The Gospel in Galatians. Notes.
Lesson #2.
“For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be he servant of Christ.” (1:10)
How does this point relate to the context? That is, how does it relate to that ‘other gospel’ which Paul was warning the Galatian Christians about?
“Another gospel” had been brought to the Galatian Christians. In essence that gospel was, “Except you be circumcised after the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved.” (Acts 15:1).
A gospel such as this was far more pleasing to the Jews. It would be received as “good news” to many Jews that were hesitating, and that did not wish to rock the proverbial “boat” quite as much. Surely, the new gospel would be less offensive to the Jews – it would offend far fewer Jews than ‘Paul’s gospel’ did.
But the new gospel was a false gospel. Professed Christians had brought this ‘gospel of salvation’ to the Galatians. It had been introduced to gain the favor of men; that is, to win more Jews.
Even Paul, until relatively recently, had done everything “to be seen of men” (Matt 23:5). But now Paul says that if he “YET pleased men” [if he reverted to this practice as well], he could not be the servant of Christ. (1:10)
Paul would not allow the gospel of Christ to be compromised, in order to make it ‘easier’ for new converts to come into the Christian church. To him, this kind of ‘men-pleasing’ was horrendous.
Perhaps one of the great examples of pleasing men in order to have them “convert” to Christianity, came many years later, in the days of Constantine. The Emperor induced the pagans with the promise “that a white garment, with twenty pieces of gold” would be given to “every convert”. (Gibbon, vol.1, p.298) A flood of converts came, but how much better off they would have been, had they never adopted the name "Christian"!
“For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be he servant of Christ.” (1:10)
How does this point relate to the context? That is, how does it relate to that ‘other gospel’ which Paul was warning the Galatian Christians about?
“Another gospel” had been brought to the Galatian Christians. In essence that gospel was, “Except you be circumcised after the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved.” (Acts 15:1).
A gospel such as this was far more pleasing to the Jews. It would be received as “good news” to many Jews that were hesitating, and that did not wish to rock the proverbial “boat” quite as much. Surely, the new gospel would be less offensive to the Jews – it would offend far fewer Jews than ‘Paul’s gospel’ did.
But the new gospel was a false gospel. Professed Christians had brought this ‘gospel of salvation’ to the Galatians. It had been introduced to gain the favor of men; that is, to win more Jews.
Even Paul, until relatively recently, had done everything “to be seen of men” (Matt 23:5). But now Paul says that if he “YET pleased men” [if he reverted to this practice as well], he could not be the servant of Christ. (1:10)
Paul would not allow the gospel of Christ to be compromised, in order to make it ‘easier’ for new converts to come into the Christian church. To him, this kind of ‘men-pleasing’ was horrendous.
Perhaps one of the great examples of pleasing men in order to have them “convert” to Christianity, came many years later, in the days of Constantine. The Emperor induced the pagans with the promise “that a white garment, with twenty pieces of gold” would be given to “every convert”. (Gibbon, vol.1, p.298) A flood of converts came, but how much better off they would have been, had they never adopted the name "Christian"!
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Stewart on -
I realized this morning that the view I have expressed here is not the view given in the Sabbath School Quarterly.
I regret that this is the case, but if anyone wants to dig further into the subject, I would suggest that a thought in E.J. Waggoner's book, "Glad Tidings" be considered. In there Waggoner writes,
"In order to gain the favor of the people, they [the false teachers] had to compromise and pervert the truth. This is what was being done in Galatia; men were perverting the Gospel of Christ." (Glad Tidings p.13)
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