Galatians 1:13
For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it.
Truth to Learn
Sometimes those who hate Christians the most become vibrant witnesses for faith in Jesus Christ.
Behind the Words
“Conduct” is translated from the Greek noun anastrophē, which is taken from the verb anastrephō. This verb is made up of ana, which means “up” or “again” and strephō, which means “to turn.” Hence, the verb literally means “to turn again” or “to return.” By interpretation, it refers to “moving about in a place” or “dwelling in a place.” Therefore, the noun form, anastrophē, refers to a person’s “manner of living” or “personal conduct.”
The word translated “beyond measure” is huperbolē, which is a compound word made up of huper (or hyper), meaning “over” and a form of ballō, meaning “to throw.” So it literally means, “to throw over” or “to throw beyond.” By interpretation it means “exceedingly much.” This is the word from which we get our English word hyperbole which means to exaggerate.
Meaning Explained
Paul now begins to share a testimony of his early years as a Christian with the believers in Galatia as further evidence that he received not only his calling, but also the gospel message, directly from Christ himself. He will also point out later in this testimony that he personally confronted the apostle Peter and the leaders of the church in
Paul starts out his testimony with the statement “For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism.” Either Paul had shared this testimony with them previously or he knew that others had informed them of his former religious practices. He tells us that when he was a believer in the Jewish faith he persecuted Christians exceedingly as we see in the eighth and ninth chapters of Acts:
As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. (Acts 8:3)
Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. (Acts 9:1, 2)
Paul was one of the most zealous persecutors of the early church. He felt as if it was His calling in life to destroy those who believed in Jesus Christ. Isn’t it amazing how God will take a person who is openly and violently opposed to the gospel message and turns them around to become evangelistically on fire for Him?
Application
Remember Paul’s background the next time you are verbally or physically attacked for sharing the gospel. Instead of getting angry at the one who attacks you, perhaps you should pray that God will touch their heart and use them for His glory.
That’s something to think about, isn’t it?
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2007 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, you can call the church phone (618) 614-3070 and leave a message telling us your name and e-mail address or you can send an e-mail to: