Bristol Road Bible Study - August 2004

STUDIES IN NEW TESTAMENT LEADERSHIP

PAUL
1 Corinthians 3: 21b,22

All things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the

world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and
you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

The text for this study is the letter to the Galatians.

In this study I want us to see the apostle Paul from a different

perspective.

Our view of Paul is coloured by our own reading of the Acts and our
recognition that so much of Christian doctrine rests on his writings. We
want to try and see him as the early Christians might have done – so
that when comparing him with Apollos and Peter we might be able to
see what it was that marked out and influenced his development as a
NT Leader.

The few references that we have to his physical appearance and

mannerisms suggest that we might have had some difficulty
appointing him to our church!
We “hear” him through such marvellous writings as 1 Corinthians 13,
his defence before Agrippa, his many memorable passages of
exhortation.

You might like to compare that with an early church tradition from one
of the Apocryphal books of the NT. (The Acts of Paul and Thecla)

At length they saw a man coming (namely Paul), of a small stature

with meeting eyebrows, bald [or shaved] head, bow- legged, strongly
built, hollow-eyed, with a large crooked nose; he was full of grace, for
sometimes he appeared as a man, sometimes he had the countenance
of an angel.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/maps/primary/thecla.html

3
I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4 My
message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words,

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but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith

might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.
1 Corinthians 2
10
For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he
is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.”
2 Corinthians 10

In our chosen passages – from Galatians we are looking at three

general aspects of his ministry:

⇒ Transformed 1 15 and 22
⇒ Uncompromising 2 5, and 11
⇒ Overcoming disability 6 11~

The letter to the Galatians is, like that to the Philippians, an intensely
biographical letter – but unlike that other letter it is harsher in its tone
as it has to deal with a serious threat to the spiritual life of the Galatian
Christians – the Judaisers.

A. The transformation Chapter 1 13-24

The transformation of St Paul is, of course, legendary. His Damascus

Road experience has entered common usage even amongst those who
know nothing of Paul or his Saviour.

This apostle was a man whom God met and turned round and used in a
unique way.

As we look through these verses in Chapter 1 we use these as stepping

stones in the pursuit of a man transformed by Christ:

• From persecutor to apostle 13,14

• From birth to ministry 15,16
• From obscurity to praise 22-24

1. From persecutor to apostle vv 13 and 14

13
For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how
intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14 I was

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advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was

extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

There is no mistaking Paul’s zeal for Christ. This whole letter declares it
– sometimes in a tone that makes us feel he may have been difficult to
work with – full of ambition for the cause of God and the sufficiency of
Christ.

We are often sceptical about radical conversions. We somehow expect

them to fail, and so we reserve judgement until time has passed to see
if it is “real”.

There is no doubt about the complete change in Paul’s life.

Notice that what people had talked about was his “previous way of life”
v13

What effect did this transformation have on Paul’s preaching?

o It humbled him
o It centred his faith in Christ not tradition
o It enabled him to come to terms with the claims of the world
around him, religious and secular.

2. From birth to ministry vv 15,16

15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his
grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach
him among the Gentiles…

Consider his phrases:

Set apart
Called me by his grace
Was pleased to reveal his Son in me

Set me apart from birth

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Paul has looked back at what he was – now he examines the way in
which God worked in his life: Paul seems to be quoting from Jeremiah:

5
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1 v 5

Before all that zeal and persecution, long before all that God has set
His love on Paul, as he has on us who love Him. Our beginning as
Christians goes back into God’s time, God’s plan for us. We may see it
as I do at my mother’s knee – God saw me long before.
Called me by His grace

As Paul looks back at the Damascus road he realises that it was a

process that began long before, it has its roots in God’s love and choice
of Paul.
We too may use his language for we have the same Lord, the same
Saviour.
To reveal His Son in me

What a beautiful way of describing the work of God in conversion.

It focuses the attention where it should be on Jesus

It describes the way God goes on to make the same Jesus shine
through His son/daughter

3. From obscurity to praise vv 22-24

22
I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.
23
They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is
now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they praised
God because of me.

Paul wants to distance himself from any specific influence at the hands
of the other church leaders – because he is focussing on the work of
God in him.

The final part of his transformation which he celebrates here is the

change from obscurity to praise God for him.

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His focus changes again. At first it was his dramatic change, then the
singular work of God’s grace in him, now it is the way he, Paul, is
perceived by others.

Unknown … report … praise …

It is ALL about God working in Paul. Although he has brief contacts

with the early Church leaders he remains an unknown. All the
Jerusalem believers know about him is his reputation for persecuting
the Church and that he now preaches the faith. This is cause for praise
to God alone.
Would we be content with such a view of our lives by others?
Listen as Paul sets out his CV for himself:

After all that time and activity I was still unknown by face among the
Christian churches in Judea. There was only this report: “That man who
once persecuted us is now preaching the very message he used to try
to destroy.” Their response was to recognize and worship God because
of me! MESSAGE

The second strand concerns Paul’s relationship with Peter

B. UNCOMPROMISING
Galatians 2 4-21 esp. vv 5 and 11
5
We did not give in to them for a moment,
11
When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face,
because he was clearly in the wrong.

In this second aspect we see clearly the firm views that he held and
the boldness with which he stated them.
We may feel as we consider these verses that he was a difficult man to
get on with. That may have been the case if you were to disagree with
him. But I believe that any awkwardness is clearly outweighed by his
clear statements about the gospel. You knew where you stood with

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Paul. He might give you a hard time if he thought you were in the
wrong – but there was no doubt about what he regarded as truth.

In an age when many present the gospel of Christ in a way that is

designed first and foremost to appeal to modern people the
confrontational approach is often avoided.
“Let’s not offend anyone”, becomes more important than “Let’s reveal
the gospel of Christ”.

I believe that this passage shows us certain important truths about:

• The dangers that believers face in the Church

• The nature of the Gospel
• The importance of “holding the line”

1. The dangers that believers face within the Church

In His teaching to His disciples, Jesus frequently warned His friends that
there would be many attempts to pervert and distort the gospel

24
Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a
man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was
sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and
went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed ears, then the
weeds also appeared. MATTHEW 13

This was happening in Paul’s day; Jewish critics were trying to impose
Judaism on new Gentile Christians. At this distance we may be inclined
to view it all as rather academic. After all we do not experience that
kind of infiltration today – but we do stand in the same danger that the
Gospel will be altered.

Sometimes those influences in our own day seem to be from outside

the Church, at other times from within it.

Consider the impact of

 science and rationalism
 Traditions rather than scripture
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 The modern trend to multi-faith worship

 The political correctness
 Attacks on Biblical truth
And at a different level:
 new age ideas
 Superstition
 Materialism morals
 Fashion worship
 Media influences
We are most foolish if we think that these things do not influence our
way of thinking and our view of truth.
The Galatians surprised Paul that they were so quickly deflected from
the truth of the Gospel in Christ.
6
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called
you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7
which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing
you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.
(Chapter 1 v 6)

In the light of such dangers we need to know : -

2. The nature of the Gospel

We do not expect to find a comprehensive statement of Christian

theology in this one chapter – but there are significant pointers:

• The freedom that we have in Christ Jesus 4

to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus
• A Gospel unaffected by appearances 6
God does not judge by external appearance
• A Gospel to be shared (Preached) 7
I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the
Gentiles
• A Gospel that cares for the poor 10
we should continue to remember the poor
• A Gospel to be lived out 14
acting in line with the truth of the gospel,

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• A Gospel that depends on Christ alone 16

man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus
Christ

Ψ Are we as clear in our understanding of it, and in our defence of it

against numerous foes?

Ψ What steps do we take to improve our understanding of the great

doctrines of the Church?

An important aspect of Paul’s defence against the onslaught was:

3. The importance of “holding the line”

Paul makes it clear that he has not allowed other things to influence
him:

V 4 some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have
in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. 5 We did not give in to them for a moment,
so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you.

We did not give in to them for a moment…

He still calls them “brothers” so they worked within the Church, but
their plan was to steal the freedom which Christ bought at such cost

If Paul had given in the consequences would have been like that for
which he criticises Peter :

Vv 11-15
11
When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was
clearly in the wrong. 12 Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with
the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate
himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the
circumcision group. 13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by
their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
14
When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I
said to Peter in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and
not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?

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15
“We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’ 16 know that a man is
not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have
put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not
by observing the law, because by observing the law no-one will be justified.

There are some issues over which believers disagree and agree to
differ – there are other matters which are too fundamental to be dealt
with in this way. Such deep compromises have to be withstood.

This was a famous confrontation!

What sort of issues would provoke you in the same way?

c. coping with disability chapter 4 & Ch 6

13
As you know, it was because of an illness that I first
preached the gospel to you. 14 Even though my illness was a
trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn.
Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I
were Christ Jesus himself. 15 What has happened to all your
joy? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would
have torn out your eyes and given them to me.
4 13-15
11
See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own
hand!
6 v 11

It is truly remarkable that Paul’s disability was the reason why he first
preached the gospel in Galatia.
We cannot be sure exactly what the nature of his condition was.
He mentions it twice to the Galatian Christians:

• In chapter 4 he refers to his illness and seems to be referring to

his eyes.

• In chapter 6 he draws attention to the LARGE LETTERS with

which he autographed the letter.
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It is possible – though we cannot prove it – that he suffered from a

condition that affected his sight.
It was because of his ill health that he valued the company of Doctor
Luke for many of his travels – but the good doctor, being the soul of
discretion, does not tell us in Acts what illnesses Paul suffered from.
They appear to have been chronic, but flaring up from time to time –
sometimes because of the climate of the places he visited.

We also know that Paul asked God to remove the famous THORN IN
THE FLESH.
7
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly
great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a
messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the
Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is
sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that
Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I
delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in
difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Cor 12 7~

Once again there is no certainty about what it was – but we can tell
clearly that Paul endured an ongoing condition for which there was no
cure – only the all-sufficient grace of God to enable him to bear it and
to go on working – an arduous ministry.

Paul is a striking example of the way in which a Christian copes with

and indeed overcomes his disabilities. It offers no immediate remedy
for the difficulty – but a series of strategies for dealing with it in the
power of God.

1. Our faith in Christ enables us to overcome

The Lord does heal – but sometimes he offers us something better

“sufficient grace”.
Being able to cope with the “No” of God means we have to lean harder
on Him.

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Paul shows us that he has accepted that his disability is an opportunity

for Christ to triumph in him.

To be able to see however dimly that He has a purpose in it, and if He

has a purpose in it then we need not fear.

2. Disability does not bar us from serving Jesus

Given the injuries he had suffered and the illnesses he had, it is

surprising that he achieved what he did.

If disability did bar us from service it would be reasonable to ask why a

man like Paul was commissioned with so much – given his poor
condition.

No, disability does not bar us from service …

But - it often provides us with an excuse to do so

I can’t do anything for Christian service because ….

If only I didn’t have this disability I would offer myself to serve Him…

But - it does limit the kind of work we can do.

But - it may challenge us to a NEW field of service

Whatever it was that Paul suffered – it did not prevent him from
obeying His Lord.

He did not make it an excuse – but rather looked for an opportunity!

Fairly obviously ….

3. Disability informs our choices about Christian work

It was illness that brought Paul to Galatia. The details are uncertain –
but the fact remains
13
As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the
gospel to you.
We might have expected “Because of illness I didn’t do anything…”
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Paul had elsewhere learned that God could heal - he was instrumental
in healings himself – but also that God could provide that sufficient
grace that takes a weak apostle and declares Christ through him.
Either way our fitness to serve Him in a particular way influences the
kind of work we can do.
Paul went to Galatia “because of an illness”
Our difficulties may be God’s way of redirecting us – He delights to
bring good out of weakness.
He uses many different ways to get us on the right path.
Like Paul we should be able to relate our disabilities to God’s plan, and
see the positive opportunities it offers.
Such an attitude to difficulty has a powerful impact upon unbelievers.

4. Christians do not discriminate against those with disabilities – but

share the burden.

. 14 Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat
me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I
were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. 15 What
has happened to all your joy? I can testify that, if you could
have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given
them to me.

Although Paul has had to condemn the Galatians for their errors – in
this regard he heartily commends them

They did not “treat him with contempt or scorn”

Of course everyone should be expected to show understanding and

tolerance to those with disabilities – but in our society it is not so.

For the believer the standard is high.

NO DISCRIMINATION
you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus
himself.
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Was that over the top?

No – the MESSAGE that he brought and the fact that he brought it in
those circumstances of weakness made them respect him the more!
They saw through the illness the Lord Himself.
They went further, they SHARED his weakness and would have done
anything for him:
I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out
your eyes and given them to me.

A right attitude to the weakness of others – especially within the

fellowship of the gospel brings JOY.

Christians were always at the forefront of health work. Caring for the
whole individual.

So when we turn to the end of the letter we see Paul using his pen to
draw large letters to emphasize the point he has been making

HE TURNS HIS DISABILITY TO ADVANTAGE

Not in a morbid way – but directly

11
See what large
letters I use as I

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write to you with my

own hand!
Possibly his writing was poorly formed – certainly his recent injuries
would account for that – and before spectacles he needed big print.

He turns his disability into a BIG STATEMENT

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