meaning here. According to Marvin R. Vincent in his book, Vincent’s Word Studies: “Here the meaning is that they glorified God as the author and source of what they saw in me.”

Meaning Explained

The point that Paul has been making is that he didn’t receive the gospel message from anyone except Christ himself. In the past two verses he said that he did not receive the message from anyone in the churches in Judea. In fact, he said that none of them would have recognized him. But in spite of that, he states in the current verse that they glorified God because of Paul’s conversion.

Even though no one in the churches in Judea knew him personally, they praised God because they heard about Paul’s conversion and his turning from a persecutor of Christians to a proclaimer of the gospel message. The people in the churches in Judea were convinced that Paul’s conversion was genuine and that both his conversion and his message were from God and God alone.

Paul has now conclusively demonstrated that his message and apostleship came directly from God and not as a result of anyone else’s teaching. This clearly sets him apart from the false teachers in the Galatian churches, who apparently claimed they were apostles and received their message from a heavenly angel. However, they were unable to show evidence like Paul has just done, to back-up their claims.

The result of Paul’s conversion and of his message is that God receives the glory and the praise. That is a sign of a true servant of God. As he will teach us later in this letter, obedience to the law tends to cause a person to focus on self and to be proud of one’s own accomplishments. Living by faith, however, necessarily produces humility and the recognition that we are totally dependent of God for everything. The result is that obedience to the law glorifies self whereas living by faith gives all the glory to God.

Application

Are you trying to prove yourself worthy by keeping a set of rules and practices? Or, are you living a life that is characterized by faithful submission to God? One is legalism that glorifies self whereas the other is faith that glorifies God.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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Galatians 1:23 – Wholly Transformed

Posted on August 13, 2007 by admin

Galatians 1:23

But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.”

Truth to Learn

God can change even the most hardened opponent of Christianity into a beacon of the gospel message.

Behind the Words

The words translated “they were hearing” are akouontes ēsan. The word ēsan is the verb of being and is expressed in the imperfect tense implying continuous or repeated past action. The word akouontes is a form of akouō, meaning “to hear.” This is the word from which we get out English word acoustic. It is expressed here as a participle, implying ongoing action. Put this all together, and we see that Paul is saying, “they were continually hearing” or “they were repeatedly hearing.”

“Destroy” is translated from a form of portheō, which means “to ravage” or “to destroy.” This word is also expressed in the imperfect tense implying past, continuous or repeated activity. Hence, the end of this verse could be expressed as “the faith which he previously was ravaging.”

Meaning Explained

Even though Paul had never visited any of the churches in Judea they knew who he was. What they knew about him, however, was only by hearsay because they had never heard him preach nor had they conversed with him. The churches in Judea, and particularly in Jerusalem, knew who he was because he had persecuted them in the worst way. This persecution began at the death of Stephen which is recorded in the seventh and eighth chapters of the book of Acts:

And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. (Act 7:59 – 8:3)

Because of this persecution, of which Paul was a key instigator, virtually every Christian in Jerusalem and all Judea knew who Paul was. In the current verse Paul tells us that he was known by his reputation; not as the one who currently was persecuting the church, but as the one who formerly persecuted the church and who now preaches the faith that he once tried to destroy. God can take even the greatest enemy of the Church and turn him or her into an instrument of blessing with the gospel message.

Application

Do you know of someone who resists everything you try to do for God? Someone who seems intent on destroying every spiritual thing you try to do? If so, pray that God will turn that person around and make them into a vessel of blessing!

He is able!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 1:22 – One Source

Posted on August 12, 2007 by admin

Galatians 1:22

And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ.

Truth to Learn

The truth about God comes only from the Bible. We all need to be reading and studying it daily.

Behind the Words

The words “I was unknown” are from the Greek ēmēn agnooumenos. This latter word, agnooumenos, literally means “to not recognize.” The word ēmēn is the imperfect form of the first person pronoun. It could be translated as “I was” but in this case it is better translated as “I was still.”

Meaning Explained

Paul is writing this letter to the churches in Galatia because they have strayed from the simplicity of the true gospel, which Paul had most likely delivered to churches in that area on his first or second missionary journey. Since that time, however, there had crept in false teachers who taught that obeying the Law of Moses was a requirement for believers in Christ. These false teachers apparently had claimed that they were also apostles or that they had received their message from angelic beings. And, these teachers also claimed that Paul taught this same doctrine, having received it from the other apostles.

He has spent most of the first chapter of this letter admonishing the Christians in the Galatian churches for being so easily swayed from the true gospel and explaining to them that the gospel that he delivered to them did not come from other men, including the other apostles. Paul received his apostleship, his mission, and his message directly from Jesus Christ. Immediately after his conversion, he began proclaiming the good news, first in the synagogues in Damascus, then in Arabia, and then back in Damascus. During this time he did not talk to other apostles until 3 years after his conversion and then he met only with Peter and even then only for 15 days.

During the time of his visit with Peter he met up briefly with the apostle James (the younger) and spent hours reasoning with the Hellenistic Jews. Since Paul is refuting the notion that he received the gospel message from the apostles and other adherents to Judaism he now tells the Galatians that he did not spend any time with any of the churches in Judah. He spent time reasoning with the Jews, but he did not spend time with the church members in Judea.

In the current verse Paul declares that even three years after his conversion the churches in Judea still did recognize him. This is evidence that he did not spend any time with the apostles and, therefore, could not have received his message from them.

His reason for making this statement is that he is demonstrating convincingly that his message did not come from any human source as some of the false teachers were apparently claiming. Paul’s only source of his message was from the Word of God Himself.

Application

As was pointed out in the discussion of verse 18, we should be getting our spiritual instruction directly from the Word of God, the Bible. God has ordained preachers as one way of helping us know what the Bible says, but there is no substitute for personal study. If we are not reading and studying daily, then we are missing out on blessings from God and we can be easily misled, just as the Galatians had been.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 1:21 – Spiritual Mentoring

Posted on August 9, 2007 by admin

Galatians 1:21

Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

Truth to Learn

Every Christian can benefit from encouragement and guidance given by an older, more mature saint.

Meaning Explained

In the previous verses Paul has been writing about the early years of his Christianity and his ministry. Immediately after his conversion he began to witness to the Jews in Damascus then he went to Arabia to continue his years of learning through experience. Three years after his conversion, as we saw in the previous two verses, he went up to Jerusalem to spend some time with Peter. After spending 15 days with Peter, Paul now tells us that he went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

First of all, let’s look at why he left Jerusalem, then we’ll look at where he went from there. He had come to Jerusalem because there was so much opposition to his powerful message in Damascus. Barnabas brought him to Jerusalem and introduced him to the apostles (Peter and James) where he shared his conversion testimony and the boldness of his preaching in Damascus. While spending time with Peter, Paul was not a silent witness, for he regularly disputed with the Hellenist. Hellenists are Jews who have been brought up reading the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint). With Paul’s understanding of the Hebrew and the Jewish traditions from his schooling by Rabbi Gamaliel and his thorough understanding of Greek (the language commonly spoken in Tarsus where he grew up), he was able to argue the deeper meanings of the Scriptures. The Hellenists didn’t like Paul’s powerful arguments and they couldn’t refute them so they plotted to kill Paul. This is revealed to us in Acts 9:27-29.

Then, according to Acts 9:30, members of the church in Jerusalem escorted him out of Jerusalem to Caesarea, and from there to Tarsus. Tarsus is in the region that was, at that time, called Cilicia. Tarsus was Paul’s home town, and he continued doing there what the Lord had called him to, witnessing about Jesus being the Christ. It was in Tarsus that Barnabas later met up with him again and brought him to Antioch (in Syria) where he spent at least a year.

Acts 11:25, 26a Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people.

We know very little about Barnabas except what is in the passages above and later verses in the book of Acts describing the joint mission that Paul and Barnabas embarked on to spread the gospel message. What is significant is that Barnabas seemed to take Paul under his wing to guide him and help bring out the best in Paul’s obvious skills in preaching the word.

Application

Is there a younger person (spiritually speaking) in your church who needs a little encouragement and guidance to help him or her grow in their Christian walk and witness? Perhaps God wants you to be a Barnabas for that person.

Is God calling you to be a spiritual mentor for someone else?

If so, are you spiritually mature enough yourself to be a mentor? Are you willing?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 1:20 – Swear to God

Posted on August 8, 2007 by admin

Galatians 1:20

(Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)

Truth to Learn

There are times when it is appropriate to swear an oath and there are times when it is not.

Behind the Words

The expression, “before God, I do not lie” is more than a strong assertion. This is a declaration of a formal oath with
God as Paul’s witness standing before him.

Meaning Explained

Paul has just explained that he did not receive the gospel message from any man and certainly not from the other apostles of Jesus. However, he is teaching against the legalizers who have crept into the churches in Galatia. Their claim appears to be that they got their message either from an angel or from the apostles. These same false teachers who would make such a claim would also likely try to discredit what Paul has just written to the churches in Galatia. Therefore, Paul does an interesting thing; he swears an oath concerning the truthfulness of what he has just written.

This is consistent with other things Paul has written, for instance:

I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, (Romans 9:1)

On the surface, this oath of Paul’s appears to be in opposition to the teaching of Christ. According to Matthew’s gospel, Jesus said:

But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No.” For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. (Matthew 5:34, 37)

Jesus’ teaching at this point, however, was against the practice of the Pharisees in which they would swear an oath on almost any occasion and had numerous ways of legally rescinding the oaths. They were known to even going so far as to have the high priest declare the oath null and void. Jesus was not teaching that swearing an oath (as Paul has done here and as is done in a court of law today) is forbidden, but that frequent and frivolous swearing of oaths was wrong. In fact, even an angel is seen swearing an oath in Revelation 10:5, 6.

It is in this same manner that Paul now swears an oath before God, that he received neither his commission nor his message from the other apostles or an angelic being.

Application

Today it is not unusual to hear people say “I swear to God” and it is usually done in a flippant or frivolous manner. That’s the type of swearing that Jesus taught against and it is wrong for us to do. It is usually a person of questionable honesty who resorts to frequent swearing in order to support what is being said. When a person of great integrity swears and oath, however, it has meaning.

The next time you are tempted to swear an oath, imagine that Jesus is standing next to you and that you are looking Him in the face as you proclaim the honesty of what you are saying.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 1:19 – The Lord’s Brother

Posted on August 7, 2007 by admin

Galatians 1:19

But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.

Truth to Learn

While Paul was meeting with Peter he also saw the Apostle James.

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul told us that three years after his conversion he went up to Jerusalem. Some of us get confused when we read “up to Jerusalem” because we tend to think of North as “up” and South as “down.” From Damascus to Jerusalem is a southerly direction, so we normally think of this as “down.” However … Jerusalem is up in the mountains and from most of Israel and Syria it involves travel up in elevation. Hence, we will often see the expression “up to Jerusalem” in both the Old and New Testaments.

Paul tells us that he did not meet with all the apostles who were in Jerusalem but only with Peter and James. The verb translated “I saw” is a form of the Greek word eido which is variously translated as “see” or “know.” In its use of seeing something it does not mean merely viewing something, but rather “perceiving”, that is, seeing it and understanding it. Paul met only with Peter and happened to see James while he was there.

Now, who is this James? There are several James’ mentioned in the New Testament and two of them were apostles of Jesus. The first was James the son of Zebedee (John’s brother) and the other was James the son of Alphaeus, who is referred to as James the less (meaning James the younger). James, the brother of John, was killed by Herod (see Acts 12:2), so this James must be James the younger. But, in the thirteenth chapter of Matthew’s gospel there is mention of James, Joses, Simon, and Judas as brothers of Jesus.

Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” (Matthew 13:55, 36)

There is strong evidence that the term “brothers” is used here to mean close relatives and that “sisters” is used in a similar manner to refer to close relatives who are female. According to the Apostle John in his gospel account, while Jesus was hanging on the cross, his mother Mary and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas were standing near Him.

Therefore the soldiers did these things. But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene. (John 19:25)

It is not likely that two daughters of the same parents were both named Mary. And yet, they are referred to as sisters.

Scripture indicates that this James is an apostle and, therefore, must be James the less, the son of Cleopas (also called Alphaeus) and Mary, who is a close relative to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Paul’s earlier point was that he did not receive the gospel message from mankind (including the apostles) and now he is pointing out that he only met with Peter and happened to see James while he was there.

(For a more thorough analysis of who this James is, see this author’s study on the book of James.)

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 1:18 – The Glorious Word

Posted on August 6, 2007 by admin

Galatians 1:18

Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days.

Truth to Learn

Paul preached the gospel message for three years before he sought the fellowship of the other Apostles. He didn’t need their teaching because he had been taught by the Word.

Behind the Words

The word translated “see” is not the normal Greek word that means “to view something.” It is the word historēsai which does not occur anywhere else in the New Testament. It means “to ascertain by personal inquiry and examination” or “to narrate, as a historian was accustomed to do.” It is the word from which we get our English word “history.”

Meaning Explained

As we learned in the previous verse, immediately after his conversion Paul began preaching the gospel message both in Damascus and in Arabia. He argued so forcefully against the Jews that they eventually plotted to kill him. Now we learn that after three years (from the time he first went to Damascus) he went up to Jerusalem to see Peter.

Paul did not simply go up to see what Peter looked like, he went to see Peter with the intention of getting to know him. But, he didn’t receive the gospel message from Peter. In fact, he was preaching the gospel for three years before he even met with Peter (and James, as we will see in the next verse.) The gospel Paul preached is the message that he received from Christ himself. In the opening verses of John’s gospel he says that Jesus Christ is “the Word.” Paul didn’t have a New Testament as we do, in fact he wrote nearly half of the New Testament. He received the message, the word, from the Word. Here’s how John said it in his gospel account:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

In the same way, we receive the message from the Word of God which Paul and others have written for us, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the living Word of God. He is the message that God loves us so much that He gave Jesus to die for our sins. He is the message, He is the gift, and He is the proof, all rolled up in one.

Paul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus and was blinded by his glory. As soon as he received his sight again, however, Paul quit his self-absorbed persecution of Christians and began preaching that he had seen the light, the glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ.

Application

We need to be in the Word regularly to learn about Christ and the good news of his death, burial, and resurrection. If we are not getting our message directly from the Word, then we are getting it from flesh and blood and no matter how good a preacher is, he is still a fallible human being. That is not to say that we shouldn’t listen to good preaching, we should listen intently, but we should also verify that what we are learning from men is the same as what God says in the Holy Bible.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 1:17 – Arabian Preacher

Posted on August 2, 2007 by admin

Galatians 1:17

nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

Truth to Learn

We need to let God lead us in using the unique talents and training He has given us.

Meaning Explained

Paul has already told us that he didn’t confer with flesh and blood to receive the gospel message that he was to deliver to the Gentiles. He said he received it directly from the Lord himself. He now tells us that neither did he go to Jerusalem to get it from those who were apostles before he was.

At the time of Paul’s conversion the church was centered at Jerusalem where the apostles first received the Spirit of God on the day of Pentecost. Until the time of persecution that Paul was an integral part of, the church remained there and the apostles stayed together. Even though Paul was converted, the persecution continued and eventually the Christians in Jerusalem were forced to leave, taking the gospel message with them. James (the younger) remained in Jerusalem and became the leader of the church there, along with Peter and perhaps a few others of the apostles.

After Paul was converted, instead of going to the apostles in Jerusalem, he immediately began preaching in the synagogues in Damascus. We see the described in Acts chapter 9:

So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus. Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. (Acts 9:19-20)

From there Paul went into Arabia. We don’t know where in Arabia he went but it is quite possible that he went to the Eastern side of the Jordan River to the areas known as Trachonitis and Decapolis. There is no direct evidence what he did there but it is likely that he preached the gospel there to anyone who was willing to listen.

Then Paul returned to Damascus and continued to preach the message he had received from God. He was so well versed in the Jewish religion and, now that he understood the truth about Jesus Christ being the long awaited Messiah, he was a powerful preacher of the Word. So powerful, in fact, that the Jews could not refute his logic. As a result, they plotted to kill him:

But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ. Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him. (Acts 9:22, 23)

God used the upbringing and training that Paul obtained in his youth to take the message to the Jews (and later to the Gentiles) in a way that no Gentile could possibly have done.

Application

Each one of us has unique skills and training and we need to let God direct us in using our background and experience to build up the body of Christ. People who you work with and who live around you may not go to church and you may be the only source of the gospel message for them. If you are a silent witness, they may never hear.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 1:16 – Illuminated Direction

Posted on August 1, 2007 by admin

Galatians 1:16

to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood,

Truth to Learn

God has a plan for each person in the body of Christ and He will reveal that plan to us, if we are willing to listen to Him.

Behind the Words

The word translated “confer” is prosanatithēmi, which is made up of pros, meaning “beside” or “in addition to” and anatithēmi, meaning “to lay-up” (as thoughts are laid-up between people.) Hence, this word means “to have a conversation or an exchange of ideas with someone.”

Meaning Explained

In order to understand this verse we have to include the first part of the previous verse, which applies to what is being said here. Taking out the parenthetical expression, “who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace” we get, “But when it pleased God to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood,”

There is some confusion about the expression “to reveal His Son in me.” The words translated “in me” are the Greek words en emoi which can literally be translated as “in me.” But these same two words are used elsewhere in the scriptures to mean “to me.” An example is 1 Corinthians 14:11 which says:

Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me.

Therefore, it is possible that Paul’s meaning is: God the Father, at His own good pleasure, revealed His Son to Paul as an act of grace, not as a result of his seeking Him (for clearly Paul was not seeking God at the time).

As more evidence that this is what Paul intended, look at:

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

It is God’s shining in our hearts that gives us the knowledge and faith to believe. And Paul, immediately upon having had Christ revealed to him, while still in the presence of the Lord on the road to Damascus, asked the Lord what he should do.

So I said, “What shall I do, Lord?” And the Lord said to me, “Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.” (Acts 22:10)

Apparently it was while he was in Damascus and later in Arabia that Paul learned the difference between the legalistic, tradition based religion that he had been previously pursuing and true Christianity.

Notice that Paul did not know what to do after he was saved so he asked God for guidance and upon receiving it, he followed it as zealously as he had persecuted the faith previously.

Application

Do you know what God wants you to do? If not, have you asked him?

And, are you willing to do whatever it is that He wants you to do?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Galatians 1:15 – A Called One

Posted on July 31, 2007 by admin

Galatians 1:15

But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace,

Truth to Learn

We have been called by God to serve Him.

Behind the Words

The word translated “separated” is a form of the Greek word aphoridzō which is a compound word made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and the verb horidzō, which means “to define.” Hence, aphoridzō means “to separate” or “to set-apart for a particular office or work.”

Meaning Explained

On the surface, this verse seems to say one thing when, in fact, it is saying something entirely different. The expression, “separated me from my mother’s womb” appears to be a reference to God being in control of Paul’s birth. But, Paul is not saying that God was responsible for, or participated in, his birth, but that from the time he was born, God set Paul apart for a particular work, spreading the gospel to the Gentiles.

If you look at Ephesians 1:4, 5 you will see that God chooses each one of us to be holy and blameless in his sight.

just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, (Ephesians 1:4, 5)

God does not simply choose us to be his children, he sets us apart. The word holy means “set apart.” Just like Paul, you and I have been chosen and have been set-apart. And, not only did God set Paul apart for the ministry of Gentile evangelism but he also “called” him to the task, and we have also been called by God to serve Him, as Paul tells us in Romans chapter 8.

In Paul’s case, this setting-apart and calling is referenced in the first verse of the book of Romans:

Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God (Romans 1:1)

And later, as part of their commissioning by the church at Antioch, Paul and Barnabas were to be set-apart to the task that God had already called them to:

As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. (Acts 13:2)

Paul was called and set-apart for a specific ministry. He was obedient and he turned the world upside down.

Application

Every Christian has been chosen by God, separated from the remainder of mankind, and called to serve and obey our Lord and Master. And, according to Paul in the current verse, and in Ephesians 1:5 quoted above, this separating and calling is according to God’s choosing, “according to the good pleasure of His will,” not according to what we want to do.

God is the one who does the calling. How we choose to respond to that calling is up to us.

How have you responded to God’s calling in your life?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –