Reflections on Fruits of the Spirit (3) 

May 27, 2001

By Mark Mullins

NOT FROM PEOPLE, BUT FROM GOD!  (Gal. 1:11-2:10)

After reading this section, you’ll get the idea that some people are accusing Paul of deriving his teachings from a human source rather than from God.  He goes to great length to demonstrate that his teaching against legalism is from God.  In doing so, Paul gives us a part of his life story that is skipped in the book of Acts.

After his conversion (1:11-16; see also Acts 9), Paul emphasizes that he did not go to Jerusalem to be taught the essentials of Christianity.  Rather, he went to Arabia (1:17).   There he apparently re-thought his entire faith—either in a secluded place or at the great Jewish university at Petra.

Three years later he visited Peter for a short time, then went on to live in his home region (1:18-24).  Only 14 years later did Paul see any of the other apostles—and at that time they welcomed him as a teacher to non-Jews (2:1-10).

Today, a degree from a seminary might be more respected for a church leader than three years in the desert!  But we have to remember that the Galatians were rather backward people who likely looked down on higher education.  What they wanted to know was whether Paul’s message was from God.  They were confused because others had followed Paul into the region teaching a doctrine of legalism.  They didn’t know what to make of it.

Today we must take extreme care that our teaching is from God.  There is a lot of biblical room for diversity in the message of the universal church.  (As a preacher said recently, “I don’t know if you’re left wing or right wing; all I know is that it takes two wings to fly.”) One thing that is clearly unbiblical is legalism.  I will be defining that term more fully in the next several installments.