Galatians 2:1-5
The key words of this passage are gospel and freedom. Pual is continuing the historical account ofhow he received the gospel of freedom he was preaching and how it was supported or authourized by the leadership of the church in Jerusalem (the center of authourity in the early church). He uses a word picture to describe his spiritual adventure - one that he uses a lot in his writings: a runner running a race. Paul wants to make sure that the race that he is running is not in vain; he wants to be sure that what he is preaching is actually true and has the backing of the other appostles. He sues soem pretty harsh language in reference to the Judaizers, calling them spies how have infiltrated the ranks.
Here's what I am takin from this passage: first, I must be willing to submit to authourity, even when I am pretty convinced I am right. Paul received the message of freedom directly from Christ but in the face of opposition, he decide to check his facts with the rest of the community of believers, particularly the recognized leader of that commuity. I need to be as humble as Paul (if not more, since I haven't received any messages directly from Christ) and be willing to submit to the collective wisdom and uthourity of the community of faith that I am a part of. I also need to be as bold as Paul when I am convinced that something is right. "We did not give into them for a moment."
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1 comment:
I love it jer, it is all too true. I also need to be humbled and consult with the faith community more. Humility can be such a tough thing. Also I agree with the last statement that we shold not give in for a moment when doing Christ's work. We need to always live in the truth of the gospel.
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