Galatians 1:11-24 - The Calling of Christ

Galatians 1:11-24

Call to Apostleship (Acts 9:1–25)

11 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

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. 14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, 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.

Contacts at Jerusalem (Acts 9:26–31)

18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)

21 Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ. 23 But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God in me.

The calling of the apostle is not completely unlike our own calling to follow and serve the Lord Jesus Christ.  We also are to bear witness of the gospel in our own firsthand manner, not as an eyewitness as the apostles, but as spiritual witnesses of His work in transforming ourselves through the regeneration of a new birth which we often confuse as our complete testimony.  Our true testimony is the work of Christ done to save us that we were utterly unable to do on our own.  It is not just our story of confession and conversion, but the entirety of the gospel which brought us to Him. The focus is as Paul’s here on the gospel given us to proclaim to others even is not with the same apostolic authority to pen scripture as these had been called to complete the Bible for us.  We indeed now have the authority to proclaim the gospel even if we play no part in writing the words God gives since they are all written and completed; it is our calling to expound and explain the meaning of these that the Lord had given to us through them, much as Nehemiah did (Nehemiah 8:8) to present the sense of the word of God as it was already written by Moses and the prophets.  The Lord now teaches us through others and His indwelling Spirit (John John 6:45, 14:26, 2 Timothy 2:2) and not by direct new revelation as the apostles received instruction, yet we also are taught by God through these means.  Paul’s calling after years of zealously persecuting the faithful in Christ and aiming to destroy His church was abruptly stopped when he was called to preach and teach the very message to the church he once was trying to eradicate.  We also may feel unworthy in our rejection and opposition to the gospel before our conversion, yet God has chosen us to use our testimony of His work in us to draw us to Himself out of this present evil age of spiritual darkness and then use us for His glory according to His power to save through the message proclaimed (1 Corinthians 1:21).  Paul spent three years after his conversion in what must have been spiritual growth to prepare for full time ministry just as we also must grow in faith and knowledge (2 Peter 1:3, 5) before being used to teach others and be able to effectively minister to them; new believers are simply not equipped and have not the wisdom and depth (1 Timothy 3:6) to do this.  Paul had spent this time with the Lord and then with fellow believers before beginning to preach the gospel and be accepted as one true to the Lord with an accurate understanding and worthy to proclaim this.  This is the pattern in Christian service today still, to test new believers who have grown in the Lord sufficiently to be true (Acts 18:24-25, 26-28) as seen in the example of Apollos.  This is how God is glorified in and through us in the calling of Christ brought to multiply disciples through us.