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Warren Wiersbe · Citado em PreceptAustin
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Wiersbe quips that the reason he does not open in his usual manner is that "He has no time! Paul is about to engage in a battle for the truth of the Gospel and the liberty of the Christian life. False teachers are spreading a false "gospel" which is a mixture of Law and grace, and Paul is not going to stand by and do nothing." (Be Free (Galatians): Exchange Legalism for True Spirituality) Lenski on an apostle not sent from men... - Place no comma after "apostle" and make no parenthesis of the following phrases, for these phrases modify "apostle" most closely and directly. The force of the apposition is not that Paul is an apostle but that he is this kind of an apostle. The whole impact lies in the phrases. They meet a challenge, meet it head on. They are not an incidental, parenthetical appendix....Paul is probably quoting the phrases of the Judaizers who maintained that, whatever his apostleship was, it was either altogether only "from men" or at best had come to him only "through man." Whatever office he claimed he had was either altogether human or divine only in a secondary and thus more or less doubtful sense.(The Interpretation of St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians) Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, Who raised Him from the dead) - Paul immediately asserts his authority. Though not one of the original Twelve, Paul claimed equality with them as an apostle. He states that he is an authentic, genuine apostle of Jesus Christ and God the Father, and therefore he is qualified and ready to defend the true Gospel of Grace which is being assaulted by the adversaries, most likely Judaizers. So from Galatians 1:1 through Galatians 2:21 Paul gives his defense of the Gospel, basing his defense on his divinely bestowed authority and not based on his personal opinion. Paul (3972) is from Latin, Paulos meaning "little, small". Before his Damascus Road experience he was known by his Hebrew name Saul (Greek Saulos) which means "desired" or "ask" (derived from Hebrew word for "ask"). Jon Courson on Judaizers questioning Paul's credentials - This still happens today. When someone wants to subvert a ministry, he invariably slanders the minister—especially if he can't argue proficiently against the doctrine. Paul's enemies were no exception. They continually challenged his authority, saying, "He doesn't have the credentials to teach as he does. So, too, the religionist comes to us, saying, "You believe in Jesus? That's great. So do I. But there's a little more to it than that." "Really? Then how is man saved?" I ask. "Well, believe in Jesus Christ and join our church," or, "Believe in Jesus Christ and sell magazines," or, "Believe in Jesus Christ and wear holy underwear." Whenever you hear the word and in conjunction with belief, you know you're talking to a religionist. Jesus said it all boils down to only one thing: Believe on Him whom the Father hath sent (John 5:24). Put your trust in Him. Keep focused on Him. Open your heart to Him, for He alone is the basis of true faith. The question of authority is most often raised by those who want to keep people under the restraints of religion and legalism. "What authority do you have to do the things you do, to preach the way you preach, or to baptize in the manner you baptize?" they ask." (Jon Courson's Application Commentary New Testament) JUDAIZERS' ACCUSATIONS AGAINST PAUL THE JUDAIZERS APOSTLE PAUL They said he was perverting the truth. He received his message from Christ himself (Ga; 1:11-12). They said he was a traitor to the Jewish faith. Paul was one of the most dedicated Jews of his time. Yet, in the midst of one of his most zealous acts, God transformed him through a revelation of the Good News about Jesus (Gal 1:13-16; Acts 9:1-30). They said he compromised and watered down his message for the Gentiles. The other apostles declared that the message Paul preached was the true gospel (Gal 2:1-10). They said he was disregarding the law of Moses. Far from degrading the law, Paul puts the law in its proper place. He says it shows people where they have sinned, and it points them to Christ (Gal 3:19-29). Source: Life Application Commentary In this first section Paul will clearly describe salvation as by free grace of God without human works and in so doing he draws our attention fully on the complete sufficiency of Jesus Christ and the adequacy of simple faith as the only acceptable response to the Gospel. THOUGHT - There are only two "religions" in the world - One seeks to impress God with man's deeds and the other calls for men to renounce such pretensions (that they can gain God's favor and earn His righteousness through their human works) and cast themselves by grace through faith on God's gift of righteousness in Christ alone. One "religion" (regardless of the name) teaches one can work their way to God -- this is true in some form of EVERY other "religion" in the world (no exceptions)! True "religion" teaches Jesus has accomplished the work of redemption, having paid the redemption price in full (Jn 19:30+, "It is Finished" = tetelestai) and now to be saved one must believe in His finished work. So let me ask you dear reader - Do you believe you are saved by believing or by achieving? Are you counting on your human accomplishments or believing in His accomplishment on the Cross? Your answer will make all the difference in this life and the one to come in eternity. Don't be deceived! Don't delay! "Believe (aorist imperative = Do this now! Don't delay! It is urgent!) in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved." (Acts 16:31+) De Haan says "Today the problem of the Galatians is still with us, in spite of the clear teaching of the Word of God. Men are made to believe they must DO something to be saved. Man adds to salvation by grace, religion, good works, church membership, ordinances, and the works of the law. But the Bible says: "But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness." (Ro 4:5+). (Studies in Galatians) John Calvin on Paul an apostle - In the salutations with which he commenced his Epistles, Paul was accustomed to claim the title of “an Apostle.” His object in doing so, as we have remarked on former occasions, was to employ the authority of his station, for the purpose of enforcing his doctrine. This authority depends not on the judgment or opinion of men, but exclusively on the calling of God; and therefore he demands a hearing on the ground of his being “an Apostle.” (Galatians 1 Commentary)
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Wiersbe - Christ paid the price that He might achieve a purpose-delivering sinners from bondage. “Liberty in Christ” is the dominant theme of Galatians. (Check the word bondage in Gal 2:4; 4:3, 9, 24–25; 5:1.) The Judaizers wanted to lead the Christians out of the liberty of grace into the bondage of Law. Paul knew that bondage was not a part of the message of the Gospel, for Christ had died to set men free. (Bible Exposition Commentary) A J Gordon - Attachment to Christ is the only secret of detachment from the world. That (hopos) means in order that and points to the purpose of Christ's sacrifice. CHRIST'S "RESCUE MISSION" So that He might rescue us from this present evil age - Notice the "so that" which introduces a purpose, in this case what Jesus gave Himself for our sins. Paul said Jesus did it so that He could rescue us! We were (as it were) drowning in sin and a sea of evil and His death and His Gospel were like a life preserver thrown out from Heaven to save us from Hell! All we had to do be rescued was take hold of His "life preserving" Gospel by grace through faith! Amazing grace indeed! The hymn Jesus, I Come by William T. Sleeper accurately explains why we are in such dire need of rescue... Out of my bondage, sorrow, and night, Into Thy freedom, gladness, and light, Out of my sickness, into Thy health, Out of my want and into Thy wealth, Out of my sin and into Thyself, Jesus, I come to Thee. Out of my shameful failure and loss, Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come; Into the glorious gain of Thy cross, Jesus, I come to Thee; Out of earth’s sorrows, into Thy balm, Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm, Out of distress to jubilant psalm, Jesus, I come to Thee. Out of unrest and arrogant pride, Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come; Into Thy blessed will to abide, Jesus, I come to Thee; Out of myself to dwell in Thy love, Out of despair, into raptures above, Upward for aye on wings like a dove, Jesus, I come to Thee. Out of the fear and dread of the tomb, Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come; Into the joy and light of Thy home, Jesus, I come to Thee; Out of the depths of ruin untold, Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold, Ever Thy glorious face to behold, Jesus, I come to Thee. In a sense the Biblical narrative of redemption that stretches from the expulsion from Eden to the reestablishment of the New Jerusalem can be viewed as one long rescue story. Dictionary of Biblical Imagery on rescue - Much of the NT is an explication of the significance of the cross and resurrection in this grand rescue, and how a rescued people can live as those who will one day inherit and inhabit a rescued creation. But the Bible also contains numerous and smaller episodes of rescue, some of which foreshadow the grand rescue of the cross and resurrection. Rescue is in many ways synonymous with deliverance, though the image of rescue frequently carries a sense of immediate or impending danger, of a hazardous predicament and of bold and decisive action. It speaks of courage, strength, skill and risk. Rescue easily evokes more concrete scenes than deliverance or salvation. Many Americans will never forget the television image of a man risking his life by jumping into the ice-choked Potomac River to rescue a flight attendant from the wreckage of a crashed plane. Rescues involve hapless victims who are in over their heads and cannot help themselves. They face awful consequences, often death. Rescuers take risks. They plunge into the fray. Rescue is variously rendered as "deliver" (KJV), "set us free," (NRSV, TEV), "to free us" (NCV), "to liberate us" (NJB) Rescue strikes a keynote of Galatians for the Gospel is indeed a rescue from danger, an emancipation from a state of bondage. In context rescue speaks primarily of a deliverance of saints from the power of the "ethical errors" (and "eros") of this present evil age. Christ died not to improve us, but to rescue us! He did not come to reform us but to rescue and regenerate us! And
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Wiersbe says "He was persecuting the church and profiting and progressing in the Jewish religion. Everything was going his way, and he was rapidly being recognized as a spiritual leader in Israel." (Bible Exposition Commentary) Beyond my contemporaries - "The persons referred to are those (Jews) of similar age and standing,-fellow-pupils, it may be, at the feet of Gamaliel." (Eadie) Paul was an enthusiast, a person full of enthusiasm; specifically, a religious fanatic or zealot and an ardent supporter of Judaistic traditions. Being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions (traditions of my fathers) - Paul was literally driven to excel over other Jews who were his peers. Paul is not bragging, but stating facts that emphasize how he burned passionately for the cause of Judaism. Paul was earnestly committed to Judaism. It is interesting that he was not zealous for the Word of God, but the traditions of the fathers! More extremely is perissos which is a comparative adverb which describes Paul's zeal as superabundantly beyond what one would expect for most Jews. Compared to their zeal, his was far more! He was indeed sincere, but sincerely wrong! Ancestral is patrikos used only here in the NT to convey the sense of the traditions as derived from or handed down by the Jewish fathers. It is paradoxical that the Judaizers would accuse Paul of not being acquainted with the teachings of Judaism when he knew them better than they did!