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A.T. Robertson · Citado em PreceptAustin
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Robertson explains not sent from men ("as an ultimate source" = Wuest) - The bluntness of Paul's denial is due to the charge made by the Judaizers that Paul was not a genuine apostle because not one of the twelve. This charge had been made in Corinth and called forth the keenest irony of Paul (2 Cor. 10-12). In Galatians 1; Galatians 2 Paul proves his independence of the twelve and his equality with them as recognized by them. Paul denies that his apostleship had a human source (ouk ap’ anthrōpōn) and that it had come to him through (di’ anthrōpou) a human channel (Burton). (Galatians 1 Commentary - Word Pictures in the NT) Nor through (Gk prep dia - points to the medium by which authority is ordinarily conveyed) the agency of man - "Nor" is oude which is also the strongest negation and which more literally is "not even." So notice that Paul begins his personal introduction with two strong negatives (ouk...oude)! The point is that not only was Paul's apostleship not given directly by men (Not sent from men), neither was it mediated through any man "but through (THE GOD-MAN) Jesus Christ and God the Father." The Father and the Son called Paul to be their apostle and they shared in this divine calling which is clear affirmation of Paul's credentials to defend the Gospel of grace. C H
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Robertson - The call to be an apostle came to Paul through Jesus Christ as he claimed in 1 Cor. 9:1+ and as told in Acts 9:4-6+; Acts 22:7ff+.; Acts 26:16ff+. He is apostle also by the will of God (2 Ti 1:1+). (Word Pictures in the NT) An old Jew named Ebed Tob used to say of the office he held: "It was not my father or my mother who installed me in this place, but the arm of the mighty king gave it to me." (source unknown) Paul could truly attest that it was THE Mighty King Jesus Who had "installed" him! Related Cross References 1 Corinthians 9:1-2+ Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. 2 Timothy 1:1+ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus. 2 Corinthians 12:12+ The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles. Acts 9:3-6+ As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, 6 but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.”.....(Lord to Ananias - "But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” -- Acts 9:15-16+) Raised Him from the dead - While the resurrection is a crucial component in the Gospel, the fact that this is the only direct reference to the resurrection in Galatians suggests that false teaching on the resurrection was not a major or immediate concern. The other apostles commissioned by Jesus were still on earth to affirm the resurrection, but Paul's commission was unique in that it was given by the resurrected, ascended Lord Jesus (Acts 9:3-8+; see Acts 1:21-22+). So why did Paul mention resurrection? Most importantly, without the resurrection, the Gospel would be powerless! The resurrection is also mentioned to show us that the Lord is alive and that as the Living Lord He could call Paul as His apostle. Finally, the resurrection indicates that Paul was qualified to be an apostle since he had literally seen the Risen Christ (1 Cor. 9:1+). Paul himself testified "And last of all, as to one untimely born, He (THE RESURRECTED JESUS CHRIST) appeared to me also. For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me." (1 Cor. 15:8-10+) Raised (1453)(egeiro) means literally to rise or stand up from a sitting or lying position (Mt 8:26, 9:5). Figuratively it means to awaken from sleep (Mt 8:25) and finally in another figurative use as in the present passage, it means to "awaken" from death and so to be raised up. In the NT egeiro is found 141 times. Of these, 73, or slightly more than half, refer to the resurrection of the dead. Of these 73, again, some 48, or about two-thirds, refer to the resurrection of Jesus as in Galatians 1:1, the only direct mention of the resurrection of Christ in Galatians. Anderson - It is the resurrection that is the Father’s FINAL SEAL OF APPROVAL, His ENDORSEMENT upon the completed work of His Son in providing salvation. It is the resurrection that makes Christianity distinctive among the religions of the world. (see 1 Pe 1:3+) Mounce adds that "The core of egeiro has to do with the raising of Jesus from the dead. Except for Phil 1:17 ("to cause"), the letters of the NT never use this verb for anything except the resurrection of Jesus. It becomes a technical term for Paul because it occurs so often in Romans and 1 Corinthians (more than 30x, with a heavy saturation in 1 Cor. 15+, the chief passage on the resurrection in the NT). Jesus is the firstfruits of the resurrection, who is thus qualified to raise us from the dead when he returns to this earth (1 Cor. 15:20; 2 Cor. 4:14). God has transferred the power to raise the dead to his Son, who will enact it when he returns (1Th 4:13-18).(Mounce's complete expository dictionary of Old & New Testament words) Related Resources: American Tract Society Resurrection of Christ Resurrection of the Dead Bridgeway Bible Dictionary Resurrection Baker Evangelical Dictionary Resurrection Easton's Bible Dictionary Resurrection of Christ Resurrection of the Dead Fausset Bible Dictionary Resurrection Holman Bible Dictionary Resurrection of Jesus Christ Resurrection Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Resurrection Hastings' Dictionary of the NT Resurrection Resurrection of Christ Resurrection of Christ (2) nternational Standard Bible Encyclopedia Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Resurrection Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia Resurrection of the body Resurrection of christ McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia Cross of the Resurrection of Christ Resurrection Resurrection of Christ. G Walter Hansen applies Paul's defense of his apostleship to our lives - Paul's affirmation of his divine appointment also encourages us to affirm our own divine appointments. We may not play the role of apostles, but we are given work to do by God's appointment. If we view our work as just another job to do for a difficult boss, we will soon become discouraged. But if by faith we can see that God has given us work to do for him, then we can overcome even the most difficult obstacles. All work is sacred if it has been given to us by God. Paul was able to endure through all the hardships he faced because he was convinced that his work was given to him by God. (The IVP New Testament Commentary Series – Galatians 1 Commentary) NEVER THROW AWAY FREEDOM - Sitting on top of the United States capitol building is a 20 foot statue known as the “Freedom Lady”. She was sculpted by Italian artists in the city of Rome, & shipped across the Atlantic Ocean to her perch in Washington DC. During the delivery, the ship carrying the statue encountered a fierce storm. Howling winds and huge waves threatened to capsize the ship. Its skipper ordered the cargo thrown overboard. But when the men went to toss the Freedom Lady the captain shouted, “No, never! We’ll flounder before we throw “Freedom” away.”This is the message of Galatians… Never throw away your freedom. Harrison says: Turning to the Epistle to the Galatians we find the Apostle Paul defining and describing a Christian in such terms as these: A Christian is one who has the living Christ living in him. (See Galatians 2:20; Gal 4:19) He has had a transforming experience. A Christian is one who has the Holy Spirit (Gal 4:6). He begets in the believer new characteristics that are productive of Christian conduct (Gal 5:22, 23). A Christian is one who has shared the Cross experience with Christ, as the basic solution of his personal problems. (See Galatians 2:20; Gal 5:24; Gal 6:14, 17) A Christian is one possessed of a life so divine, so ideal that it cannot be pressed into the mould of external regulations. (See Galatians 4:9-11, 19-21; Gal 5:1-6) In other words, the Christian life consists not in behaving but in being, a life out of which behavior naturally proceeds; not something external, but internal, the root producing the fruit. It is a life that must be free to express itself; to impose regulations upon it is fatal to it. (Overview of Galatians) RECOVERING PHARISEES - Philip Graham Ryken has an interesting introduction to Galatians 1 - Galatians is a letter for recovering Pharisees. The Pharisees who lived during and after the time of Christ were very religious. They were regular in their worship, orthodox in their theology, and moral in their conduct. Yet something was missing. Although God was in their minds and in their actions, he was not in their hearts. Therefore, their religion was little more than hypocrisy. The Pharisees were hypocrites because they thought that what God would do for them depended on what they did for God. So they read their Bibles, prayed, tithed, and kept the Sabbath as if their salvation depended on it. What they failed to understand is that God's grace cannot be earned; it only comes free. There is a way out of Pharisaism. The way out is called the Gospel. It is the good news that Jesus Christ has already done everything necessary for our salvation. If we trust in him, he will make us right with God by giving us the free gift of his grace. When we reject our own righteousness to receive the righteousness of Jesus Christ, we become former Pharisees. Most former Pharisees have a problem, however. It is hard for them to leave their legalism behind. Although initially they received God's grace for free, they keep trying to put a surcharge on it. They believe that God loves them, but secretly they suspect that his love is conditional, that it depends on how they are doing in the Christian life. They end up with a performance-based Christianity that denies the grace of God. To put this in theological terms, they want to base their justification on their sanctification.This means that most former Pharisees—indeed, most Christians—are still in recovery. There is still something of the old legalist in us. Although we have been saved by grace, we do not always know how to live by grace. The Gospel is something we received some time in the past, but not something we live and breathe. Galatians was written for people like us....Why does this epistle have such a liberating influence? Because the church is always full of recovering Pharisees who need to receive the gospel again, as if for the very first time. (Reformed Expository Commentary – Galatians - recommended) (Bold added) Max Lucado - You may be decent. You may pay taxes and kiss your kids and sleep with a clean conscience. But apart from Christ you aren’t holy. So how can you go to heaven? Only believe. Accept the work already done, the work of Jesus on the cross. Only believe . . . It’s that simple? It’s that simple. It’s that easy? There was nothing easy at all about it. The cross was heavy, the blood was real, and the price was extravagant. It would have bankrupted you or me, so he paid it for us. Call it simple. Call it a gift. But don’t call it easy. Call it what it is. Call it grace. ( A Gentle Thunder by Max Lucado) David Platt on why the message of Galatians is so important to believers - Everyone is born with a nature that insists that we can make our own way to God. Even after we are saved—saved by grace—there are still traces of a performance mentality that we all struggle with. We think we can earn God's favor by what we do. This ingrained mind-set of works-righteousness means that we have to be careful not to misinterpret passages that talk about obedience and discipleship. It is all too easy to lose sight of the grace that's at the heart of our faith. The hard sayings of Jesus can prompt us to ask, "What about grace?" That's an important question because if we leave grace behind, we become like every other religion in the world. We lose that which is distinct and eternally life transforming in the gospel, and we lose the very message that we are called to proclaim....Galatians is a book that was written specifically to counter legalism and to address the centrality of grace in the church. As we study this book, we should begin to see more clearly what grace is, to be saturated with it, and to know when it is being taught accurately. When we hear a false gospel, we should be discerning enough to recognize it. This is exactly what the Galatian church, a new church that was just beginning to grow, was in danger of missing. (Christ-Centered Exposition – Exalting Jesus in Galatians) Galatians 1:2 and all the brethren who are with me, to the churches of Galatia: NAU Galatians 1:2 and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: BGT Galatians 1:2 καὶ οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ πάντες ἀδελφοὶ ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις τῆς Γαλατίας, NET Galatians 1:2 and all the brothers with me, to the churches of Galatia. GNT Galatians 1:2 καὶ οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ πάντες ἀδελφοὶ ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις τῆς Γαλατίας, NLT Galatians 1:2 All the brothers and sisters here join me in sending this letter to the churches of Galatia. KJV Galatians 1:2 And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia: ESV Galatians 1:2 and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: ASV Galatians 1:2 and all the brethren that are with me, unto the churches of Galatia: CSB Galatians 1:2 and all the brothers who are with me: To the churches of Galatia. NIV Galatians 1:2 and all the brothers with me, To the churches in Galatia: NKJ Galatians 1:2 and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: NRS Galatians 1:2 and all the members of God's family who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: YLT Galatians 1:2 and all the brethren with me, to the assemblies of Galatia: NAB Galatians 1:2 and all the brothers who are with me, to the churches of Galatia: NJB Galatians 1:2 and all the brothers who are with me, to the churches of Galatia. GWN Galatians 1:2 and all the believers who are with me. To the churches in Galatia. BBE Galatians 1:2 And all the brothers who are with me, to the churches of Galatia: All: Php 2:22, Php 4:21 Churches: Acts 9:31, Acts 15:41, Acts 16:5,6 Acts 18:23 1Co 16:1 Galatians 1 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries TO THE CHURCHES IN GALATIA This verse seems simple but has caused Bible students considerable angst in trying to understand to which churches was Paul referring. Wiersbe gives a simple summary (of a complex topic) - "Bible students are divided over whether Paul wrote to churches in the country of Galatia or in the province of Galatia. The former view is called the "north Galatian theory" and the latter the "south Galatian theory." The matter is not finally settled, but the evidence seems to indicate that Paul wrote to churches in the southern part of the province of Galatia—Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe—churches he founded on his first missionary journey (Acts 13:1-14:28)." (Bible Exposition Commentary) Northern or Southern Galatia? - In Paul’s day, the word Galatia had two distinct meanings. In a strict ethnic sense, Galatia was the region of central Asia Minor inhabited by the Galatians. They were a Celtic people who had migrated to that region from Gaul (modern France) in the third century B.C. The Romans conquered the Galatians in 189 B.C. but allowed them to have some measure of independence until 25 B.C. when Galatia became a Roman province, incorporating some regions not inhabited by ethnic Galatians (e.g., parts of Lycaonia, Phrygia, and Pisidia). In a political sense, Galatia came to describe the entire Roman province, not merely the region inhabited by the ethnic Galatians. Paul founded churches in the southern Galatian cities of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe (Acts 13:14–14:23+). These cities, although within the Roman province of Galatia, were not in the ethnic Galatian region. There is no record of Paul’s founding churches in that northern, less populated region. Those two uses of the word Galatia make it more difficult to determine who the original recipients of the epistle were. Some interpret Galatia in its strict racial sense and argue that Paul addressed this epistle to churches in the northern Galatian region, inhabited by the ethnic descendants of the Gauls. Although the apostle apparently crossed the border into the fringes of ethnic Galatia on at least two occasions (Acts 16:6+; Acts 18:23+), Acts does not record that he founded any churches or engaged in any evangelistic ministry there. Because neither Acts nor Galatians mentions any cities or people from northern (ethnic) Galatia, it is reasonable to believe that Paul addressed this epistle to churches located in the southern part of the Roman province, but outside of the ethnic Galatian region. Acts records the apostle’s founding of such churches at Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:14–50+;), Iconium (Acts 13:51–14:7+; cf. Acts 16:2+), Lystra (Acts 14:8–19+; cf. Acts 16:2+), and Derbe (Acts 14:20, 21+; cf. Acts 16:1+). In addition, the churches Paul addressed had apparently been established before the Jerusalem Council (Gal 2:5+), and the churches of southern Galatia fit that criterion, having been founded during Paul’s first missionary journey before the Council met. Paul did not visit northern (ethnic) Galatia until after the Jerusalem Council (Acts 16:6+). (John MacArthur's Introduction to Galatians) Related Resources: F. F. Bruce, "Galatian Problems. 1. Autobiographical Data," Bulletin of the John Rylands Library Manchester 51.2 (Spring 1969): 292-309. F. F. Bruce, "Galatian Problems. 2. North or South Galatians?" Bulletin of the John Rylands Library Manchester 52.2 (Spring 1970): 243-266. F. F. Bruce, "Galatian Problems. 3. The ‘Other’ Gospel," Bulletin of the John Rylands Library Manchester 53.2 (Spring 1971): 253-271. F. F. Bruce, "Galatian Problems. 4. The Date of the Epistle," Bulletin of the John Rylands Library Manchester 54.2 (Spring 1972): 250-267. F. F. Bruce, "Galatian Problems. 5. Galatians and Christian Origins," Bulletin of the John Rylands Library Manchester 55.2 (Spring 1973): 264-284. All the brethren - Paul's use of the word "all" suggests that there were a considerable number who were in agreement with his letter. Notice Paul's use of "I' in Galatians 1:6 ("I am amazed") indicating that this letter was personally from him and was not a “team effort." The NLT paraphrase gives a good sense of Paul's intended meaning - "All the brothers and sisters here join me in sending this letter." - "in sending" it, not in writing it. C H
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Robertson says the idea is that labor is an annoyance, bad, evil; Noun poneria derived from poneros) means evil including evil, malignant character, pernicious (see Webster 1828 definition below), that which is morally or socially worthless, wicked, base, bad, degenerate. Poneros denotes determined, aggressive, and fervent evil that actively opposes what is good. Poneros is not just bad in character (like kakos - see below), but bad in effect (injurious)! Poneros describes evil in active opposition to good. It means not only evil in its nature but viciously evil in its influence and actively harmful. Poneros used to describe Satan (ho poneros = "Evil one"), the god of this age, who is corrupting man and dragging him to destruction. This denotes someone who is not content in being corrupt themselves. They seek to corrupt others and draw them into the same destruction. Age (aion) is used in this context does not refer to a period of time but to the popular culture and manner of thinking that is in rebellion against God and which will try to conform us to its ungodly pattern (cf use of aion in Ro 12:2+). Bengel adds that "aion" is that "subtle, informing spirit of the world of men who are living alienated and apart from God." Aion conveys the sense of "the spirit of this age" in which we live. It describes a lifestyle in which people follow the ways of the world and the evil ruler of the world system. It is dominated by SELF and by the humanistic philosophy that seeks to eliminate God from every aspect of life. But this age is a passing, transitory satanically dominated world about with John says "The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." (1 Jn 2:17+) THOUGHT - This truth about this dying, disappearing age begs the question - What are you living for, the passing temporal pleasures of this evil world or the enduring eternal pleasures of the perfect world to come? Every day you have a choice regarding whether you will live for this world or the next world, for self or for Savior, driven by the fallen flesh or empowered by the eternal Spirit? And do not be deceived beloved child of God. The choice you make today will impact your eternal tomorrow! Yes, sin's penalty is fully paid for, but as Paul explained "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad (phaulos)." (2 Cor 5:10+). Believer of course are still in the world, but we are no longer of it (John 17:11,14-18; Phil. 3:20-21+; 1 John 5:5+). "And now the faithful Christian life is the heavenly life lived on earth." (MacArthur) Trench in his classic definition for age (aion) writes that "age" is "All that floating mass of thoughts, opinions, maxims, speculations, hopes, impulses, aims, aspirations, at any time current in the world, which it may be impossible to seize and accurately define, but which constitute a most real and effective power, being the moral or immoral atmosphere which at every moment of our lives we inhale, again inevitably to exhale. (See Trench's analysis of kosmos versus aion) Why would we ever want to go back into this foul environment after being miraculously rescued by grace, grace in which we now stand and which enables and transforms us? In context the Galatians were believing a false teaching (a teaching originating from this present evil age and the father of lies - Jn 8:44) and were going back up under the burdensome yoke of the Law and the old dead works based mentality. Barry Horner - By way of application the New Testament picture of this age is that of a ship run aground on rocks, breaking up. Some are rescued since they confess their plight and cry out to be delivered, but others are foolishly trying to patch the vessel up and cast off once again, only to encounter further tragedy after tragedy! We might name this ship, “this present evil age.” Don Anderson writes that “THIS PRESENT EVIL AGE” is not content to perish by itself but desires to drag man down with it to the same destruction. There is a powerful undertow of “THIS PRESENT EVIL AGE” endeavoring to sweep us away from the potential safety that can be ours in the Savior. Satan, the god of this world, uses: DRUGS, DRINK, DIVORCE, DESPAIR, DISCOURAGEMENT, DEPRESSION and whatever else is at his disposal to accomplish his purpose. (Notes) GOD IS OUR FATHER According to the will of God and our Father - Paul explains the Source of the rescue operation, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.: (Jn 3:16). The Father planned the rescue mission from eternity past, "before the foundation of the world." (Eph 1:4+). The Cross of Christ was always in His heart and mind (1 Pe 1:20+). As Paul writes later in this letter But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. (Gal 4:4-5+) Peter writes The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9+) In Ephesians Paul spoke of God's will... He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him (Eph 1:9+) God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. (Eph 1:9NLT) God's will is the ultimate cause and law. Redemption is its fulfilment. Hence our Lord Jesus declares that He came to do the will of Him that sent Him. John 4:34, 5:30, and Jn 6:38–40. The Son became man and entered the world to do the will of God (Heb 10:7). As He approached the time of His crucifixion, He prayed, “not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matt. 26:39). Even in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed in the Garden, "Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done" (Luke 22:42). It was not the Father's will for that cup to be removed, because otherwise the world could not be saved. (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Galatians) MacDonald on according to the will of God - "This places the credit where it belongs—not in man’s puny efforts, but rather in the sovereign will of God. It emphasizes that Christ is God’s way of salvation and that there is no other." (MacDonald)
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Robertson - The Pharisees were the separatists who held themselves off from others. Paul conceives himself as a spiritual Pharisee “separated unto the gospel of God” (Ro 1:1+, the same word aphōrismenos) Before his birth God had his plans for him and called him. (Galatians 1 Commentary - Word Pictures in the NT)
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Robertson adds "The Jerusalem apostles were genuine apostles, but so is Paul. His call did not come from them nor did he receive confirmation by them." (Galatians 1 Commentary - Word Pictures in the NT) As an aside it is fascinating to note Paul's self-assessment as he grew in grace and knowledge as a follower of Christ... NOTE PROGRESSION IN PAUL'S ESTIMATE OF SELF: 1Co 15:9 (55AD) For I am the least of the apostles, who am not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. Eph 3:8 (61AD) To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, 1Ti 1:15 (63-66AD) It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Click Chronological Diagram to enlarge See Also Map of Events of Paul's Conversion and Early Ministry (Note: Map is copyright by Holman Publishing and not to be copied) But I went away to Arabia - Arabia is the transliteration (spelling) of a Hebrew word meaning “an arid, thus a sparsely populated place.”
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Robertson says the faith is "used in the sense of “the Gospel” as in Acts 6:7+." Wuest emphasizes the subjective aspect of faith (the act of believing) whereas Robertson favors the objective sense (that which is believed). For more discussion see the faith (pistis). Donald Campbell agrees with Robertson on the meaning of the faith writing that "This would of course include the doctrine of justification by faith apart from circumcision or works." (The Bible Knowledge Commentary) Destroy (making havoc) (4199) See preceding discussion of portheo. Warren Wiersbe sums up Paul's refutation of the accusations of his opponents and the opponents of his divinely delivered Gospel by reminding us that "Modern-day “Judaizers,” like their ancient counterparts, reject the authority of Paul and try to undermine the Gospel which he preached. In Paul’s day, their message was “the Gospel plus Moses.” In our day it is “the Gospel plus” any number of religious leaders, religious books, or religious organizations. “You cannot be saved unless...” is their message (Acts 15:1); and that “unless” usually includes joining their group and obeying their rules. If you dare to mention the Gospel of grace as preached by Jesus, Paul, and the other Apostles, they reply, “But God has given us a new revelation!” (Bible Exposition Commentary) Paul--I. The persecutor--full of pride--false zeal--bitterness--destroying the faith. II. The preacher--full of humility--devotedness--love--glorying in the crucified Jesus. (J. Lyth.) ILLUSTRATIONS of radical conversions... Conversion reverses men’s lives - There was a man, while Messrs. Moody and Sankey were in London, who got out a little paper called “The Moody and Sankey Humbug.” He used to have it to sell to the people coming into the meeting. After he had sold a great many thousand copies of that number, he wanted to get out another number; so he went into the meeting to get something to put into the paper; but the power of the Lord was present, and the arrow of conviction went down deep into his heart. He went out, not to write a paper, but to destroy his paper that he had written, and to tell what the Holy Ghost had done for him. (Nye.) (The Biblical Illustrator) The scoffer turned preacher - One evening a young man who had been educated for a barrister was seated with some merry making companions in a London tavern, when his companions, knowing he was a clever mimic, requested him to go and hear Mr. Wesley preach, and then come and mimic the whole affair for their amusement. He went. The text, “Prepare to meet thy God,” (Amos 4:12) frightened him like a bursting shell, and conviction deepened during the sermon. On his return to his friends they inquired, “Well, have you taken him off?” He replied, “No, gentlemen; but he has taken me off.” He left his companions, gave his heart to God, and became one of Mr. Wesley’s most useful preachers. (The Biblical Illustrator) Galatians 1:24 And they were glorifying God because of me. Amplified - And they glorified God [as the Author and Source of what had taken place] in me.